Snow, and then more snow (Denver, Highlands Ranch: house, neighborhood, living)

[CAMom]

My family and I strongly considering a relocation from the Los Angeles area (like everyone else) and want to get locals realistic feedback in regards to the current weather conditions you're experiencing.

We're looking at the Parker area and Elizabeth. I understand there's a lot of snow, are you house bound? Can you go out, would you go out? When we hear on the news here about the weather they talk of no/little food in the stores, road conditions not safe, etc.... I also understand that this isn't normal. Any true Coloradians that can speak of history weather conditions. I've read enough., but it's better to hear from locals.

Thanks for any information you can offer.

[LoveBoating]

We have a house in Parker (been here three years), just down Parker Road from the "main drag". Last week's blizzard did "snowbound" due to no plowing of the side streets in our housing developement. That blizzard actually lasted a day and a half. It started on Wednesday (5:30AM) and stopped for us on Thursday (3PM). We got a little more than two feet out of it. We shoveled/snowblew our driveway, but the street in front of our house was pretty much impassible. However, I was able to take my wife to work on Friday morning because some pickup trucks had "forced" their way down the street and made a small path. I was off of work most of Wednesday, all of Thursday (as was my wife) and most of Friday. It was a beautiful sight, but nothing at all fun to drive in. And, we have 4-wheel drive!
The snow we have going now started getting bad yesterday, Thursday, around 2PM. I was at work, in Denver, but left. The drive back to Parker was pretty much a "white-out" all the way......could see, but barely. On my way home, I did stop at a grocery store and was TOTALLY surprised at how many shelves were empty of stuff.......no bread, no milk and no eggs. It stopped snowing in Parker last night and we haven't gotten much since. I have another "snow day" today (company is closed). I have enough vacation time, so I'm not worried about having days off. We are told that there are still "waves" of snow that are going to come in. So far, not much.
Hopefully, this will be our last winter here. Our bodies just can not handle the winters here any more (we are 57/58). We will be headed to North Carolina.
We use to live in So. Calif. (Costa Mesa) and moved here (in part) because of the summer storms and winter snow (originally from Mich and Indiana), but we have had enough.
They don't have these big snowstorms/blizzards here all the time during the winter months, BUT they do get their share of snow/cold temps here.....FOR SURE. And, in the summer, you will see some pretty nasty lightning and downpours. It's not "all" sunny here like some people here want other people to believe it is.
Good Luck.

[gpraceman]

There was only one day with the first storm that we were house bound. This storm is not so bad, but it is supposed to stretch out over a longer period of time. Right now we are in a lull. It has given time to get roads cleared and many stores, post office, etc. are open.

Being a CO native, I will say that this is truly unusual weather for CO. We usually only get true blizzards every few years. The last one was 2003. Getting a double whammy, like we are experiencing, hasn't happened since 1990.

Sure we get our share of bad weather, but it is not all that stormy as some make it out to be.

[CAMom]

for the replys. I hope to see more thoughout the day as I'm so excited to read what people have to offer on the topic.

LoveBoating, why do you pick North Caroline?

Gpraceman, where do you live?

thanks again!

[gpraceman]

I'm in the Highlands Ranch area. To the west of Parker.

[COflower]

Also a Colorado native. C Springs and points east and south are under the gun till Sunday at 6 am. Oh joy. Not.

Yes, this is unusual and while I love this kind of weather, I am about ready to go batcrazy. I need some sunshine! I want to go to the grocery to see other people (I live alone). I wanna be free of this right now.

I am ready for summer, just posted in my journal where I know I was whining about the 90 degree weather in July ( http://www.users.qwest.net/~niki1968/images/weatherforecast07-12-06.jpg (broken link) ) I am wishing for it. Granted I can stay warm as I have heating and in the summer I can't cool down much as I don't have AC but I am wishing for that 90 degree heat about now.

Life long Coloradoan and this is very weird. Even my father who's been here since 1954 agrees, this is some bizarre stuff.

[TinajaCo]

Another native Coloradan here, and these big storms are very unusual. I like the occasional snowstorm or cloudy day but I am ready for a nice day of nothing but sun (and Colorado does have 300+ days of sunshine a year). The last storm, we were stuck for about a day, this storm we can get in and out (although 4WD definitely helps). The worst roads are the neighborhood streets-- the main thoroughfares are slushy, but not bad.
I was in the grocery store yesterday and today, they are cleaned out of some things (like bread, paper products, fresh fruit/vegetables, and vinegar, strangely enough) but it's not as if we're on the verge of famine, or riots will break out over food.
If you want a perenially-warm place to live, Colorado isn't for you, because we do get snow, and occasionally, heavy snow (as said before, the last big storms we had were in 2003 and 1997). And average high temperatures can be in the 40s during the winter. But I do not recall ever seeing weather like this before, with such big storms so close together-- This weather is not normal for Colorado.

[LoveBoating]

Why North Carolina?
The winters there are even milder than here. They only get about 5 inches of snow during their entire winter.......told to us by people who are living there right now.
The cost-of-living there is even cheaper than here in Colorado. Colorado's cost-of-living has been going up and show's no sign of going down. Not nearly as high as So. Calif., but still "up there".
Unless you have kids and meet/know other kids parents, Parker and other areas of Denver metro aren't "that" friendly.
We do love Colorado, but just won't be able to handle the winters here anymore. We have no idea why people here keep "downplaying" the weather here when we have actual photos and video that does tell somewhat of a different story . All of the photos/video were taken right here in both Englewood and Parker.

[gpraceman]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

We have no idea why people here keep "downplaying" the weather here when we have actual photos and video that does tell somewhat of a different story . All of the photos/video were taken right here in both Englewood and Parker.

I don't think anyone has been denying that we can get some really crummy weather in CO. We can also get some very good weather, which is more the norm. We do truly get a lot of days of sunshine and our climate is milder than many other 4 season states. You cannot take the good without taking the bad. No matter where you go there is foul weather of one kind or another to deal with.

[Thunderbird]

Originally Posted by gpraceman

You cannot take the good without taking the bad. No matter where you go there is foul weather of one kind or another to deal with.

Very true! In the summer we gripe about the heat and in the winter we gripe about the cold. Thank goodness for indoor plumbing, heaters and coolers!