And they're right to suspect snow could be on the horizon — even in Denver, where plenty of snowfalls have been recorded in September. Plus, a new winter forecast just predicted Colorado will see above-average snow this winter.
How soon might Denver residents get to pretend they live in a snow globe? Historic trends show we might not have to wait very long, depending on how far you look back.
According to the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, since 1882 Denver's earliest recorded snowfall of 0.1 inches of snow or more came on September 3, 1961, when it snowed 4.2 inches. That's a real storm.
Most of these early snowfalls happened decades ago, however, with just one cracking the 2000s. That storm came in 2020, when it snowed one inch on September 8.
In the last ten years, the first Denver snowfall has come in September once, October four times, November four times and December once. The December snowfall occurred in 2021, marking the latest first snowfall on record for Denver.
Earliest Denver Snowfalls:
- September 3, 1961, 4.2 inches
- September 8, 2020, 1 inch
- September 8, 1962, 0.7 inches
- September 12, 1989, 2.3 inches
- September 12, 1974, 1.8 inches
- September 13, 1993, 5.4 inches
- September 16, 1971, 2.7 inches
- September 19, 1955, 0.2 inches
- September 20, 1995, 4.7 inches
- September 20, 1965, 3.5 inches
