It’s been exceptionally snowy in parts of Colorado so far this year. Denver has picked up almost 3 feet of snow since New Year’s Eve. Boulder has picked up over 5 feet of snow in that time but how do our numbers compare to other snowy cities in America?
Denver is known as the snowiest big city in the country. Here’s how Denver’s snow stacks up against other big cities that get snow.
Snowiest Big Cities in America Right now:
1) Boston: 51.9″
2) Detroit: 35.4″
3) Minneapolis: 35.0″
4) Denver: 34.0″
5) Chicago: 28.6″
6) New York City: 17.5″
7) Philadelphia: 12.5″
8) Washington D.C.: 12.3″
Topping the list is Boston thanks to a couple of major Nor’easters (similar to Colorado’s bomb cyclones) that have happened this season. Denver is rather high on the list and with our snowiest months (are March and April our snowiest months still?) ahead of us, we will likely climb the ranks some.
On average, Denver expects just under 5 feet of snow total throughout our snow season. If we were to get to that average mark, we need to get almost two more feet of snow. Last season, 2021-2021, we ended with over 80” of snowmaking it an above-average season.
Boulder is one of the snowiest mid-size cities in the country and with over 5 feet of snow this season already, they’re pretty high on the list.
Snowiest Mid-size Cities in America Right Now:
1) Buffalo: 85.9″
2) Rochester: 74.7″
3) Anchorage: 69.7″
4) Boulder: 63.7″
5) Salt Lake City: 26.7″
6) Milwaukee: 21.9″
7) Boise: 20.0″
8) Colorado Springs: 15.2″
There are a few places that see lake-effect snow that has seen more accumulation than Boulder. Similar to Denver, Boulder’s snowiest months are upon us so while the lake-effect snow machine winds down, our upslope snow events tend to wind up. This leaves the likelihood of Boulder rising the ranks in the next couple of months.
Boulder averages about 97″ of snow each season so there is still a lot of snow to come before the season is over. Boulder has seen snow as late as June before so again, we have plenty of time to make up any deficits.
Although many of us have hit 70º this year already, Boulder and Denver typically get over a foot of snow after the first 70º day.
Much of eastern Colorado sees over a half-foot of snow after the first 70º day. It’s Springtime in Colorado! This is how it works. Big warms ups followed by big snowstorms, followed by big warm-ups. We’ll check back in at the end of the season to see where our numbers stand.
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