Denver Humidity (Broomfield, Gunnison, Breckenridge: ski resort, college, live in)

[BSL63087]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

Sounds about right. I remember one morning this past February when it was sunny and upper 40s. My girlfriend and I walked down to a local coffee shop in Uptown and I had to take off my jacket because it felt so warm. To top it off, I felt the need to get an iced-coffee in order to cool down a little from the powerful Colorado sun.

Is this just a rare one time thing or does it happen often in the winter time there? I know it obviously is going to get cold at times, it's Denver. But how often does it warm up some to where it's at least not miserably cold? I keep hearing different things. Some think it's brutal and is unbearable, others seem to think it's not so bad most of the time. I guess a lot of it has to do with personal opinion, but my personal opinion would be if it was consistantly under 35 for 4 straight months, I'd not like it. If it were under 35 sometimes, around 40-45 sometimes, and above 45 sometimes, I think it would be ok. People say Denver's weather is very inconsistant, which I don't quite understand. I mean is it literally under 35 one day, 60 the next, 45 the next, 20 the next, 32 the next... surely it has some kind of pattern for a week or so at a time?

[BSL63087]

Originally Posted by winglady

We've always called them ski caps, ski hats, or knit hats (or caps).

Never heard of a hat being called a toboggan. A toboggan is something to use to slide down a snowy hill.

(signed) Denver Native

Well at least I now know not to use the term toboggan anymore

[lovethebigcity]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Now that's just weird ! In Europe a toboggan is a small sled, never an item of clothing. Mind you, we call a ski-mask a balaclava.

I've never used the word toboggan even though I've lived in the south most of my life. I've just called it a hat, but thats me .
Of course I've never called a sled a toboggan either...

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by BSL63087

Is this just a rare one time thing or does it happen often in the winter time there? I know it obviously is going to get cold at times, it's Denver. But how often does it warm up some to where it's at least not miserably cold? I keep hearing different things. Some think it's brutal and is unbearable, others seem to think it's not so bad most of the time. I guess a lot of it has to do with personal opinion, but my personal opinion would be if it was consistantly under 35 for 4 straight months, I'd not like it. If it were under 35 sometimes, around 40-45 sometimes, and above 45 sometimes, I think it would be ok. People say Denver's weather is very inconsistant, which I don't quite understand. I mean is it literally under 35 one day, 60 the next, 45 the next, 20 the next, 32 the next... surely it has some kind of pattern for a week or so at a time?

Denver's weather is very inconsistent. If you're physically active, you'll really like the climate.

You'll never be cold for too long in the winter. It can be in the 20s for a couple of days and then warm into the 60s within a couple of hours. People are outdoors all year round in Colorado. If it was unbearable, that wouldn't be so. The only downside to Colorado's climate is that the growing season is a little short. Given the fact that it can snow anywhere between September and May, the leaves don't stay out for too long. However, if it snows one day, it will be gone the next. Last October, Denver got its first blizzard. Within a few days, it was in the 70s. This happens in the dead of winter also.

I truly think that it's one of the best climates in the country--and mind you, I detest brutally cold weather.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

You'll never be cold for too long in the winter. It can be in the 20s for a couple of days and then warm into the 60s within a couple of hours. People are outdoors all year round in Colorado. If it was unbearable, that wouldn't be so. The only downside to Colorado's climate is that the growing season is a little short. Given the fact that it can snow anywhere between September and May, the leaves don't stay out for too long. However, if it snows one day, it will be gone the next. Last October, Denver got its first blizzard. Within a few days, it was in the 70s. This happens in the dead of winter also.

I truly think that it's one of the best climates in the country--and mind you, I detest brutally cold weather.

Southtowest about covered it.
Inconsistency is the name of the game.
You're never brutally cold for long periods of time in Denver, though the combination of cold and aridity did play havoc with my skin (eczema, etc.)
And if you are a farmer or a gardener or just care about the trees on your property, those late spring/early fall freezes or snows are killers.
However, I will never forget one fall when I was still wearing shorts and harvesting tomatoes in late October. It happens that way sometimes.

[BSL63087]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

Denver's weather is very inconsistent. If you're physically active, you'll really like the climate.

You'll never be cold for too long in the winter. It can be in the 20s for a couple of days and then warm into the 60s within a couple of hours. People are outdoors all year round in Colorado. If it was unbearable, that wouldn't be so. The only downside to Colorado's climate is that the growing season is a little short. Given the fact that it can snow anywhere between September and May, the leaves don't stay out for too long. However, if it snows one day, it will be gone the next. Last October, Denver got its first blizzard. Within a few days, it was in the 70s. This happens in the dead of winter also.

I truly think that it's one of the best climates in the country--and mind you, I detest brutally cold weather.

That is good to hear. Maybe I would like Denver's climate. Some variety in weather probably is good. One of the places I'm interested in as I've said is the Dallas area which has brutal summers and since I've been thinking about it a lot I am starting to notice that after 3 months of hot I think it does start to become a drag after awhile. Maybe 4 distinct seasons is better. Today here is something like 96 and feels like 103. It does get a little old and I notice Denver today is 77 but it does get hot sometimes but it's not 95+ from June till September like Dallas would be.

[BSL63087]

Originally Posted by cil

Southtowest about covered it.
Inconsistency is the name of the game.
You're never brutally cold for long periods of time in Denver, though the combination of cold and aridity did play havoc with my skin (eczema, etc.)
And if you are a farmer or a gardener or just care about the trees on your property, those late spring/early fall freezes or snows are killers.
However, I will never forget one fall when I was still wearing shorts and harvesting tomatoes in late October. It happens that way sometimes.

I'm not a gardener or a big landscape person so I don't think it will be of any concern to me.

What about Rockies fans... In June-August it's probably perfect but April-May and September-October if they ever make the playoffs again (good chance this year) on most nights can you watch a game comfortably? In high school our team played some early April games on some downright brutally cold days and it was just miserable. You have on your heavy coat and gloves and everything and it's still miserable. I've noticed CU and CSU don't have baseball programs is this because it's just not a very good climate for baseball or what?

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by BSL63087

I'm not a gardener or a big landscape person so I don't think it will be of any concern to me.

What about Rockies fans... In June-August it's probably perfect but April-May and September-October if they ever make the playoffs again (good chance this year) on most nights can you watch a game comfortably? In high school our team played some early April games on some downright brutally cold days and it was just miserable. You have on your heavy coat and gloves and everything and it's still miserable. I've noticed CU and CSU don't have baseball programs is this because it's just not a very good climate for baseball or what?

I read you're message on the other board. I'm originally from Milwaukee, BTW.

As far as baseball goes, I'm not sure. You've said that you're considering Dallas also--Dallas may be more suitable for baseball in regards to early spring/late fall at night, but that heat is downright awful in the summer. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and it was awfully hot to the point where it was impossible to go outside.

Also, one more thing, when Denver gets hot, you can cool off in the shade and look forward to a pleasant evening. In Dallas, the humidity follows you into the shade and into the evening making A/C your best and only friend.

[BSL63087]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

I read you're message on the other board. I'm originally from Milwaukee, BTW.

As far as baseball goes, I'm not sure. You've said that you're considering Dallas also--Dallas may be more suitable for baseball in regards to early spring/late fall at night, but that heat is downright awful in the summer. I was just there a couple of weeks ago and it was awfully hot to the point where it was impossible to go outside.

When we went in late April it was beautiful. There was one day where it stormed but it cleared up and was nice again the next day. 70s and windy though, I heard Dallas is actually more windy than Chicago. I have never been to Dallas in the summer but I believe you-- The Rangers don't play day games after about May because of the heat. It may not be quite as bad at 7 or 8 pm but still on a day-to-day basis you are going to have to spend at least some time outside and as I said in my last post I think it is starting to drag out a little considering it's been pretty hot for the past 3 months and since the start of August it's been in the upper 90s and 100s and that's here... Dallas is much worse than here so I don't know. I know any place even Southern CA (gets a little cold at night sometimes) is going to have some weather that you won't like but I guess I'm just trying to find the climate that suits me best.

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by pw72

I've always thought that there are no "normal" temps in Colorado, just averages. The reason I say this is because the front range probably has the most varied winter weather in the U.S. You've probably heard this before, but it can be 68 one day and 28 the next. You can be golfing and getting a tan one day, and shoveling two feet of snow the next. That is why there is no normal. Humidity? Very rare, however during the summer Arizona monsoon occasionally some of that mugginess creeps in, but doesn't stick around long.

New England had those same rapid swings in temperatures too. I remember in 1997 when on Easter Sunday it was 82 degrees and two days later we had 15" of snow.

The key is predictability, which especially sucks on the front range thanks to poor representation and understanding of how the foothills and Rockies affect the weather conditions on the Front Range. I swear the error in forecasts out of the Boulder NWS office must be near the top in the nation. I used my own weather forecasting skills to get by.