Watch CBS News

Potential Storm Has Some Dreaming Of A White Christmas

DENVER (CBS4) - If you find it hard to get into the holiday spirit with the recent streak of warm and dry weather you're not alone.

Talk of a potential storm this weekend that could bring snow to Denver has sparked chatter about the odds of a white Christmas.

The National Weather Service office in Boulder has compiled a list of Christmas weather since 1882.

While it turns out odds are high for seeing a white Christmas in the mountains, they're not so good in Denver.

If a white Christmas is defined as having at least one inch of snow on the ground there is a 38 percent chance of it happening.

If a white Christmas is defined as having measurable snowfall on the day itself then odds drop to around 14 percent in Denver.

The most snow on the ground on Christmas Day in Denver was 24 inches in 1982.

The most snow to ever fall on Christmas Day in Denver was 7.8 inches in 2007.

The most recent white Christmas was in 2012, when light snow began falling on Christmas Eve night. It gradually came to an end on Christmas morning with 2.6 inches accumulating at Denver International Airport.

Christmas 2012 marked 6 out of 7 years with at least 1 inch of snow on the ground. The last time that happened was from 1987 through 1993.

The overall weather pattern looks to be turning more active with the approaching weekend storm, so even if it does not meet your snow expectations, there may be a few more chances to see an accumulating snow before Christmas Day.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.