Need to know about the snow in Colorado Springs. (Denver: how much, houses)

[patricia rose]

Hi. I'm in california and i'm thinking of moving to Colorado Springs. How much does it really snow? Some people say it snows and melts the next day, and others say it snowed so much they were snowed in! So whats the truth ?

[vfrpilot]

Hi Patricia,
Actually both answers are the truth.
We moved from the San Diego area to Monument 3 years ago. Monument is higher than Colorado Springs so we get more snow. We had a foot last week. 70 degree temps 2 days later . The first 2 winters were a piece of cake. We did get snowed in for a couple days the first year. Only about 4 houses were affected due to the drifts that blow across our street in front of our house. No biggie. We actually had a pretty good time playing and meeting neighbors. I've been told that this winter was unusually cold. I'm sure you read about DIA being closed for 2 days right before Christmas. Because of the colder temps the snow lingered for a long time, it almost set a new record in Denver for hanging around so long.
The snow in the Springs is not nearly as bad as Monument. Sometimes we'll drive down there(about 15 miles) and it appears almost tropical . We do have milder summer temps and have pine trees and a bit more open land.
Sometimes I miss the nice winter weather in SD, but it is so beautiful here when everything is covered in snow, usually light and powdery, that so far I rather enjoy the weather here.

[Rawlings]

Originally Posted by patricia rose

Hi. I'm in california and i'm thinking of moving to Colorado Springs. How much does it really snow? Some people say it snows and melts the next day, and others say it snowed so much they were snowed in! So whats the truth ?

Yep. It snows a lot--about 60 inches a year, to be exact. But here's the catch--most of it comes in the spring when the day after a snowstorm the temperatures can climb into the 50s and 60s and melt most of it away.

This year, because we got hit by blizzard after blizzard, the snow stuck around for a month of so, but that's not the norm.

Coloradans are a hearty bunch--the dry, cold, and snow will do that to you. But just toughen up and learn to love the snow and you'll be fine.

[Katiana]

There is a lot of weather data on www.accuweather.com and www.wunderground.com. Basically, what Rawlings says is accurate.

There are little micro-climates around here that are different from the national weather service statistics. It usually snows at my house before the snow-meters start running for my town.

BTW, there was snow on the ground in Denver for 60 straight days this winter. It was almost a record.

My friend in Colorado Springs was just telling me yesterday how the snow drifted at her back door and the dog had to climb over the drift to go out for some time. We tried to get together with the the first Saturday of Jan, Feb and March to go to free day at the art museum, and each time had to cancel out. We set it up in April and went, even though the weather was bad, e.g. snowing that day, too. Some Californians take years to get used to this, from my experience. It took me some years to get used to the changeableness of the weather, even though I was quite used to snow. Now, I love the weirdness of it all.

[Charles]

I moved from Thousand Oaks, CA to near Monument, CO in June 2006. Lived in SoCal for 45 years.

Long time locals tell me this had been an unusually bad year for snow and cold rotten weather.
Other than occaisionally driving on icy roads (which takes getting used to psychologically), the snow was a lot of fun and very interesting from a meteorological perspective.
Bottom line: Not a problem for a worker bee like me; Compared to SoCal, my wife had more challenges finding activities for our three kids 3, 5, and 7. In SoCal, she could go to the park almost every day. Here, there are about 20-30 days when it is just too cold, windy, or snowy.

Most of the time is it sunny, maybe colder, but sunny. No SAD. When it rains in LA, it snows here. The next day you can go cycling, play basketball, or play golf. I think it is the lack of sun and not the lack of warm weather that depresses people. Here it is sunny but not as warm. Fifty five degrees in the sun with no wind will make you sweat in shorts and no shirt. You can literally be outside in shorts when the temperatures are in the fifties.

Despite the minor, (and I mean minor) weather incongruities, we both agree it is much better to live here compared to SoCal.

[COflower]

Originally Posted by Charles

Long time locals tell me this had been an unusually bad year for snow and cold rotten weather.

I'm a long time local, born and raised here...38 going on 39 years. My dad has been here since 1954.

This last winter season is more normal as the last 7-14 years have been very dry. It is a misconception that this last winter was unusual. I remember my childhood where there was this much snow.

What makes it unusual anymore is for the time frame since we've had this kind of snow. I have posted a lot about it and it finally hit me in the head, this is how CO Springs should be.

Anyhow, with my father's observations and my own, this winter is what CO is about. I remember 1993, Christmas, it was 72° F out there.

Yes, with the intense sun we get, it melts on the roads pretty easily but This was more a 30 average than we have seen in a long time and it's about time.

< smile >

[Joebondoe]

Originally Posted by vfrpilot

Hi Patricia,
Actually both answers are the truth.
We moved from the San Diego area to Monument 3 years ago. Monument is higher than Colorado Springs so we get more snow. We had a foot last week. 70 degree temps 2 days later . The first 2 winters were a piece of cake. We did get snowed in for a couple days the first year. Only about 4 houses were affected due to the drifts that blow across our street in front of our house. No biggie. We actually had a pretty good time playing and meeting neighbors. I've been told that this winter was unusually cold. I'm sure you read about DIA being closed for 2 days right before Christmas. Because of the colder temps the snow lingered for a long time, it almost set a new record in Denver for hanging around so long.
The snow in the Springs is not nearly as bad as Monument. Sometimes we'll drive down there(about 15 miles) and it appears almost tropical . We do have milder summer temps and have pine trees and a bit more open land.
Sometimes I miss the nice winter weather in SD, but it is so beautiful here when everything is covered in snow, usually light and powdery, that so far I rather enjoy the weather here.

VFRPILOT: Sounds like our scenario exactly, first 2 winters were a walk in the park, I think last years winter we had approximately 2” – 4” inches each month for the entire winter. This year made up for the first 2 winters. I moved from Huntington Beach 3 years ago after living in CA for 40 years, I wouldn’t go back if the paid me. Patricia Rose, Good luck on your decision to move here, you’ll love it!

[Charles]

Get ready:

THE LATEST MORE SOUTHERN GFS COMPUTER TRACK HAS THE CLOSED UPPER
LOW CENTERED OVER CENTRAL UTAH AT 18Z SUNDAY MOVING INTO CENTRAL
COLORADO BY 06Z MONDAY BEFORE SHIFTING INTO NORTHEAST COLORADO BY
00Z TUESDAY AND THEN NORTHEAST WYOMING BY 00Z WEDNESDAY. THIS
TRACK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE MORE IMPRESSIVE SNOW
AMOUNTS...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE
CWFA IN COMBINATION WITH STRONG WINDS AT TIMES...ESPECIALLY FROM
LATER SATURDAY INTO MONDAY MORNING.

THIS TRACK WOULD ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE SEVERAL
INCHES OF WIND-BLOWN SNOW OVER SECTIONS OF NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY
FROM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING IF LATEST GFS PROJECTIONS
ARE ACCURATE.

[rock_lobster!]

Dude, why the gravedig?

[TheBeach]

Well, good. We need snow/rain/water in any form we can get it. Looking at the Climate Prediction Center (http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov), it does appear we'll have cooler temps and better than average chance at precipitation. Of course, this can change in 5 minutes