The odds of 1, 3 and 5 inches of snow on the ground on December 25, from the 1991 to 2020 NOAA normals, with how many of the last ten Christmases were white where the station reported.
White Christmas odds at Colorado reference stations
Station
Elevation
1 inch+
3 inch+
5 inch+
Last 10
Denver-Stapletona long shot
5,286 ft
34%
15%
6%
3 of 10
Grand Junction Walker Fielda long shot
4,858 ft
32%
15%
3%
2 of 10
Pueblo Memorial Airporta long shot
4,720 ft
13%
4%
1%
0 of 10
Alamosa San Luis Airporta coin flip
7,533 ft
40%
21%
12%
2 of 10
Colorado Springs Municipal Airporta long shot
6,181 ft
15%
4%
1%
0 of 10
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Best bets
The best bets in Colorado
The highest and northernmost stations in Colorado have the best odds, and elevation does most of the work. The top four are Climax, Aspen, Grand Lake and Hayden.
It depends on where. The best station of the 60 we track is Climax at 100%, almost certain, and the typical station is 37%. The ZIP lookup above gives your own number.
NOAA counts at least 1 inch of snow on the ground on the morning of December 25. The odds here are the share of years from 1991 to 2020 that met that.
At the highest and northernmost stations: Climax (100%), Aspen (99%) and Grand Lake (98%). Elevation does most of the work, so a drive into the hills can change the odds a lot.
34% for 1 inch or more on the ground, 15% for 3 inches and 6% for 5 inches, at Denver-Stapleton (5,286 feet).
3 of the last 10 Christmases with a report had at least 1 inch of snow on the ground at Denver-Stapleton.
At Climax, the odds of 5 inches or more are 100%. Most stations are lower; the state page table shows 1, 3 and 5 inch odds for each reference station.
Climax had 38 inches on the ground on Christmas morning 2021, the deepest we see in the last 10 years.
From December 10, the ZIP lookup adds a forecast of the snow on the ground Christmas morning. It shifts from day to day until the last few days.
