Another snow question (Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder: schools, to live, beach)

[I_Want_Snow]

Is there any place that is an hour or so drive to Denver or Boulder that averages 100+ inches of snowfall a year? I am trying to do as much research as I can before I move. I work in I.T. so I am doing most of my research on those 2 cities for work. But I want to live where there is plenty of snowfall.

Or do you know of a website that I could use to look up that info. I have tried using Google and putting in things like "Colorado cities with highest snowfalls" "Cities close to Denver/Boulder 100+ inches of snowfall" "Highest snowfalls closest to Denver/Boulder" etc...

Would places like Bailey, Evergreen, Conifer, Monument, Nederland, Morrison, Mounument fit the bill? Or am I asking for too much snow that close to the cities? I know you can't predict the weather, I am just trying to feedback from locals or trying to find some annual averages.

Thanks in advance.

[Charles]

One hundred inches is about normal for Monument. 2006-2007 winter had 204 inches. Other advantages (especially if you are in IT) is it is commutable to both Colorado Springs and Denver for jobs. It has outstanding schools (Lewis Palmer District 38).

[Katiana]

I know such data is hard to find. You might try the city/town websites for those places you mentioned. Sometimes they have a "climate" section. My guess would be "no" for Morrison. It's not that high up.

[I_Want_Snow]

So C.S. has a good deal of I.T. work? Is Monument considered the Foothills or the Front Range?

[TughillTina]

I can't give you annual snowfall amounts but I can tell you that elevation is key. The beauty of colorado is yes it snows but it's typically gone before you know it. My goodness if you love snow so much you need to look at the lake effect snow belt areas off of the great lakes. Snow for months on end. Neverending snow that is abundant!

[TughillTina]

Ooooh Monument hill in winter is always fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Monument sits right off of I-25 just outside of Colorado Springs, its a nice town. It sits higher than Colorado Springs.

[I_Want_Snow]

Originally Posted by TughillTina

I can't give you annual snowfall amounts but I can tell you that elevation is key. The beauty of colorado is yes it snows but it's typically gone before you know it. My goodness if you love snow so much you need to look at the lake effect snow belt areas off of the great lakes. Snow for months on end. Neverending snow that is abundant!

I was actually born and raised in Michigan, spent the first 30 years of my life there. Not in the snow belt, but outside of Detroit and even though we got some pretty good winters, there is no scenery around there. Annual snowfall there was about 45-50 inches. Plus Michigan winters are horrible. You can go sometimes 2-3 weeks straight without seeing the sun at all.

I moved to FL almost 4 years ago because I thought I was a beach person.... boy was I wrong! It was great the first 2 years, but now I really miss the snow and the change of seasons. Plus it's so damn hot and humid here and their economy is one of the top 3 for being the worst in the country right now.

[Katiana]

C'mon out here! It seems like half your old state is here! I work with a woman who just moved here from Grand Rapids about a year ago.

Re: snow-you will find the snow a little different here. As Tughill Tina said, it's usually gone before you know it. We moved here from 7 yrs in Illinois, so this took a little getting used to for me. It is not unusual, even in Champaign, for snow to lay around a month or so. Here, not so much.

[Neditate]

The mountain towns are going to have the most snow, obviously.
We live near Nederland and are snowspotters for the NWS. For the 2006/2007 season we recorded 186". For 2007/2008 we recorded 128". You can go to the National Weather Service website to find data.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/awebphp/snowpage.php
Also, take a look at this site: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/co/co.sno.html

[I_Want_Snow]

Originally Posted by Neditate

The mountain towns are going to have the most snow, obviously.
We live near Nederland and are snowspotters for the NWS. For the 2006/2007 season we recorded 186". For 2007/2008 we recorded 128". You can go to the National Weather Service website to find data.
NWS Denver-Boulder, CO - Northeast Colorado Snow Spotters Reports
Also, take a look at this site: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/htmlfiles/co/co.sno.html

Cool... Thank you for the links!!