Colorado weather (Denver, Fort Collins: college, tornadoes, live)

[city_data91]

I have heard that even though Colorado gets a lot of snow, it melts quickly due to the sun. Is this true? I am particularly interested in Denver and Fort Collins. I am just starting college now but it seems like there are a lot of opportunities in my career field in Denver and Fort Collins.

Also, it seems like Colorado would be more mild temperature-wise than people make it out to be. In Denver, for example, the average high in January is 47. Wouldn't that mean it's just as likely to be 59 as it is to be 35?

[COflower]

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[EscapeCalifornia]

Yes, at the lower elevations like the cities you mention, there's lots of sun which melts the snow quickly. The weather is very unpredictable and there's a big night/day temperature swing. From everything I've read and with some first hand experience added in, the cold isn't as bad as some parts of the country such as the upper Midwest or Northeast thanks to the intense sun. But in the words of the Mythbusters narrator, it can get cold enough to freeze to balls off a pool table, so be prepared.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

From everything I've read and with some first hand experience added in, the cold isn't as bad as some parts of the country such as the upper Midwest or Northeast thanks to the intense sun. But in the words of the Mythbusters narrator, it can get cold enough to freeze to balls off a pool table, so be prepared.

Not necessarily true. During the winter you have shorter days and depending on where you are in the mountains you may not get direct sunlight for part of the day. In addition often the coldest part of the day is after dawn but before the sun rises over the mountains. The sun warms the upper layers and squeezes the cold air down into the valleys. I've seen the temp be -5 at 5:30 am and then drop to -25 at 7:30 am.

Another issue people sometimes forget is with Colorado's mountains and all the updrafts and downdrafts, wind is a major factor and the reality in Colorado the wind is probably blowing most of the time. That can turn a 20 degree day into misery, sun or no sun.

If you are in the Colorado mountains proper, understand it is one of the coldest year round places in the lower 48. Winter lasts for much of the year as evidenced by the recent snow. True there are some days where the sun is brilliant and there are days that are tolerable but it is pure winter up there.

In Denver, certainly there can be some warm days in winter but some of the coldest days in my life have been spent in Denver.

My last ski season(8th in a row) I remember working outside for about an hour or so and as so often happens ended up with cold wet feet and couldn't feel my fingers. I got tired of cold wet feet and not being able to feel my extremities so I decided the next winter to go down under where it is summer when winter is happening here and that I did.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by city_data91

I have heard that even though Colorado gets a lot of snow, it melts quickly due to the sun. Is this true? I am particularly interested in Denver and Fort Collins. I am just starting college now but it seems like there are a lot of opportunities in my career field in Denver and Fort Collins.

Also, it seems like Colorado would be more mild temperature-wise than people make it out to be. In Denver, for example, the average high in January is 47. Wouldn't that mean it's just as likely to be 59 as it is to be 35?

Sure there are days in the winter in Denver where the temp could hit 60. Usually what happens is the jet stream has a trough in the east and the warm air runs up the front range from Texas. I remember when I lived in Alabama and was watching the weather everyday there were the odd days in winter it would be colder in south Alabama than in Denver.

However Denver has plenty of wintery days and I have frozen many times in Denver especially with the biting wind. Understand Colorado is the highest state elevation wise and winter conditions can happen anywhere September to June.

I think people are packing their pipe with some funny substances though if they think Colorado is "mild".

[jazzlover]

If one's definition of "mild" is no cold weather, no place in Colorado is "mild." If one's definition of mild is relatively small day-to-day and season-to-season variation in weather and/or temperature, nowhere in Colorado is mild. If one's definition of mild means few violent weather events, then nowhere in Colorado can be called truly mild, either. While Colorado does not get tornadoes frequently, the Front Range sits in "Hail Alley" and can get severe thunderstorms with large hail anytime during the summer months. Blizzards can and do occur in the winter--usually at least one major blizzard event somewhere in the state each winter. If one's definition of mild means no severe droughts, Colorado is definitely not mild.

Are there places colder, hotter, drier, wetter, etc. than Colorado? Yes, but to use that criteria to characterize the Colorado climate as "mild" is horse-puckey. Colorado's climate and weather is fickle, unpredictable, highly variable, and occasionally violent.

[onthamove]

denver may get its first big snow in october and it may not snow again until december or january it really is fickle, the elevations over 7500 feet though winter is along time going

[80skeys]

Yes, true on both counts. I've lived on the East Coast and I personally feel that Colorado winters are much more tolerable, due to being sunny and mild.

Yes, mild.

Originally Posted by city_data91

I have heard that even though Colorado gets a lot of snow, it melts quickly due to the sun. Is this true? I am particularly interested in Denver and Fort Collins. I am just starting college now but it seems like there are a lot of opportunities in my career field in Denver and Fort Collins.

Also, it seems like Colorado would be more mild temperature-wise than people make it out to be. In Denver, for example, the average high in January is 47. Wouldn't that mean it's just as likely to be 59 as it is to be 35?

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

horse-puckey

And I would like to add to that, 'flibbidee floo!'

If you're coming from northern Alaska, it's mild. If you're coming from Hawaii, it's harsh.
There are about a thousand posts about the weather here on the sticky threads for this forum.

[Calix]

With all due respect to the distinguished posters on this forum, who are often great contributors, I can not understand why some have this obsession of shutting down fresh discussion with the old "use the search tool 'cause it has already been 'scussed here before". At a certain point dead threads make for a dead forum.

Rather than shutting people down and turning city-data into a coffin forum like many others out there, let people ask questions, let topics be reimagined and discussed by all those who wish to participate. Mausoleums are not fun places to interact and share knowledge, I for one don't wish to see city-data become a shrine of dead thought. If you don't want to add something, simply don't post; it is better than griping about how someone has the audacity or ignorance to "ask a question rather than using the search tool". If they want to search, let them, if they want to ask a question, let them and let those that wish to respond, respond.



Just a thought!