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Old 08-22-2018, 03:01 PM
 
Location: Colorado Springs
26 posts, read 30,658 times
Reputation: 56

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Okay you generous ladies and jellyspoons, help me out here. Hubby and I are looking to move to the outskirts of Woodland Park, or maybe Black Forest. I've spent most of my life in Colorado Springs or Denver since 1972 (I'm 60), and I was born/raised in far north (really far north) Wisconsin. Seriously Cold. Hubby is originally from Rochester MN. Pretty Cold. We know WP is going to be colder than Denver or COS. That's okay; neither of us like the heat. We could happily live in 30-70 degrees for the rest of our days.

We've stayed overnight in WP 10 times in the last two years and found the weather to be normal Colorado. Once a surprise snowstorm hit. We were inside Joanie's Deli. I was wearing sandals. LOL. But I keep seeing conflicting reports about WP's fall/winter/spring. One website compared it to my hometown in WI (-10 to -50 wind chill). That's flippin' frigid. And WAY too snowy (lake effect snows).

Other websites say WP is similar to Denver and COS. The sun comes out the next day and the snow begins to melt. But the owner of Ute Inn told us we'll have to buy a snowblower and have the wood/pellet stove burning 8 months a year. So, what's the resident cold weather scoop? How much shoveling and snow-blowing do you need to do? We're confused.


In case it matters: we both telecommute, and only need to venture into C Springs maybe once a week. (If I can get the kids to move to COS, I'll never have to see Denver again. Yeah, that'll happen.)
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Old 08-22-2018, 03:20 PM
 
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We lived in Green Mountain Falls, just a few miles south of WP. Evenings are cooler year round. The day time highs are a bit cooler as well. Its the springtime that seems to have the most difference. When its a cold rain in the Springs, its snow up Ute Pass. I had a few instances of even just clouds in town and when I got home greeted with several inches of snow.
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Old 08-22-2018, 05:46 PM
 
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From my experience hiking pretty much every Saturday and thus checking the weather up the pass frequently, it tends to be pretty consistently about 10 degrees cooler up that way compared to down in town - sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. Sometimes storms do hit harder up there when they're nothing down here - and occasionally the reverse is true. You're definitely more likely to need to shovel/plow up there. As for the pellet stove - I don't think you need it 8 months a year unless you are using it as the only/primary means to heat your house - i.e. no gas heat.
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Old 08-22-2018, 08:03 PM
 
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Go to http://www.city-data.com/city/Woodla...-Colorado.html (a part of this web site) and scroll down to find historic climate data.

I know (southern) Wisconsin well, and the difference is profound. Woodland Park is a pleasant place to be most winter days. Wisconsin is always overcast, snow on the ground, damp, and with only a few hours of daylight. Woodland Park has longer winter daylight hours, far more sunshine, the air seldom feels damp, and the typical day has little or no snow on the ground.

Otowi has it dead on. I would have guessed the temperatures run more like six to eight degrees colder than the Springs, but certainly 10 deg. at times. Temperatures will vary - sometimes significantly - with the exact location. Sunshine has a lot to do with it, but cold air is always looking for a low place. And the severity of storms can favor either location.

I do not have a snowplow. But! - My drive is relatively flat, I have a high clearance SUV, and I have a good southern exposure which melts the snow quickly.

Weather can really surprise you. We went into the Wal-Mart one afternoon with nothing but blue skies and 50 deg. temperatures, only to come out into a snow storm. Some here will remember the black ice that hit the Springs in the fall of '09, closing I-25 for many hours - overnight, if I recall. I was in Woodland Park as it was going on and we had 50 deg. and not a cloud in the sky.

Your need for heat will vary with your preferences. I saw more than one house this year burning their stoves near Divide around the first of August. It was cool that day (we had frost), but I certainly was not going to burn propane. The heating season will run into the eighth month, but just barely. Personally, I find that with the drier air I prefer lower temperatures than I do in the Midwest. Again, your exact location, shade, and orientation to the sun will be a factor.

Minus 10 deg. f. is quite common overnight. It will occasionally drop to minus 20 deg. f. overnight. Most days the sun comes out and it warms up to about freezing, sometimes more, and on (relatively few) cloudy days it may not rise above zero. I question the "-50 deg." wind chill. I suppose it does happen, but extreme cold and high winds do not often occur together.

Last edited by Arrby; 08-22-2018 at 08:08 PM.. Reason: clarification
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Old 08-23-2018, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Colorado Springs
26 posts, read 30,658 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arrby View Post
Go to http://www.city-data.com/city/Woodla...-Colorado.html (a part of this web site) and scroll down to find historic climate data.

I do not have a snowplow. But! - My drive is relatively flat, I have a high clearance SUV, and I have a good southern exposure which melts the snow quickly.

Thanks Arrby, I already saw that page on C-D. I have no idea which years it's averaging, or how many years (4? 8? 20?). It's also hard to read. We all know Colorado's weather's been changing. I remember 2-3 blizzards in front range cities every winter, and the usual afternoon thunderstorms in the 1970s-90s. We hardly get either anymore. Instead we get ice storms, dry winters, and blazing hot summers.

Sperling's Best Places is better. But Woodland Park gets an average of 112" of snow each year??? Really? =O My northern WI hometown averages only 92".

Both hubby and I have newer Subaru Foresters, which are great in snow, but they're certainly don't have the high clearance like big SUVs. Whether we'd live in a house with a relatively flat driveway, who knows. Since we want to live out of town, it's 50/50. One house we've been looking at is 37 Daisy Drive. The land is described as "gently sloping". Uphill.

Last edited by SpiritTwo; 08-23-2018 at 11:16 AM..
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Old 08-24-2018, 09:02 AM
 
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I've seen those snowfall totals before, and they seem high. That requires basically two three inch snowfalls every week for 20 weeks. And three inches of snow is pretty much the norm for a given snowfall; maybe two, maybe five. Either way it is usually gone by noon the next day.

The thing I tend to forget - we all seem to forget (maybe we WANT to forget!) - is the occasional 24 inch storm in the spring or maybe a couple of 10"-12" storms. That does not stay on the ground very long either, but it will boost the total rather a lot.

More importantly to me is that the snow does not accumulated through the winter. There is a reason why there are no ski resorts in Teller County. A look out the window on just about any winter day shows bare ground with a bit of snow back in the trees.

I'm not a fan of Tranquil Acres.
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Old 08-24-2018, 09:18 AM
 
Location: Where the mountains touch the sky
666 posts, read 1,043,932 times
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As others have said, Teller County is not like Summit County. You will get snow (some years more, some years very little) but it’s not on the ground all winter. Some areas, north slopes or treed spots will hold snow but the roads clear out. The sun is intense and in open areas the wind will “eat” the snow. A lot of winter up there is fairly brown and dry.

When looking at homes pay attention to which way the driveway faces, with the correct orientation the sun will take care of clearing it from snow.

I agree with Arrby about Tranquil Acres, a lot of people call it Trashy Acres.

Last edited by StarrySkiesAbove; 08-24-2018 at 09:34 AM..
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Old 08-24-2018, 05:10 PM
 
Location: Manitou Springs
1,433 posts, read 1,831,799 times
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I used to work in Woodland Park, having to commute from Manitou Springs ... a very nice commute I might add. Everyone was driving down eastbound 24 when I was driving up, and visa versa.

I can remember only a few times when snowstorms made the trek back home a little hair-raising. This was back in the mid-90s and it does seem as though weather patterns have changed. But all in all, snow was never a big deal for that commute.
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Old 08-26-2018, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Colorado Springs
26 posts, read 30,658 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arrby View Post
I've seen those snowfall totals before, and they seem high. That requires basically two three inch snowfalls every week for 20 weeks. And three inches of snow is pretty much the norm for a given snowfall; maybe two, maybe five. Either way it is usually gone by noon the next day.

The thing I tend to forget - we all seem to forget (maybe we WANT to forget!) - is the occasional 24 inch storm in the spring or maybe a couple of 10"-12" storms. That does not stay on the ground very long either, but it will boost the total rather a lot.


Okay, good to know. Basically just like the front range. I personally don't mind the 24-inchers. They're scenic, a little exciting, a splendid reason to cuddle, and happen so rarely they're rather a novelty. Is having a generator a basic necessity in WP? Just wondering how frequently the power goes out with those storms.
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Old 08-26-2018, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Colorado Springs
26 posts, read 30,658 times
Reputation: 56
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arrby View Post
I'm not a fan of Tranquil Acres.
Quote:
Originally Posted by StarrySkiesAbove View Post
I agree with Arrby about Tranquil Acres, a lot of people call it Trashy Acres.
Hmm. I see Tranquil Acres Road, but I'm guessing you're telling me the Daisy St house is in a subdivision named Tranquil Acres? The listing doesn't say anything about TA, searching doesn't show me a sub by that name and GoogleMaps only shows a photo of TA Road from 11 years ago. Clue me in, please. Where does it begin and end, and why is it 'trashy'?

Hubby and I are very quiet, boring even. We watch sunsets and wildlife, get a kick out of feeding the birds and going for walks with our little dog. We're looking for peace and quiet, not noisy neighbors or rude people. We have those right now.

We like older, rustic, wooded inside and out. If you have good areas to suggest, Ah'm all ears.
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