Denver Weather: Very Mild Finish To Fall, Even Warmer Start To Winter

DENVER (CBS4) - The final day of fall on Monday will be unusually mild again for mid-December. High temperatures will reach at least 60 degrees for most neighborhoods in the Denver metro area and Tuesday should be even warmer.

After an official high temperature of 61 degrees in Denver on Sunday, the average temperature this month is now up to 40.2 degrees which is a whopping 8.7 degrees above normal for the final month of the year.

If the month were to have ended on Sunday, it would be the fifth warmest December on record in Denver since 1872.

The ranking will climb even higher with the mild weather expected to continue for several more days and a tie with 1933 for the warmest December on record is possible. However, colder weather should arrive next week so it's to soon to predict where December 2021 will ultimately rank.

Regardless, temperatures will be 15 to 20 degrees above normal for Denver and the Front Range on Monday.

Winter officially starts with the winter solstice at 8:58 a.m. Tuesday and ironically Tuesday should be at least a degree warmer than Monday in many areas along the urban corridor.

More mild weather will continue for Wednesday and Thursday before cooler weather arrives for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but temperatures will still be above normal.

Also on Thursday, an excellent chance for snow develops in the mountains which will continue into Friday followed by occasional snow showers through the holiday weekend. Most Colorado ski areas should get at least 6-12 inches of snow while Denver and the the Front Range should get no measurable snow. In fact, if the metro area gets any wet weather, it would be Thursday night into Friday and will probably be rain - not snow!