Boulder, CO should consider changing its city name to Snoulder, CO because this winter season has reached the top spot for snowfall!
We've broken the seasonal snowfall record in Boulder! A whopping 151.2" of snow has fallen this season (as of 6 PM April 16). Here's the Top 5 since records began 1898. #COwx pic.twitter.com/KCzxwzV22o
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) April 17, 2020
As of sundown Thursday, April 16 Boulder had received 151.2 inches of snowfall for the 2019-2020 winter season.
Boulder, as well as much of northern Colorado, has had a very snowy five-day period. Since Sunday, April 12 Boulder has received more than 30 inches of snowfall, according to CoCoRaHS Coordinator and NWS Climate Observer Matthew Kelsch.
Boulder storm total at 6pm: 16.9” snow. Seasonal total 151.2 #boulderwx #cowx
— Matthew Kelsch (@mattkelsch) April 17, 2020
Boulder climate station 7am: 36h snowfall 17.7”, 14 on the ground #boulderwx #cowx
— Matthew Kelsch (@mattkelsch) April 13, 2020
April can be a sneaky month in northern Colorado. Bursts of warmth can quickly green up the previously-brown terrain while budding the trees and flowering the garden beds. However previous Aprils show us the month can also be one of the state’s snowiest throughout the winter as the atmosphere taps into additional available moisture.
Boulder is not alone in the category of a snowy winter. Here are some of the other snowiest spots:
Marquette, Michigan
Seasonal Total: 204″*
Even through Marquette’s snowfall is roughly five feet higher than Boulder’s this winter season, it is far from a record. Notoriously-snowy Marquette averages around 200 inches for an entire winter! As of Thursday morning, the climate site sitting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was 7 inches above average. So far Marquette has had its 19th-snowiest season-to-date. The snowiest winter in Marquette (on record) was in 2001-2002 when 319 inches fell!
Caribou, Maine
Seasonal Total: 137.9″*
Located nearly 47 degrees north of the equator (more than halfway to the North Pole!) Caribou, ME is currently 32 inches above average for snowfall this season. The city has had its 12th-snowiest winter on record, as of Thursday.
Great Falls, Montana
Seasonal Total: 99.6″*
Great Falls has had 75% more snowfall-to-date than average. Sitting 43 inches above average, Great Falls is currently in 7th for snowiest winter on record. The city will need 18 more inches to break the top spot of 117.5″.
Bozeman, Montana
Seasonal Total: 69.4″*
Bozeman’s record books don’t trace as far back (on a consistent basis) as other cities listed above. Yet with about 40 years of data dating back to the early 1980’s, Bozeman is currently in 2nd place for seasonal snowfall this year. With 69.4 inches of seasonal accumulation, Bozeman is 35 inches above average this winter.
Did we miss your snowy city? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook!
*Seasonal snowfall for these cities is as of Wednesday night, April 15.