THE WEATHER BEAT · FROM THE ROCK SHOP · OCT 13

Snow on the high peaks and frost in the valleys: October in the West, in the Weather Service's own words, and the shirt for it

Six offices posted snow advisories for the Rockies and three posted frost advisories for the valleys tonight. What they say, and the Rock Shop shirt for.

By the Weather Rock October 13, 2026, 8:23 p.m. · 8 min read

The October Gave a Party T-Shirt from the Rock Shop. Photo: The Rock Shop, October Gave a Party T-Shirt.

Key points

Six Weather Service offices in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado issued Winter Weather Advisories on Tuesday for snow above about 9,000 feet. Totals run from 2 to 6 inches in the Wind River Mountains up to 6 to 12 inches in the Colorado high country between Wednesday and Thursday morning.
Frost advisories for early Wednesday cover the Treasure Valley around Boise, Trinity County and the interior of the northern California coast ranges, and ten counties of central South Dakota around Pierre. Lows run 33 to 36 degrees.
The Rock Shop's October Gave a Party shirt suits a week like this one. The shop is how the forecast on this site stays free.

Snow up high, frost down low

Tuesday's products from the West read like a calendar turning. In the mountains the offices are talking about snow and roads. In the valleys they are talking about tomato plants.

Snow comes first, in Utah. NWS Salt Lake City's advisory for the Wasatch Mountains south of Interstate 80 calls for 3 to 6 inches in upper Little and Big Cottonwood canyons, with more above 9,000 feet, until 6 a.m. MDT Wednesday. The office sums up the season in one line: "Early season snowfall on roadways may pose a significant risk to under-prepared travelers." Its Western Uinta advisory adds that seasonal roads such as Bald Mountain Pass "remain open at this time." NWS Riverton has 2 to 6 inches above 9,000 feet in the Wind River Mountains overnight.

The snow then moves on to Colorado and southern Wyoming. NWS Cheyenne expects 5 to 10 inches in the Snowy Range from midnight tonight to noon Thursday, mainly above 9,000 feet, and writes that "Travel could be very difficult along Highway 130." NWS Denver has the biggest numbers, 6 to 12 inches above 9,000 feet from noon Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. That covers Rabbit Ears Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park, the Medicine Bow Range, the mountains of Summit County, the Mosquito Range and the Indian Peaks. Grand Junction and Pueblo cover the central and San Juan mountains, including Wolf Creek Pass, with 4 to 10 inches above 9,500 to 11,000 feet on Wednesday.

Below the snow line the nights are clear and cold. NWS Boise expects 33 to 36 degrees in the Treasure Valley until 10 a.m. MDT Wednesday, and says "A few spots could see temperatures below freezing." NWS Eureka has the same low of 33 for Trinity County, southern Humboldt, the northern Mendocino interior and Lake County from 1 to 8 a.m. PDT. NWS Aberdeen has 33 for ten counties of central South Dakota, Hughes County and Pierre among them, from 3 to 9 a.m. CDT. All three products end with the same advice for gardeners: "Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered." Albuquerque's Freeze Watch comes one night later, as low as 27 in the Upper Rio Grande Valley late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The Weather School lesson on [morning frost](/journal/explainers/morning-frost) explains why a still, clear night can put frost on the grass while the air is still a few degrees above freezing.

Office, sent	Product	Area	Snow or low in the product	When
Salt Lake City, 2:48 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Wasatch Mountains south of I-80	3 to 6 in, upper Cottonwoods; more above 9,000 ft	until 6 a.m. MDT Wed
Salt Lake City, 2:48 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Western Uinta Mountains	additional 2 to 4 in	until 6 a.m. MDT Wed
Riverton, 1:32 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Wind River Mountains	2 to 6 in above 9,000 ft	until 6 a.m. MDT Wed
Cheyenne, 1:01 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Snowy Range	5 to 10 in, mainly above 9,000 ft	midnight tonight to noon Thu
Denver, 12:16 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Rabbit Ears Pass, Rocky Mountain NP, Summit County mountains, Mosquito Range, Indian Peaks	6 to 12 in above 9,000 ft	noon Wed to 6 a.m. Thu
Grand Junction, 1:09 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Flat Tops, Gore and Elk, West Elk and Sawatch, Grand Mesa	4 to 8 in above 9,500 ft	6 a.m. Wed to 6 a.m. Thu
Grand Junction, 1:09 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Northwest and southwest San Juan Mountains	4 to 8 in above 10,000 ft	6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wed
Pueblo, 12:19 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Eastern San Juans incl. Wolf Creek Pass	4 to 9 in above 10,000 ft	midnight tonight to 6 p.m. Wed
Pueblo, 12:19 p.m. MDT	Winter Weather Advisory	Eastern Sawatch, western Mosquito Range	5 to 10 in above 11,000 ft	6 a.m. Wed to midnight
Boise, 10:22 a.m. MDT	Frost Advisory	Treasure Valley	33 to 36	until 10 a.m. MDT Wed
Eureka, 10:20 a.m. PDT	Frost Advisory	Trinity, southern Humboldt, northern Mendocino interior, Lake	as low as 33	1 to 8 a.m. PDT Wed
Aberdeen, 1:20 p.m. CDT	Frost Advisory	Hughes, Sully, Stanley, Hyde, Hand, Faulk, Spink, Buffalo, Jones, Lyman	as low as 33	3 to 9 a.m. CDT Wed
Albuquerque, 12:05 p.m. MDT	Freeze Watch	Upper Rio Grande Valley	as low as 27	late Wed night to Thu morning

*Source: NWS alerts as read from api.weather.gov at 00:25Z on October 14, 2026 (8:25 p.m. EDT October 13). Advisories and watches can change with later issuances.*

The shirt

The Rock Shop sells a shirt for this part of the year: October Gave a Party, a line the shop credits to Cooper. It's for the person who likes October as it really is: snow on the peaks one morning, frost on the windshield the next, and the leaves doing their part in between. It's a fall shirt, plain and simple, for the weeks when the mountain forecasts start to talk about snow. The shop is how this site pays for itself. Buying from it keeps the forecast free, with no ads and no paywall.

This is an evening summary, not emergency information. For live warnings see weather.gov and your local officials.

The rock's live forecast for the places in this story