A person peers out from eye of a Grinch costume as they wave to the crowd at the Festival of Lights Parade, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. (Parker Seibold, The Gazette)
By definition for the National Weather Service, the last "White Christmas" in Colorado Springs was in 1987, when there was an inch of snow throughout the day, along with an inch of snow on the ground in the morning.
Before that, the next previous "White Christmas" in Colorado Springs was in 1976, when there was an inch of snow during the day and an inch of snow on the ground in the morning, according to the weather agency in Pueblo.
"While technically not a 'White Christmas' by our definition, throughout Christmas Eve Day (December 24th) of 1982, Colorado Springs recorded 0.60 inches of precipitation and 7.0 inches of snow," the Weather Service posted on its website.
Instead of snow, Christmas Day 2016 brought early morning rain showers, with 0.26 inches of precipitation and no snow to the Colorado Springs Airport, the Weather Service said.
Here's a look at other Colorado Springs snow- and weather-related history, courtesy of the Weather Service:
SNOWFALL
Record snow - 2.3 inches in 1911
Number of times with a trace or more - 21
Number of times with an inch or more - 6
Climatological chance of a trace or more - 16%
Climatological chance of an inch or more - 5%
Last measurable snowfall on Christmas Day - 2012 (0.4 inches)
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SNOW ON THE GROUND
Record snow on ground - 7.0 inches in 1982
Number of times with a trace or more - 29
Number of times with an inch or more - 19
Climatological chance of a trace or more - 40%
Climatological chance of an inch or more - 26%
Meanwhile, Colorado Springs' warmest Christmas was in 1955 and 1971 at 67 degrees. The city's coldest Christmas was in 1983 at minus-15 degrees.
The Christmas Day forecast in Colorado Springs calls for a 20% chance of showers after 4 p.m., according to the Weather Service, with a high near 51. A mix of rain and snow is possible in the evening, with less than a tenth of an inch possible.
The last "White Christmas" in Pueblo happened in 2000. The Weather Service said snow began falling shortly before midnight Christmas Eve, with only trace amounts reported through the morning hours. "The snow began to pick up during the afternoon hours and ended shortly before midnight, with a total snowfall of 1.8 inches," according to the Weather Service.
Pueblo's record Christmas snowfall was 5.1 inches in 1987; record snow on the ground was 8 in 2011.
In Pueblo, its record-high Christmas temperature came in 1971 at 72 degrees, with the coldest recorded temperature in 1983 at minus-10 degrees.