DENVER — It’s useful information for those who might be new to Colorado, and a needed reminder for natives: Even in June, we can get some snow – primarily in the high country.
Intrepid shutterbug and loyal Discover Colorado | Through Your Photos member Alaine Nicole shared photos in the group of a snowy Vail Pass around 7 a.m. Friday morning (June 2).
An 18-wheeler had jackknifed on the slippery pass, snarling traffic and closing westbound I-70 until just after 9 a.m.
Snow in Denver is rare in the month of June.
According to the National Weather Service office in Boulder, Denver has only seen snow seven times since 1882, with the city most recently seeing a trace in 1974.
Denver saw a half-inch of snow back in June of 1953, according to the NWS.
Snow in the mountains is much more common, though. On June 8-9, 2020, the city of Gould in the northern Colorado Rockies saw a walloping 15 inches of snow during a “macroburst” storm. At least 20 areas of the mountains saw snowfall upwards of four inches with that storm.
This map from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Association charts the latest measurable snowfall date across thousands of U.S. weather stations. You can see several weather stations have seen snow in late June, including June 30, 1995 in Clear Creek County.
For an in-depth look at Colorado’s weather pattern in June, including the severe weather outlook, go here.
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