As Halloween approaches and overnight temperatures begin to drop, seasoned Colorado Springs residents are bracing for the inevitable first snowfall.

But when will that happen?

According to the National Weather Service in Pueblo, the average first snowfall date in Colorado Springs is Oct. 24, which came and went Friday without a hint of the fluffy white stuff.

That’s hardly unusual in a city whose weather is famous for its seasonal unpredictability. In Colorado Springs, the first snowfall could hit before Labor Day, after Christmas, or anywhere in between.

Meteorologist Casey Dorn of Gazette news partner KOAA recently crunched the numbers from the past decade and determined that range of the first snowfall has varied from Sept. 8 in 2020, to Dec. 31 the following year.

Historically, the first snow of the year takes place most often in October. Since 1895 — the first year of accessible recordkeeping — the first snow in Colorado Springs has occurred in October 54 times, as compared to 23 times in September, 36 times in November, and 6 times in December. (Data is missing or incomplete for 11 years between 1895 and 2025.)

But with only a few days left in an unseasonably warm October, a first snowfall seems unlikely before Saturday. October temperatures have been nearly 4 1/2 degrees above average, and precipitation is 50% below average month to date.

“It’s getting cold enough for snow,” said Klint Skelly, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pueblo. “The overnight low temperatures this week are in the low 30s and upper 20s, with a low of 18 degrees on Tuesday night. What we’re lacking right now is a low-pressure system.”

The Pikes Peak region is currently looking at a La Niña weather pattern in the coming months, according to the weather agency. A La Niña event happens when ocean waters in the equatorial Pacific cool down, affecting weather patterns.

In Colorado, that usually means snow in the northern mountains, with warmer and drier conditions in the lower elevations and in the southern part of the state.

“Typically what you’ll se in a La Niña event in our area is more wind, and warmer than normal temperatures,” said Kyle Mozley, a meteorologist with the Weather Service. “We’re seeing some of that right now. We’ve had some wind across the mountains over the past few days, and we’ve been pretty warm so far this fall.”

Weather experts are predicting a weaker La Niña event, which has a lesser impact on weather patterns, Mozley said.

“A lot of the mode guidance for La Niña has this event weakening, by January, and we should be back into neutral conditions by the end of January,” he said.

While this week’s forecast calls for mostly sunny, clear conditions, trick-or-treaters might want to wear an extra layer on Friday, with a nighttime low of about 33 degrees after a high of around 57.

Here is the rest of the week’s forecast from the National Weather Service:

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 49. North winds of 10-15 mph. Overnight low is expected to reach 18 degrees.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 59 degrees. Mostly clear at night, with a low around 34.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Partly cloudy at night, with a low around 32.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Partly cloudy at night, with a low of 33.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 66 degrees. At night, skies will be partly cloudy, with a low around 41 degrees.