At an altitude of 10,800 feet, Loveland Ski Area is certainly in some rarified air.  Yesterday the resort saw a dusting of snow while Colorado residents below in the Mile High City simmered in 90+ degree temperatures.

Snowfall can occur in Colorado’s high country any time of year, even in mid-summer, and yesterday’s event was not particularly unusual.

Here in Denver however there has never officially been snow in July.  The key word though is ‘officially.’

Unofficially there has been snow in the Mile High City in July – almost exactly one year ago today in fact.

Check out this tidbit from the National Weather Service archives:

“On July 17, 1872…the U.S. Army Signal Service weather observer recorded snowfall during the early morning hours in the hand written daily weather journal: “rain commenced at 1:30 a.m. changing about 3 a.m. to snow & in about half an hour to rain again; it continued until 6 a.m.” This is the only recorded occurrence of snowfall in Denver in July…but this report is not included in the “official” station snowfall records…which did not begin in Denver until January 1…1882. The low temperature on this morning was 45 degrees…which is sufficiently cold for the occurrence of light stratiform snowfall.”