DENVER – We are still about a month out from the first day of fall, but temperatures will continue to drop over the next few weeks – and it won’t be long before it’s snow season!
While we haven’t seen a freeze or snow in Denver in September over the past 10 years, both are historically not out of the question.
The earliest first snowfall in Denver came on Sept. 3, 1961, when more than four inches of snow fell. So it’s extremely unlikely we’ll match that record this year, with forecast highs for Tuesday in the upper-80s.
The earliest first freeze of the season happened on Sept. 8, 1962.
Over the past decade, the first measurable snowfalls of the season have all come in October and November, with the earliest coming on Oct. 5, 2012. The first freezes typically come in October – the average date being Oct. 7.
There have been some years where the cold and snow don’t come until much later in the fall, though. The latest first snow of the season on Denver’s record books was on Nov. 21, 1934, and the latest first freeze was on Nov. 15, 1944. The average first snowfall occurs on Oct. 18.
The biggest September snowstorm in Denver hit the city between Sept. 26-28, 1936 and dumped 16 ½ inches.
And three of the city’s 24 largest snowstorms on record came in October: 22.7 inches fell between Oct. 20-23, 1906; 21.9 inches fell between Oct. 24-25, 1997; and 16 inches fell in a storm between Oct. 3-5, 1969.
So while it’s possible to see snow in September in Denver, recent years have shown that it’s more likely city residents will have to wait until at least October until they have to break out the shovels.
However, the High Country often sees its first snows in September. Last year, Fairplay received a dusting and Hoosier Pass saw 2 inches of snow on Sept. 5. By late September, snow was falling in the mountains statewide.
For more Denver snowfall information from the National Weather Service, click here.