Denver likely to break 87-year-old snow record this year

As the halfway mark of November hits Colorado, Denver has yet to see the first snow of the season, pushing closer to setting a new record for the latest first snow.

The latest first snow to ever happen in Denver took place 87 years ago, in 1934, when measurable snow didn't fall until November 21.

Sure, there's still plenty of time for snow to fall in Denver before that date hits, but the forecast is looking rather tame over upcoming days.

Forecasters from the National Weather Service and OpenSnow.com are each predicting low chances of snow for the upcoming week – and no snow in Denver.

According to Joel Gratz of OpenSnow.com, a dusting to a couple inches of snow may hit the northern mountains from Tuesday through Wednesday, but Denver will stay dry. Another storm may briefly clip the northern part of the state this weekend, but aside from that, there's not another chance of snow until November 24 – past Denver's record-setting deadline.

According to the Weather Channel, the best chance for precipitation in Denver currently comes on November 20, though not much is expected and the projected low temperature for that day is above freezing. Most upcoming days in Denver currently have a low temperature in the mid-30s, with highs reaching into the 50s. A chance of rain above five percent is only present on two days through November 29. Even if rain does fall, conditions that allow snow to form are unlikely and there's even less of a chance of it stacking up enough to count.

Denver has gotten close to the November 21 date for first measurable snowfall before, but has only reached it the single time in 1934. In 1931, first snowfall occurred on November 19. In 2016, it fell on November 17. In 1894, it fell on November 16. For it to officially count as a 'first snow,' at least one-tenth of an inch needs to accumulate at Denver International Airport.

According to KDVR, the average first date of snow for Denver is October 18, with the earliest first snowfall taking place in 1961, on September 3. An average of 7.4 inches of snow falls during November in the Mile High City.

In this writer's humble opinion, it seems like Denver's latest first snow record is very likely to fall this year. And it seems like when the new record is set, it'll be much later than November 21 – perhaps even pushed into December. We'll have to wait and see.

Colorado Springs and Pueblo might also beat their records for the latest first snow, respectively. The Colorado Springs record is December 2, set in 2016, and the Pueblo record is December 24, set in 1939.