What's the deal with Denver weather? (Castle Rock: tornadoes, live, versus)

[Ronnie555]

I'm considering moving to Denver, or the surrounding metro area...

and to be perfectly clear, one of the biggest reasons I want to leave New England is the winters.

I'm having trouble figuring out if Denver should be on my list of places to consider...

I don't mind some snow. I mind new england cause it's 20 degrees outside, very little sunshine, and the snow doesn't melt for 4 months!

I've read that Denver gets some warm days in the summer occasionally. I've also read that Denver gets a ton of sunshine. 300 days a year I think? wow. For most people, does this make winter bearable? seems like it would.

But Id just hate to leave Boston and get to another place where it's winter half the year, can't go outside cause it's 28 degrees and icy, etc.

this question might be tough to answer, I know Colorado's weather is very unpredictable and variable. but just in general I'm looking for some overall insight into the "feel" of your winters

[Dogmama50]

I grew up in Connecticut and have lived in the Colorado mountains for a number of years now. Even up where I am the weather is considerably better than New England. We get more snow in the mountains, Denver gets much less, but we have big blue skies, lots of sun and very little humidity, makes for pretty good weather in my book.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by Ronnie555

I don't mind some snow. I mind new england cause it's 20 degrees outside, very little sunshine, and the snow doesn't melt for 4 months!

Denver will give you a lot more sunshine and the snow melts faster. I don't know if New England is humid in the winter, but you'll see that Denver is dry.

I've read that Denver gets some warm days in the summer occasionally. I've also read that Denver gets a ton of sunshine. 300 days a year I think? wow. For most people, does this make winter bearable? seems like it would.

This is the biggest contrast people talk about comparing Denver winter versus winter in other states.

But Id just hate to leave Boston and get to another place where it's winter half the year, can't go outside cause it's 28 degrees and icy, etc.

My guess is you'd find Colorado winters noticeably more tolerable. But it still snows a lot. If you want a truly winter-free winter experience, consider coastal California. We moved here last year from Colorado, in part for weather-related reasons.

[Ronnie555]

Originally Posted by Dogmama50

I grew up in Connecticut and have lived in the Colorado mountains for a number of years now. Even up where I am the weather is considerably better than New England. We get more snow in the mountains, Denver gets much less, but we have big blue skies, lots of sun and very little humidity, makes for pretty good weather in my book.

great. thanks. maybe i'll come visit Denver!

Originally Posted by 80skeys

Denver will give you a lot more sunshine and the snow melts faster. I don't know if New England is humid in the winter, but you'll see that Denver is dry.

This is the biggest contrast people talk about comparing Denver winter versus winter in other states.

My guess is you'd find Colorado winters noticeably more tolerable. But it still snows a lot. If you want a truly winter-free winter experience, consider coastal California. We moved here last year from Colorado, in part for weather-related reasons.

New England summers are quite humid. I don't think I've noticed any humidity in the winter, so that's a non-factor.

I'll keep in mind what you said though. I agree... if I want tolerable winters, Denver sounds like a good place. If I want no winters whatsoever, Denver certainly is not for me

Great info from both of you. I already feel like my question has been answered

[MattClyde]

Denver winters aren't as bad as the east coast but it still gets a good amounts of snow. Most of it melts quickly so you don't need to worry about that.

[CO_Transplant]

Denver's snow melts rapidly. My understanding is that some winters Denver gets slammed with snow, other winters not so much.

Last winter was really not bad! It got to at least 65 degrees at least once each month this winter. It got to 70 at one point in December. Normally it's about 40-50 degrees during the day and around 10-15 at night. We had one extreme cold snap where it got down to around -20 below. The weather here keeps you on your toes! You don't know what to expect, but you know that the weather will change quickly!

The 300 days of sunshine is a myth. Are there 300 days where the sun makes an appearance at some point during the day? Maybe. But 300 clear or mostly sunny days is just not true. In any circumstance, it's sunnier than New England!

Weather in the summer can be very violent, though! This is the hail capital of the United States. There are also pretty severe thunderstorms that can and do occasionally produce tornadoes. There is next to no humidity most days during the summer, making 90 here a lot more comfortable than 90 in Boston.

[Idlewile]

Everything mentioned above is accurate; CO winters are much better than anything in New England and you will have much more sunshine in CO, even if it's cold out. The one thing that is a change that's not often mentioned is spring comes late in in CO versus the east coast. And by spring I mean the guarantee of mild weather, budding trees with very little chance of a snowfall. This year spring arrived relatively early (budding trees) but in years prior -- and most years -- we're talking the first weeks of May, barely; and it sometimes still snows in May. Still, much better winters overall in CO than in New England.

[b.adams]

Winters in the front range are not bad. Certainly far better than midwest weather. The snow melts. You would find it a lot nicer than your used to. THe summers are not bad at all. Here in Castle Rock, I've not seen 100 in 6 years ... as its typically 5-8 degrees cooler than in Denver due to elevation being higher.

[denverian]

[quote=Ronnie555;21044899]

I've read that Denver gets some warm days in the summer occasionally. /quote]

We get more than "some" warm days. It's fairly hot anywhere from late May to late September. It was 90 yesterday. I don't know what the official count this summer was on days over 90 degrees, but probably well over 30. Average highs get up to 89 in July. But it does cool down fairly well even on the hot days with lows in the low 60s.

We have air conditioners and outdoor pools here, and an actual Summer

[CosmicWizard]

Ronnie555 wrote:

What's the deal with Denver weather?

There is no deal. The weather does whatever it wants to do.