Only in Denver would a lack of snow in May be a potentially big deal.
No snow officially fell in Denver during the month of May this year, making it the first time in over a decade that that was the case. Based on official observations at Denver International Airport, no snow was observed during the entire month for the first time since 2009, also making it only the second time in over 20 years that no Denver snow fell in May.
Denver averages 1.7 inches of snow each May, based on the National Weather Service’s official long-term averages for the city. This May was only the 42nd snow-less May in Denver’s 138-year history of weather records, meaning only about 30% of Denver’s Mays finish without even a trace of snow.
If snowflakes are observed but they don’t stick, that’s considered to be a “trace” of snow. Measurable snow, of course, is snow that piles up to the tune of at least a tenth of an inch.
Denver saw neither a trace or measurable snowfall last month at either the official climate site at Denver International Airport or at the city’s more centrally-located Stapleton Airport site.
This May also went against a recent and notable trend of increased spring snowfall. While March and April produced a combined 20.1 inches of snow at Stapleton Airport, a higher-than-average total for the peak snow months of Denver’s year, the snow machine shut down after one last hefty mid-April snow. Temperatures quickly warmed, and mountain snowpack began to rapidly melt at an unusually fast pace.
Last year, on the other hand, saw a surprise four-inch snowstorm in late May, and several other notable late spring snows have seemingly become more common.
This year, though, May temperatures finished more than two degrees above average in Denver, and a fairly consistent mild stretch throughout the month kept the spring snow machine at bay. That’s an anomaly, at least based on recent spring snow patterns.
