As Colorado winter dries up, so do revenues for weather-dependent businesses

A version of this story originally appeared on Colorado Public Radio.

As New England recovers from a recent blizzard, mountains in the west are still starved for snow. 

Weather-dependent businesses in cities like Denver, Colorado, which usually benefit from the lucrative winter tourism season, are reporting low snow totals and even lower revenue. 

Even as fresh snow dusts the peaks surrounding Denver this week, in the city, snow shovels have been sitting idle — gathering dust instead of drifts.

Boulder National Weather Service meteorologist Russell Danielson said the normal snow total through the end of January for metro Denver is 27 inches. This year, just 13.4 inches fell. That’s a sharp drop from 2025, when the region saw 38 inches of snow over the same time frame.

The lack of snow has largely been framed as a ski industry problem. But in Colorado, it’s become something broader — and more immediate.

At Green Car Wash in Lakewood, winter is usually the busiest season of the year.

“The car wash business is busiest from September to March when we usually get those crazy snow storms that Colorado's famous for,” said owner Matt Fisher.

Storms send cars home from the mountains or daily commutes coated in dirt and magnesium chloride — the de-icing chemical in road salt that can corrode vehicle paint and metal if it sits too long.

“Not seeing that many dirty cars is definitely affecting things,” Fisher said. “It looks like we're down about 10% from the ‘24-’25 season for the September through January timeframe.”

Ten percent may not sound devastating. But in a weather-dependent business, small shifts add up — especially when expenses are rising at the same time.

“Our increases are tied to tariffs. It's tied to a lot of things,” Fisher said. “My primary soap manufacturer is in Canada and we've had some holdups on imports and delays in deliveries as well as increased prices and things like that. So seeing a little bit of a dip in general revenue and a little bit of an increase in expenses has definitely put the squeeze on.”

Luckily, Fisher recently diversified, adding self-serve dog washes to each of his locations. “It’s been a great add-on because even when it’s not snowing, we still get some business. It keeps the lights on,” he said. 

The add-ons help, but they can’t replace what’s missing. 

“This is definitely one of the driest years I've seen in a long time,” he said. “It feels a little different this year for some reason.”

Still, he’s got his fingers crossed. “I'm hoping for Miracle March,” Fisher said. “We're gonna get some good skiing and get some dirty cars and, and have some fun in the outdoors.”

Snow plows parked — and revenue down 70%

For other weather dependent businesses, the impact is far more dramatic.

“We calculated that we're about 70% down,” said Amy Campbell, office manager for Bear Creek Tree Service in Englewood. In a typical winter, her crews plow at least every other week — sometimes multiple times depending on the storm.

“This year has not been that way,” Campbell said. “The storms were all in January and we’ve had nothing since then. Every single day we look at the weather report and we're just like, ‘What?’”

Snow removal is one of the company’s most lucrative services and helps carry them through the colder months, offsetting slower months for tree work. “This year we don't have the luxury of pushing jobs out to get us through. It's whatever's coming in and that's it.”

Normally, the company is booked four to six weeks out for tree services. Right now, it’s only about a two week wait.

To stretch out work and reduce overhead, they recently made a difficult decision.

“We decided we’re going to close one day a week,” Campbell said. “Either Thursdays or Fridays just until the beginning of March — until we pick up again.”

Customers are also scrutinizing bills more closely.

“We did have two locations during the last storm who said, ‘We barely have two inches. We really don't need you to come out,’” she said. “I think it's a money thing. People are tightening the purse strings a little bit.” 

The company, like many around the metro, is offering big discounts on services to try to attract more customers. “We’ve never bumped a discount past 20%,” Campbell said. “But this year we’ve added that extra 5% to keep people interested.”

Beyond winter: Summer tourism industry hopes for more snowpack

The economic ripple from a dry winter won’t stop when the season changes. And that has small business owners who rely on summer tourism also worried.

Jonathan Snodgrass, co-owner of Downstream Adventures in Kremmling, is already watching the snowpack charts — not for ski conditions, but for river levels.

“I'm feeling a little worried,” he said. “If it stays on this track, we're looking at not a lot of water to work with for rafting. That could have some big impacts on the duration of our season and the quality of our product.”

Rafting on Clear Creek and the upper Colorado River depends heavily on snowmelt. In low years like 2018, Clear Creek trips ended around the third weekend of July. In stronger years, they run into late August — sometimes up to Labor Day.

Those final weeks are critical.

“Those last six weeks, that's the peak season,” Snodgrass said. “You could lose 50% of your business if not more if you're ending in the middle of July.”

And the impact extends beyond guides and outfitters.

“We bring in a lot of people to these mountain towns who probably wouldn't have come otherwise,” he said. “So restaurants and other attractions lose out as well.”

His company will work to diversify, adding fishing trips and other new excursions. They’re also looking at purchasing a type of raft that can be used on lower river levels. 

But for now, Snodgrass said most Coloradans are still focused on good snow days — or the lack of them.

“Everybody's jonesing for a good powder day and you're not really ready to think about summer yet,” Snodgrass said. 

Meanwhile, businesses that rely on runoff are acutely aware that the summer economy is already being shaped by February snowfall. “There’s still gonna be a rafting season and there's still a lot of fun to be had,” he said. “It might just be a little earlier than normal.”

For now Fisher, Campbell, and Snodgrass say small businesses will rely on their creativity, their repeat customers and hope for a big March or April snow storm to get them through. 

“We’re trying to provide a really good product, answer the phone when it rings, make sure our customers are well taken care of and hope they keep coming,” said Fisher. 

But, if the snow doesn’t come, the financial impact won’t melt away with the season.