Boulder’s First Measurable Snow: A Climatological Snapshot

Ready or not, snow season is lurking out there somewhere. Maybe you’ve already dusted off the skis, mounted the winter tires, or convinced yourself that buying an Epic Pass counts as meteorological preparedness. Now comes the big question: when will we see our first measurable snowfall of the season? If recent years have taught us anything, it’s that Mother Nature doesn’t always follow the script. We’ve experienced both the earliest and latest first snows on record within the last six years, proving that just about anything is on the table.

Measurable means that officially 0.1″ or more of snow was recorded. As is often the case early in the snow season, a few flakes mix in with rain, or flurries briefly fly, but never stick to the ground. These are instances where a trace of snow has occurred, but wasn’t measurable. There is a huge variation from year-to-year in the date of our first measurable snowfall. The earliest was September 8, 2020, with 1.7″ of snow falling. The latest measurable snow was November 29th of 2025 (last year). That’s a spread of nearly three months! The normal (median) date of our first snow is October 20th.

Here’s how the odds stack up for first snow dates:

• On or before September 21st: 10%
• On or before October 4th: 25%
• On or before October 20th: 50% (MEDIAN)
• On or before October 31st: 75%
• On or before November 14th: 90%

Historically, Boulder sees its first measurable snow in:

• September: 22% of years
• October: 52% of years
• November: 26% of years

And while climate change is reshaping many seasonal norms, Boulder’s first snow trend is relatively flat over the decades.

How Much “First Snow” Typically Falls?

Our first snow is usually just a teaser, more of a frosty hello than a full-on blizzard. Between 1950 and 2017:

• 54% of first snows were under 2.0″
• Only 12% of first snowstorms topped 6.0″
• Average first snow: 3.0″
• Median: 2.0″

Boulder’s Recent First Snows: A Quick Recap

Here’s just a quick review of how our first accumulating snowfall went down over the last seven years — it’s been a wild ride!

2019 – October 10th (3.8″)

Our inaugural accumulating snow in 2019 occurred on October 10th alongside an Arctic Blast surging into the center of the country. The frontal passage in our area was followed by 2 to 3 hours of heavy jet-forced snow bands. Boulder officially recorded 3.8″ of snow from these bands.

Temperatures also dropped like a rock accompanying this first snow. Denver plummeted nearly 70 degrees in just 18 hours, from the 80s one day into the record-setting teens by the following morning. Needless to say, the 2019 growing season came to a rather abrupt end.

2020 – September 8th (1.7″ on first day, 5.7″ storm total; earliest first snow on record)

In 2020, we had our earliest accumulating snowfall on record in Boulder on September 8th — before the first snow contest was even announced that year! This led to an unprecedented “second” snowfall contest taking shape. The first snow record was just one of many obliterated during the highly anomalous Great Labor Day Snowstorm of 2020 in the Front Range!2021 – November 17th (0.3″)

In 2021, the summer and autumn season both were extremely warm and dry in our area. Boulder ended up tying for its second latest ever first snowfall on November 17th — a measly 0.3″ that only accumulated on grassy surfaces following several hours of very light snow overnight. This historically delayed first snow resulted in all of the contest participants being way off. The person who guessed the latest date won the contest by default.  After that crazy late first snow, there was only another inch of additional white stuff that fell over the next five weeks which further primed the dry prairie grasses in the lead up to the Marshall Fire tragedy in late December 2021.2022 – October 27th (0.1″)

The first snow in 2022 was a bit of a disappointment with a rain/snow mix occurring during the daytime hours on October 27th. Boulder recorded an absolutely bare minimum first snow with only a dusting sticking on the grass, and that was only in SOME parts of town as temperatures were mostly above freezing. This led to a lot of confusion when we announced that the contest was over, as some people never even saw a snowflake in their location!

2023 – October 28th (0.6″ first day, 6.8″ storm total)

2023 was the most normally-timed first snow for us in recent memory, unfolding only about a week later than usual. However, this first dumping was on the larger side as a cluster of well-forecasted jet-forced snow bands targeted the Denver Metro area with heavy snow for several hours. When it was all said and done, most Front Range cities picked up between 5 and 10″ of snow. Boulder officially recorded a two-day storm total of 6.8″.

2024 – November 4th (0.2″)

2024’s first snow was definitely underwhelming. A messy storm system brought more than half an inch of chilly rain to the city which briefly changed to snow overnight as temperatures dropped to ~33° for a few hours.

A light dusting of snow accumulated on the grass and trees in Boulder (officially 0.2″), but in some areas it completely melted before sunrise, once again causing some confusion for first snow contest entrants!

2025 – November 29th (0.2″, latest first snowfall on record)

Last year’s first flakes arrived about five weeks later than average, and nearly two weeks later than the previous “latest first snow” benchmarks (November 17 in both 2017 and 2021).

A backdoor Arctic front arrived on the morning hours of November 29th, briefly spawning a few snow bands that gave the entire Denver Metro area a light dusting of snow, including Boulder. Temperatures plummeted into the lower 20s as snowflakes fell across the city during the day.

It was beautiful to see the city dusted in white again after a lengthy 223-day snow drought, one calendar day shy of the existing record.

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Contest

So, what’s your best guess for 2026? Will it be an October surprise or a record-setting December late-comer? Will we get just a sloppy coating or a hefty super El Niño dump?

Feel free to enter the BoulderCAST 12th Annual 2026 First Snow Contest HERE. Contest closes Oct 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM. There are prizes. We didn't say good ones.

This is a community poll for the date you think the first MEASURABLE snowfall will occur in Boulder. Those who come closest to the actual date are the winners. For verification, we’ll go off the official Boulder climate station located at the NIST building in south Boulder (FYI, they follow UTC time for date cut-offs — roughly 5PM to 5PM local time). To be crystal clear, if our first snow event crosses over a calendar day break, only the first day’s snow amount will count.

Endorsement list compiled by Boulder Colorado Voter Guide. Full write-up at City of Boulder Mayoral Candidates.

EDIT: Although I can't update the original graphic on Reddit, Yellow Scene Magazine have endorsed both Aaron Brockett and Taishya Adams, and Black Women For Political Action has also endorsed Adams (per the campaign).

I know we gripe about cell service here from time to time, but I’m genuinely curious how I can have 5G and 4 bars and not be able to load anything that requires an internet connection.

Seems like it’s this way from North Boulder some diagonal into Longmont.

I'll be speaking on topics related to alien invasion scenarios in sci-fi, the real science of astrobiology, and more at an event at the Longmont Museum on behalf of the Longmont Library next Sunday (the 25th).

If you're interested in coming, it's free (just requires registering for the event): https://longmontcolorado.gov/event/monsters-myths-alien-invasions-an-afternoon-with-astrobiologist-dr-graham-lau/

I would like to thank the person that was on the side walk in the parking lot on Pearl and Frontier that decided to run into the front of my parked car and causing significant damage to my hood, bumper, and grill. You left the scene and did not leave info. Now I am stuck with the bills to a brand new car. If you have any dignity, you would swing by and leave a note to help pay for the damages. The car was parked while I was at work so getting off and seeing my cars front end damaged was just how I wanted to end a Monday. Be the better person before the camera feeds are pulled. I know it was an accident.

I got an email about this event, and some people were asking both about Halloween events and local music. It is just not clear to me if this is an all ages show or not. Is it all ages? It looks early enough for that to be a possibility.

My cat was attacking the window, trying to “defend” our home, and yowling at this handsome dude.

The yowling of the tomcat is keeping us up.

No collar.

Also— it’s cold.

Also— humane society says to keep them inside because raccoons prey upon them during autumn when food gets scarce + they kill birds and we have resident blue jays for the first time.

If he’s yours DM me your location and I’ll try and trap him gently and contact you for drop off.

There was a picture of the Beatles inside the store (not an outdoor mural), black and white, probably taken around 1968. Any chance anyone knows what I'm talking about and has a copy/link/anything?

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"a film of almost unspeakable horror and sadism [that] is also a cleverly controlled exercise in hardcore terror with a real end in mind" - John Griffin

FREE SCREENING in the Visual Arts Complex, room 1B20 at CU Boulder. 10:30PM showtime.

I was wondering if any one knows of a mandolin instructor in Boulder who does later lessons. I generally work 9am-6/7p and would love to take some lesson but all the instructors I can find online seem to end at 4ish.

I am a full-time Biology major, single Mom to a kindergartener, and am looking to supplement income.

I have experience in retail, animal welfare, admin and independent professional house cleaning. Indeed is a sad option currently, and I would love to connect with local businesses or get some leads on some options around town.

Thanks neighbors!

Leftists of Reddit, I’m trying to decide how I vote in the Boulder County election and am curious other’s opinions on what candidates are the best.

After attending quite a few Sundance’s as a guest. , and last years SXSW as a producer / participant ….. I really feel like we are somehow dropping the ball here .
January is around the corner , and it doesn’t feel like outside of Sundance itself , there is a huge disconnect with everything else that historically comes along with these wonderful festivals .
What is going on Boulder …. Where are all these 10’s of millions of dollars going that are supposed to help revitalize this town ???? As usual it feels like everyone is asleep at the wheel , and after this is over it’s gonna be a bunch of people pointing their fingers at each other exclaiming how they thought it was the other guys job to an to actually make this something beneficial for boulders business district .
I can’t be the only canary in the coal mine who is starting to feel dizzy 😵 .

In attendance: Mayoral candidate Jameson "Jamo" Goldstein, City Council candidates Dave Martus, Benita Duran, and Lynn Segal, former City Council candidate Terri Brncic, and reportedly others

Hello! Im writing several papers this semester on harm reduction policies in the homeless community. If you aren’t familiar, harm reduction (in this context) can loosely be defined as practices intended to mitigate the deleterious effects of illicit drug use. This ranges from drug-testing kits and clean syringe distribution which we have in Boulder, all the way up your medically supervised injection sites.

I’d love to incorporate an anonymous community opinion for my final argumentative essay! If inclined, please share whether you support harm reduction practices in Boulder or not. Im going to keep my opinion out of this discussion but I’d love to hear yours.

TIA