DENVER (KDVR) — A white Christmas in Denver might not be as common as you think.
If your definition of a white Christmas is 1 inch or more of snow accumulation on the ground on Christmas Day, then there is a 37% chance for a white Christmas. Out of the last 121 years, 45 have had 1 inch or more of snow accumulation on Christmas.
If your definition is measurable snow falling on Christmas Day, then there is a 14% chance for a white Christmas. Measurable snow is defined as 0.1 inch or more of snowfall.
Only 20 out of the last 139 years had measurable snowfall on Christmas Day.
Looking ahead to the forecast for this Christmas in Colorado, some parts of the state have a pretty good chance for a white Christmas.
Whether your definition is 1 inch or more on the ground or snow falling on Christmas, there is an 80-100% chance of a White Christmas in Colorado’s mountains.
Several storm systems will move through the mountains Christmas week, and one of them takes aim at the high country on Christmas Day. It is still too far out to know exact timing and totals but the chance for at least some snowfall is high.
Meanwhile, in Denver and on the Front Range, the chance is 0-15%. There is only a small chance for an isolated shower spilling over into the lower elevations. As of right now, it’s likely that the majority of the Front Range will be dry on Christmas.
The chance for the southeast plains is even lower with snow chances staying well to the west of that area.
The record for the most snow on the ground on Christmas Day in Denver is 24 inches. That was just after the Christmas Eve blizzard of 1982.