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Denver's Historic 'Dust Bowl' Snow Record At Risk This Year

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - If you're hoping for snow in Denver we have some bad news.

There's nothing in the forecast over the next five to seven days and potentially beyond.

In fact we're nearly three weeks overdue for the first snow of the season which on average falls around October 18.

Denver Skyline Generic Snow
Denver's first snow in 2005 fell on November 5. (credit: CBS)

Denver's snow record dates back to 1882. In that time, the latest 'first snow' of the season fell during the middle of the Dust Bowl on November 21, 1934.

It's unclear if we'll break the all-time record this year but it could be a close one based on the current forecast.

Ironically, just up the road in Fort Collins there have been some very late 'first snowfall' dates.

The following is a list of the 10 latest first snowfalls in Fort Collins, courtesy of the Colorado Climate Center.

December 13, 1965
December 10, 1963
December 7, 1914
December 3, 2008
December 3, 2005
December 3, 1904
December 3, 1901
December 2, 1933
November 28, 1934
November 28, 1913

Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.

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