DENVER, the United States, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Denver residents welcomed the weekend and an apparent respite from abnormally snowy spring weather, as temperatures were expected to jump to 21.1 degree centigrade in the Mile-High City.
"The arrival of an unseasonably cold mass, coupled with some energy in the atmosphere, is what sparked the late-season snow showers and squalls," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bill Deger reported Friday.
Denver International Airport recorded another 2.6 inches (7.1 cm) of snow from the mid-week storm, pushing the seasonal total to 80.2 inches (203.7 cm). That far exceeds the 30-year average for snowfall in Denver, which is 56.5 inches (143.5 cm).
This year's 80-plus inches of snow not only eclipses the 1991-1992 seasonal snow total of 79 inches (200.7 cm) but also makes the 2020-2021 season the snowiest in the city since the 1983-1984 season when Denver tallied 80.9 inches (205.5 cm), according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Beijing, by contrast, shares roughly the same latitude as Denver and has witnessed temperatures in the 15 degree centigrade range all week.
The late April snowfall was called a "Second Winter in the Rocky Mountains" by local media, after Wednesday became the eleventh consecutive day with below normal temperatures in Denver. There have been more than 10 inches (25.4 cm) of snow since last week, the NWS reported.
The April snow follows the second snowiest March in Denver history with 33.6 inches (85.3 cm) falling last month, according to the NWS. The record snowfall for March was 35.2 inches (89.4 cm) set in 2003, and March is typically Denver's snowiest month with an average of 10.7 inches (27.2 cm) per month.
Earlier this week, Arctic air hit the center of the United States, spreading cold weather across dozens of states and producing more snow in the high elevation Rocky Mountains.
The mid-week blast covered a long arc of states east from Colorado, including the northern Plains and interior Northeast. Whiteout conditions in Wisconsin cause a deadly pile-up on Interstate 41 involving nearly 50 vehicles.
Accumulating April snow began in the Mile-High City back on April 15 and, in three days, totaled just shy of 7 inches (17.8 cm). Another round of snow returned this week, on Monday and Tuesday. Locations outside of Denver reported another 6 inches (15.2 cm) of snow. Enditem