Dreaming Of A White Christmas? Denver 1 Of 3 Major Cities That Could Deliver

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - Record warm temperatures will keep most of the precipitation that falls across the United States this Christmas in the form of rain.

But Colorado is in the bullseye of a winter storm that is dumping feet of snow on the mountains and it may even bring flakes to Denver at some point on Christmas Day.

Salt Lake City and Minneapolis are the other major U.S. cities that have the highest chance to see some holiday flakes.

While most would expect Denver to have a White Christmas every year the historic data tells a different story.

According to the National Weather Service in Boulder, since 1882 there has only been measurable snowfall 19 times in Denver on Christmas Day, or 14% of the time.

Measurable snow means that at least 0.1" accumulates at the official weather station at some point between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on December 25.

If you consider a White Christmas as having at least 1" of snow on the ground from previous storms then your odds increase in Denver to about 38%.

This year the chance for a White Christmas in Denver is a bit higher-than-normal.

We're tracking a storm that may bring some flakes to the city at some point during the afternoon and evening hours on Christmas Day.

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.