White Christmas 2018: Does Boulder Have A Chance?

BOULDER, CO -- It's been an awfully warm week for mid-December, so it's only natural that holiday revelers might start to worry about when the snow will start a-glistenin'. Even those willing to drive up to the high country to see some flakes and make some turns have faced a rather dry spell.

Many forecasters say that will change next week — but will it change in time for Christmas? That's going to be a bit tight.

Many weather sites show the next chance of any local snow arriving to be Christmas night. If that pans out, a traditional white Christmas may not be in the cards — but we might just wake up the morning of the 26th with a belated holiday gift. According to Weather 5280, one of the top analog years for this season is 2014 — when it did indeed dump a few inches on Christmas night.

"If your Christmas wish was for another month of below average snowfall in Denver, you may be in luck (and shame on you! ), but it ain't over till it's over as they say," wrote Weather 5280's Brenden Heberton in this week's report.

As far as the high country is concerned, it looks like next week will be the best shot for anything significant, according meteorologist Joel Gratz at OpenSnow.

"The trend toward stormier weather as we head into Christmas week is holding," Gratz wrote in a Dec. 16 post. "It’s too soon to know details about any individual storms, but at least we’re heading in the right direction according to most models."

Curious about the long-range trends? Check out our local primer on the historic chances of a Boulder white Christmas.

Do you like this article? Join the Boulder Patch on Facebook! Stay in touch with the news and events that shape Boulder County. Sign up for your free Patch newsletter here.

Photo credit: Mara Abbott/Patch