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History points to below-average snow for Denver

It's only early December, but the data suggests Denver will finish the season below average for snowfall.

DENVER — The city of Denver gets nearly 5 feet of snow in a typical winter. The average works out to about 56.5 inches, and fall is a very important part of the total.

The city has a long record of snowfall dating back to 1882, and over the course of that 139 years, a dry fall usually led to a dry winter overall.

All 10 of the least-snowy seasons in Denver history started out with low snowfall during the fall months of September, October and November.

Credit: KUSA

The average fall snowfall in Denver is 12.5 inches. Keep in mind that Denver got zero snow this fall. 

RELATED: Fall officially ends with Denver in the weather record books

Here's another way to look at the data. The 10 least-snowy falls in Denver history, excluding the current season, all finished the season below the average of 56.5 inches. 

Credit: KUSA

Based on the strong correlation in the data, there is a very high probability that Denver will finish the 2021-22 season with less than 56 inches of snow.

The data is not as conclusive for mountain snowpack. There are several examples in history of the snowpack recovering from a dry fall. But Denver Water records show that 22% to 23% of our snowpack comes during the fall months.

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