Denver's  Christmas  Weather  
...I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN DENVER...
(UPDATED: 12/13/2007)

THE 2007 CHRISTMAS DAY FORECAST FOR DENVER WILL BE AVAILABLE BEGINNING DECEMBER 19TH.

...CHRISTMAS DAY 2006...

CHRISTMAS 2006 STILL HAD 15 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND STILL LEFT OVER FROM THE WINTER STORM THAT OCCURRED ON THE 21ST AND 22ND. THERE WAS EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF SNOWFALL ON THE DAY THAT SAINT NICK DOES HIS FAMOUS RIDE. IN FACT...DECEMBER 2006 BECAME DENVER'S 3RD SNOWIEST DECEMBER IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY SINCE 1882. THE MONTH FINISHED WITH A WHOPPING 29.4 INCHES WHICH WAS 20.7 INCHES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 8.7 INCHES. THE IRONY OF DECEMBER 2006 IS THERE WERE ONLY 4 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE SNOW...20.7 ON THE 20TH AND 21ST AND 8.0 INCHES ON THE 28TH AND 29TH. TEMPERATURES ON CHRISTMAS DAY 2006 RANGED FROM 43 DEGREES DOWN TO 11 DEGREES.

..CHRISTMAS DAY 2005...

IT WAS WARM AND DRY ON CHRISTMAS DAY 2005. ONLY 4.1 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH AND THAT OCCURRED NEAR THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH. IT WAS COMPLETELY DRY FROM DECEMBER 21ST THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST. THE TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM 69 TO 35 DEGREES.

...CHRISTMAS DAY 2004...

PRECIPITATION OCCURRED ON 3 DAYS PRIOR TO CHRISTMAS (TUESDAY 21 THROUGH THURSDAY 23) BUT NO SNOW FELL ON CHRISTMAS EVE OR ON CHRISTMAS DAY. BUT BECAUSE TEMPERATURES ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY DID NOT EXCEED THE FREEZING MARK AND THE LOW TEMPERATURE ON CHRISTMAS EVE (FRIDAY) DROPPED TO 2 DEGREES ABOVE ZERO...A WHITE CHRISTMAS (SATURDAY) WAS ENJOYED BY DENVERITES. THIS IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THE CHRISTMAS EVE HIGH JUMPED UP TO 46 DEGREES AND CHRISTMAS DAY HAD A HIGH OF 56 DEGREES AND A LOW OF 28. SO FOR THE RECORD...CHRISTMAS DAY 2004 WAS A WHITE CHRISTMAS IN SPITE OF NO SNOW FALLING ON CHRISTMAS EVE OR CHRISTMAS DAY.

...CHRISTMAS DAY 2003...

IT WAS DRY AND WARM ON CHRISTMAS DAY 2003. A HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 51 DEGREES AND A LOW OF 26. ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE FOR ANY SNOW FOR DENVER. THERE WAS SOME SNOW IN THE HIGHER FOOTHILLS AND FOR THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF DENVER BUT BY THE TIME THE ATMOSPHERE MOVED OUT OVER THE DENVER METRO AREA...THE AIR HAD DRIED OUT ENOUGH TO ONLY ALLOW FOR A FEW MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS.

...CHRISTMAS DAY 2002...

IT WAS AGAIN COLD ENOUGH TO SNOW BUT THERE WAS VERY LITTLE...IF ANY... MOISTURE AVAILABLE TO CONVERT INTO SNOW. IN FACT...DURING THE ENTIRE MONTH OF DECEMBER...ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED...ON THE 6TH AND AGAIN ON THE 19TH.  IT WAS A VERY DRY MONTH TO END WHAT BECAME THE DRIEST YEAR IN DENVER WEATHER HISTORY.  THE HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES ON CHRISTMAS DAY LAST  YEAR WERE 36 AND 11 DEGREES RESPECTIVELY.

...CHRISTMAS DAY 2001...

ANOTHER COOL CHRISTMAS DAY...HOWEVER THERE WAS VERY LITTLE MOISTURE IN ATMOSPHERE SURROUNDING DENVER.  IT DID SNOW ON THE 22ND...0.6 INCH...BUT CLEAR SKIES ON SAINT NICK DAY ELIMINATED ANY CHANCE OF SNOW.  THERE WAS A TRACE OF SNOW LEFT ON THE GROUND LEFT OVER FROM THE DUSTING THAT OCCURRED ON THE 22ND.  TEMPERATURES FOR CHRISTMAS DAY 2001 RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 38 DOWN TO A LOW OF 20 DEGREES.

...CHRISTMAS DAY 2000...

LATE ON CHRISTMAS EVE...LIGHT SNOW BEGAN TO FALL ACROSS THE METRO AREA. THE SNOW CONTINUED IN THE LIGHT CATEGORY UNTIL LATE IN THE EVENING ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THE OFFICIAL TEMPERATURE FOR CHRISTMAS DAY RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 24 DEGREES AFTER AN EARLY MORNING LOW OF 16 DEGREES. SOME OF THE SNOW READINGS REGISTERED AROUND THE AREA ON CHRISTMAS DAY 2000 WERE:

     CHERRY CREEK RESERVOIR 1.3 INCHES
     DENVER-STAPLETON 0.9 INCHES
     DOWNTOWN DENVER 1.3 INCHES
     EVERGREEN 1.6 INCHES
     LONGMONT 1.5 INCHES
     MORRISON 1.8 INCHES
     RALSTON RESERVOIR 0.5 INCH

...CHRISTMAS DAY HIGHLIGHTS...

A CAREFUL CHECK OF PAST WEATHER RECORDS SHOWS THE CHANCES OF HAVING A WHITE CHRISTMAS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT.

IF HAVING A WHITE CHRISTMAS MEANS HAVING AN INCH OR MORE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND ON CHRISTMAS DAY...THEN THE CHANCES ARE ABOUT  36 PERCENT (38 days in 106 years).

BUT IF A WHITE CHRISTMAS MEANS HAVING MEASURABLE NEW SNOWFALL ON CHRISTMAS DAY...which is at least 0.1 inch...THEN THE ODDS DROP TO ABOUT 12 PERCENT (13 days in 106 years).

DECEMBER IS DENVER'S 4TH MOST SNOWY MONTH.  MARCH IS THE SNOWIEST MONTH FOLLOWED BY NOVEMBER AND APRIL.  LOOKING BACK INTO HISTORY...NOW ONLY 38 CHRISTMAS DAYS SINCE 1900 HAVE HAD ENOUGH SNOW ON THE GROUND TO BE CALLED A WHITE CHRISTMAS... 36 PERCENT.   ONLY 13 CHRISTMAS DAYS SINCE 1900 HAVE OFFICIALLY HAD MEASURABLE SNOWFALL... WHICH IS AT LEAST 0.1 INCH.  THIS COMES OUT TO ONLY 12 PERCENT.

HOWEVER...SINCE 1973...17 YEARS HAD 1 INCH OR MORE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND ON THE DAY THAT SAINT NICK MAKES HIS FAMOUS SLEIGH RIDE WHICH COMES OUT TO 51 PERCENT ...BUT ONLY 6 DAYS HAD MEASURABLE SNOWFALL WHICH IS ONLY 18 PERCENT.

THE MOST SNOW EVER ON THE GROUND IN DENVER ON CHRISTMAS DAY WAS 24 INCHES WHICH WAS MEASURED AFTER THE CHRISTMAS EVE BLIZZARD OF 1982. BUT ON THE FOLLOWING DAY...CHRISTMAS DAY...ONLY 0.2 INCH OF NEW SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED.   IN SECOND PLACE NOW IS 2006 WITH 15 INCHES ON THE GROUND ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND EQUALLY ONLY 0.2 INCH OF SNOWFALL.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT CHRISTMAS SNOW DEPTHS WERE:  19 INCHES IN 1913; 11 INCHES IN 1918; AND 12 INCHES IN 1973. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL ON CHRISTMAS DAY WAS ONLY 1.7 INCHES WHICH OCCURRED WAY BACK IN 1912.

"DENVER'S CHRISTMAS WEATHER STATISTICS"

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE YEARS SINCE 1900 WHERE THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND AND/OR 0.1 INCH OF NEW SNOWFALL ON DECEMBER 25TH. YEARS WITH NO SNOW ARE NOT LIST FROM 1900-1979.

YEAR SNOW ON
THE GROUND		 SNOWFALL ON
CHRISTMAS DAY		 HIGH
TEMP		 LOW
TEMP
1900-1907
0
0.0
---
---
1908
2
0.0
43
20
1909
3
0.0
34
10
1911
2
0.2
20
1
1912
2
1.7
31
7
1913
19
0.0
32
3
1914
2
0.0
39
14
1916
2
0.6
23
1
1918
11
0.0
32
4
1920
2
0.2
34
14
1921
3
0.0
41
15
1924
6
0.0
39
9
1926
5
0.0
34
10
1930
1
0.0
43
16
1939
2
1.4
19
15
1941
6
1.5
24
9
1948
3
0.0
20
-1
1962
1
0.0
13
-8
1964
1
1.2
53
11
1965
1
0.0
58
22
1968
2
0.0
50
18
1969
1
0.0
42
10
1973
12
0.1
42
11
1974
5
0.0
38
9
1976
1
0.0
43
5
1979
4
0.0
50
16

FROM 1980 THROUGH 2005...ALL YEARS ARE LISTED.

YEAR
SNOW ON
THE GROUND
SNOWFALL ON
CHRISTMAS DAY
HIGH
TEMP
LOW
TEMP
1980
0
0.0
62
26
1981
5
0.0
41
13
1982
24
0.2
31
1
1983
5
0.4
13
-10
1984
0
0.0
45
20
1985
0
0.0
53
24
1986
0
0.0
39
18
1987
4
0.0
19
-2
1988
1
0.0
30
17
1989
2
0.0
53
15
1990
1
0.0
18
2
1991
0
0.0
48
18
1992
2
0.0
42
20
1993
2
0.0
53
25
1994
0
0.0
60
27
1995
0
0.0
50
19
1996
T
0.0
54
05
1997
2
0.5
25
13
1998
3
0.0
48
28
1999
0
0.0
55
29
2000
1
0.9
24
16
2001
T
0.0
38
20
2002
0
0.0
36
11
2003
0
0.0
51
26
2004
T
0.0
53
28
2005
0
0.0
69
35
2006
15
0.2
43
11
2007
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL AND TO ALL A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

FROM THE STAFF OF THE DENVER/BOULDER WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE



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