DENVER (KDVR) — Temperatures are still in the 80s and 90s in Denver but it will not be long before the leaves start changing and snow starts falling.
The Pinpoint Weather team said a rare triple-dip La Niña will dominate winter.
The average date of the first snowfall in Denver is Oct. 18. So when could the first snowfall arrive this year?
The first measurable snowfall of the 2021 season did not arrive until Dec. 10, which is the latest first snowfall on record.
On the flip side, the first measurable snowfall of the 2020 winter season came on Sept. 8, which is tied for the second earliest snowfall on record.
Snow over the last 10 years
Here’s a look at the list of the first snowfalls during the last 10 years from the National Weather Service:
- Dec. 10, 2021
- Sept. 8, 2020
- October 10, 2019
- October 6, 2018
- October 9, 2017
- November 17, 2016
- November 5, 2015
- November 11, 2014
- October 18, 2013
- October 5, 2012
What defines Denver’s first snowfall? According to the National Weather Service, the snow must be measurable. The NWS considers one-tenth of an inch or more of snowfall as measurable snow.
Denver finished the 2021-22 season with a total of 49.4 inches of snow, which was just below the average seasonal normal snowfall of 56.9 inches.
During the 2020-2021 season, Denver finished the season with 80.2 inches of snowfall. However, 27.1 inches of that total came during a March blizzard in 2021.
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