Denver Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Denver, Colorado has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Denver usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the city normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Denver can expect the first and last snowfalls of the season.

The first set of monthly snow totals are averages for 2010 to 2019. All the other numbers are averages, based on climate data gathered from 1991 to 2020.

How Often it Snows in Denver

The next two tables list monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

10-year snowfall averages at Denver, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
2.3 January 5.7 14.6
3.0 February 10.9 27.6
1.9 March 7.2 18.3
1.6 April 5.1 12.9
0.5 May 1.8 4.5
0.0 September 0.0 0.0
1.3 October 3.4 8.6
2.0 November 5.0 12.8
2.2 December 6.1 15.4
14.8 Year 45.2 114.7
30-year snowfall averages at Denver, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
5.0 January 6.4 16.3
5.3 February 7.6 19.3
4.8 March 8.8 22.4
4.1 April 6.2 15.7
0.8 May 1.4 3.6
0.4 September 0.8 2.0
1.8 October 3.9 9.9
4.6 November 7.3 18.5
4.6 December 6.6 16.8
31.4 Year 49.0 124.5

These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Denver varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals 8.9 inches or more of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 2.5 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over 8.4 inches, while the lightest years get less than 3.1 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 10.1 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 2.9 inches in light years.

When Denver Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Denver often arrives in October, but the snow can begin as early as September or as late as November.

The season's last snowfall lands in April or in May. Denver is normally free of snow every year during June, July and August.

How Many Snowstorms Denver Gets

About half the days of snowfall in Denver leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For 16 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur a couple times a year. But major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events, that don't happen every year. While uncommon, snowstorms of that severity can descend on Denver anytime from October to March.

Number of days per month and year on average in Denver with a total snowfall of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches
1 inch
2.5 cm
3 inches
7.6 cm
  5 inches
12.7 cm
10 inches
25.4 cm
2.3 0.4 January 0.1 0.0
2.5 0.8 February 0.2 0.0
2.3 0.9 March 0.4 0.1
2.1 0.6 April 0.2 0.0
0.4 0.2 May 0.1 0.0
0.3 0.1 September 0.0 0.0
1.2 0.6 October 0.2 0.1
2.5 0.7 November 0.3 0.0
2.3 0.4 December 0.2 0.0
15.9 4.7 Year 1.7 0.2

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Denver

For about one-third of winter days, Denver has at least an inch of snow on the ground.

The snow covering Denver can build up to ten or more inches deep anytime from October to March, but that normally lasts for only one or two days a year.

Average total days per month and year in Denver with snow depth of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches on the ground
1 inch
2.5 cm
3 inches
7.6 cm
  5 inches
12.7 cm
10 inches
25.4 cm
10.0 4.1 January 1.7 0.2
9.3 4.2 February 1.8 0.2
3.9 1.8 March 0.8 0.3
2.0 0.7 April 0.3 0.0
0.2 0.1 May 0.1 0.0
0.2 0.0 September 0.0 0.0
1.5 0.8 October 0.3 0.1
5.4 2.0 November 0.8 0.1
10.0 4.4 December 1.4 0.3
42.5 18.1 Year 7.2 1.2
References

Jay Lawrimore, Ron Ray, Scott Applequist, Bryant Korzeniewski, Matthew Menne. 2016. Global Summary of the Month and Year, Version 1.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.

Denver Weather
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