Say it ain’t snow! Experts skeptical of white Christmas for Denver metro area.

While it’s too soon to say for sure, Denver’s chances for a white Christmas aren’t looking good, according to National Weather Service meteorologists.

The National Weather Service defines a white Christmas as having 1 inch of snow on the ground by 5 a.m., when forecasters post morning measurements and weather outlooks.

With a warm and dry week ahead for the Denver metro, the chances of snow falling on or before Christmas are slim, NWS meteorologist Zach Hiris said.

The Denver metro can expect daily high temperatures to hover around the upper 50s and lower 60s this week, according to NWS forecasters. Temperatures are expected to drop to high 20s and low 30s overnight — potentially freezing conditions — but with the dry weather there won’t be any snow.

This week’s warm, dry conditions are great for getting more time outside with family this holiday season, but they doesn’t bode well for a snowy Christmas, Hiris said.

A weather pattern change is coming over the weekend, with a potential storm brewing on the horizon for Colorado, but it’s too early to say when it might hit Denver or if it will bring snow to the city, Hiris said.

Denver had a white Christmas last year after nearly five years without one, with 2 inches of snow recorded on the ground Christmas morning in 2022, according to NWS tracking data. The city hasn’t seen snowfall on Christmas since 2015.

Historically, the Denver metro has seen a white Christmas between 25% and 35% of time since the weather service began tracking in 1900, Hiris said.

That percentage jumps to 45% in Boulder and continues to grow as you get higher into the foothills and the mountains, he said.

On the other hand, only 14% of Denver Christmases have had measurable snowfall on Christmas Day since 1882, according to historical data from the National Weather Service.

The greatest snow depth ever recorded on Christmas in Denver was 24 inches, which was measured after the Christmas Eve blizzard of 1982, according to NWS meteorologists. The heaviest snowfall on Christmas Day was 7.8 inches in 2007.

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