Snow record officially set over weekend in Colorado, but it didn't take much snow

Thanks to a widespread storm system that hit Colorado on New Year's Eve, Colorado Springs has finally seen snow for the first time this season. 

Measurable snow was recorded at the Colorado Springs Airport on Saturday night by the National Weather Service, absolutely smashing the city's record for latest first snowfall of the snow season. The prior record was set on December 2nd in 2016, meaning that the December 31 'first snowfall' this year pushed this date back 29 days. 

The following morning, around 7 AM, 3.1 inches of snow was recorded as the official storm accumulation number for the city, much of which had occurred on the previous date. With the threshold for 'measurable' snowfall set at 0.1 inches of snow or more, more than enough landed in Colorado Springs to formally set this new record.

The New Year's Eve snow also brought a welcomed end to Colorado Springs' fourth-longest snowless streak of 233 consecutive days. The city's snowless streak record is 245 days without snow.

Snow was late to arrive in several places throughout the state this year, including Denver, which set its latest recorded snowfall on December 10, passing a date in late-November.

While snow started falling a bit late in Colorado this year, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) records show that snowpack in the state has shot past median to-date norms.

As illustrated on the chart below, the state experienced its fastest jump in snow pack so far this season over the last few days. The current snow water equivalent is 121% of the to-date median statewide, according to the USDA. 

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