DENVER — The usual fall weather milestones in Denver are running a little later than average this year. The first official freeze of the season hasn’t even happened yet.
The coldest official temperature in Denver so far is 35 degrees (Oct. 12; Oct 17).
The next chance for a freeze will come next week. It could happen on Monday morning, but it's more likely to happen Tuesday or Wednesday.
Either way, it would be the latest first freeze in seven years. In 2015, the first freeze came to Denver on Oct. 28, which is the 9th latest in history.
The first snow in Denver will also be late this season.
Oct. 18 is the average date for the first snow in Denver, but that first snow has only come right on Oct. 18 twice in the last 75 years.
That first snow usually comes within a 20-day window. 42% of Denver’s first snows since 1948 came between Oct. 10-29.
Last year was the first snowless fall in Denver history. The first snow happened on Dec. 10. Fall weather records end on November 30. That shattered the previous latest snow which was on November 21, 1934.
There’s actually a chance the first snow could happen in that most likely window this year. A couple of storm systems will impact Colorado with the first one starting Sunday, and lasting through the day on Monday.
There's a good chance we'll see those first snowflakes of the season falling in the Denver area early Monday morning before sunrise, but the chances of it actually sticking to the ground are a little lower.
The low temperature is only forecast to get down to 35 degrees, which makes snow accumulation very unlikely.
At least a tenth of an inch has to accumulate at Denver International Airport to be considered an official snow measurement for Denver.
One thing that does look more promising is snow in the mountains. So far this season, there's only been a few dustings above 10,000 ft. There are no towns in Colorado reporting any snow accumulation yet, but that should change Sunday.
There's even a chance for the first Winter Weather Advisory or Winter Storm Warning in some parts of the mountains.