Santa has something in his bag for those dreaming of a sunny Christmas, with temperatures Thursday expected to be the warmest in nearly two weeks.
The high temperature is forecast in the upper 40s Thursday, after a sunny but cold day today, when the high is forecast at 34 degrees. However, a stiff Christmas Eve breeze today could deliver a wind chill factor of minus 8, according to the National Weather Service office in Boulder.
There’s a 30 percent chance of snow returning to the metro region Friday, with highs in the 30s and lows below 20 through the weekend. Highs will return to the 40s next week, according to forecasters.
Snow is expected to taper off in the mountains today, before another gift for skiers and boarders on Christmas Day — 3 to 5 inches of fresh powder with a chance of slightly more for the weekend.
Despite Denver’s snowy reputation, a white Christmas is a rarity in the Mile High City. The city has had snowfall on Christmas Day just 14 of the past 107 years and snow cover from previous storms 39 times since 1902, according to weather statistics.
Recent memories skewer the perception, however, after the city got a record of nearly 8 inches last year, and in 2006 the city still had 15 inches on the ground from historic blizzards that raked across the region during Denver’s third-snowiest December on record.
