2020 – 2021 Snow Season: A Slow Start, But Well Above Average
Now that we’re near the end of June, Denver’s snow season has come to a close. With temperatures well into the 90s already, we can try to beat the heat by taking a look at our snow season comparisons. The National Weather Service reported the 2020-2021 Denver Snow Season total at 80.2″, which is well above average. Let’s see how this season compares to the previous 10 years:
Credit: weather.gov
The snowiest month this season was March, which dropped 34″ of snow at DIA (over 3x the normal amount for the month!) March gave us a huge boost to our snow totals – close to half of all snow for the season – which we hope makes a big difference as we move into the hotter months of the year. Some other points of interest about the 2020-2021 snow season and the past decade:
- 2020-2021 had just shy of 2 feet of snow above the historical average, and more than 2 feet above the 30-year average
- 2020-2021 (80.2″) was the snowiest season we’ve had since 1983-1984 (80.9″)!
- The average snowfall over the last 10 years (2011-2021) was 53.6″, which is 3.2″ below the historical average, but 2.7″ above the average of the most recent 30 year average (1991-2020)
Keep in mind that these are just the snowfall totals at Denver International Airport. Different areas around the Denver metro area can have big differences in their recorded snow totals:
Credit: weather.gov
2020-2021 Snow Totals: A Good Start for a New Decade
The high snow totals this year are a much-needed break from the past 5 years. 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 in particular were among the top 5 driest snow seasons ever recorded in Denver. The previous decade (2010-2020) was also the 2nd driest ever recorded – the driest decade being 2000-2010.
This is a good reminder that heavy winters can hit the Denver area at any time, and that low snowfall totals one year don’t always mean that the next year will be dry as well. With a record heatwave and exceptional drought throughout much of the West Coast and Southwest, we hope that the next few snow seasons will help to combat the drier climate in the Denver area.
Make Sure Your Commercial Property Is Prepared
Although we’ve had reasonably dry winters the past few years, this snow season more than made up for it. This shows that you need to always be prepared for whatever winter throws at you. That’s why it’s important to have a professional snow and ice removal company like Snow Management Services who can respond to bad weather at a moment’s notice. With 24-hour on-call snow plowing, de-icing, sidewalk management, and off-site snow hauling we protect our clients with the full range of winter risk management services. Call us today at (303) 750-8867 or get in touch with us online and see why property owners have trusted SMS for over 25 years.