Are people delusional about Denver's climate? (building, paid, places)

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by sailelsa

I admit I was totally delusional about what to expect from the weather here - but, the caveat is... I got that impression from what I read on city-data --- so maybe misguided is a better word. I didn't expect it to be LA, Albuquerque by any means - but I did actually think that most snow that happened in the morning, melted by noon and one really did not have to deal with it very much - NOT true.

I also expected the winter to be sunnier than it is (I thought it would be sunny as often as the summer), but I found it to be mostly overcast, depressing and VERY, VERY LONG - lasting well past April into mid May. I did not expect the heavy, wet snow (that is the same or worse than a Boston storm) in March, April, May. It really is a wet, not fluffy, snow at those times - no one ever talked about that. I did not anticipate, which i should have, all the slushy, muddy mess from the constant cycle of snowing and thawing. And the black ice everywhere that comes from melting snow that flash freezes every time the sun goes down (which in the winter is around 5pm - just in time for rush hour). I did not anticipate a large metro area like this to not plow many of the roads.

Funny they expect house front sidewalks shoveled, but then don't plow the roads or the metro area sidewalks. I did expect the cold (and I don't mind the cold, as long as its sunny, which it wasn't in much of the winter - that's when I started to look up and realize the myth (complete lie) of the 300 days of sunshine. Seems like all the sunshine here happens in the summer and fall. Also, no one really talks about how much damage the hail storms do. It is a every year occurrence that is extremely costly. It is rather played down here. Someone will complain about it, but then that comment is dismissed out of hand by several people saying how that person can't be listened to.

I truly hope you find your ideal home. The snow is really dismissed here. The East Coast could get 4 inches of snow and it is national news but we are barely a blip on the national media radar when we get anything above 6 inches unless it is a true blizzard.

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

I truly hope you find your ideal home. The snow is really dismissed here. The East Coast could get 4 inches of snow and it is national news but we are barely a blip on the national media radar when we get anything above 6 inches unless it is a true blizzard.

I think that has more to do with it being the East Coast. Pretty much anything that happens there gets more national news exposure than here. They assume we get a bunch of snow all the time because we're in the mountains and everything. Then, when we do make national news for a blizzard, it reinforces that belief. And the people that actually live here try to correct that misconception.

[ayoitzrimz]

Personally I love the weather but I also prefer the cold... Like the temps in the mid to upper 90s that we've had are too hot for my liking. The wife prefers it, she'd live in Phoenix given the chance. I think for people like us Denver is perfect weather-wise because it offers 4 seasons and a chance for both of us to have our preference some part of the year.

And again, Low humidity FTW!! NYC summers are brutal, NYC winters are brutal. Here even the extreme temps (relative to the rest of the year) are tolerable.

[hiapr]

Originally Posted by davidv

I am not a Denver winter apologist, I am a data miner. Denver can and does get cold -- especially after the sun goes down. This is due to the clear skies which allows the heat to dissipate into the atmosphere. However, because your experiences are after dark, you are working from a skewed data set.

From November 1 to February 29, the daytime highs exceeded 50 degrees 51 times. This past October was particularly mild as well with 29/31 days above 50 degrees. (Data source here)

Sorry you feel the way you do. I hope you feel warmer at your next stop.

Interesting data. For the sake of comparison, in the same date range, Chicago had 35 days above 50 degrees and NYC had 63. Using the same data source (https://www.wunderground.com/history/), Denver had 49 days above 50.

Another interesting stat. During the same date range, Denver had 20 days that didn't reach at least 32 degrees, Chicago also had 20 days. I'm using Chicago because it seems to be fairly agreed upon that Chicago has pretty harsh/rigorous winters.

Denver's climate is more extreme than a lot of places in the winter. You will see more extreme high temperatures with occasional 65 degrees in January and some stretches where the temperature barely gets above zero during the day. If someone tends to focus on the warm days in the winter and they moved from a consistently cold climate, they will probably view Denver as having mild winters. If someone tends to focus on the cold stretches and moved from a truly mild winter climate, the winters will probably seem pretty harsh.

I think some of the confusion about the winters being mild comes from the fact that many people equate mild winters to places like central AZ (where we moved from), Albuquerque and much of the southwest. Those places have a truly mild winter season with no real extreme cold snaps and not much snow. From our experience, winter on the front range is still a real winter, albeit slightly more mild on average (not always) than other places that also experience a true winter.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by hiapr

Interesting data. For the sake of comparison, in the same date range, Chicago had 35 days above 50 degrees and NYC had 63. Using the same data source (https://www.wunderground.com/history/), Denver had 49 days above 50.

Another interesting stat. During the same date range, Denver had 20 days that didn't reach at least 32 degrees, Chicago also had 20 days. I'm using Chicago because it seems to be fairly agreed upon that Chicago has pretty harsh/rigorous winters.

Denver's climate is more extreme than a lot of places in the winter. You will see more extreme high temperatures with occasional 65 degrees in January and some stretches where the temperature barely gets above zero during the day. If someone tends to focus on the warm days in the winter and they moved from a consistently cold climate, they will probably view Denver as having mild winters. If someone tends to focus on the cold stretches and moved from a truly mild winter climate, the winters will probably seem pretty harsh.

I think some of the confusion about the winters being mild comes from the fact that many people equate mild winters to places like central AZ (where we moved from), Albuquerque and much of the southwest. Those places have a truly mild winter season with no real extreme cold snaps and not much snow. From our experience, winter on the front range is still a real winter, albeit slightly more mild on average (not always) than other places that also experience a true winter.

It also doesn't feel as cold as Chicago and New York because of the lack of humidity. A 45 degree day here might actually feel like 60 degrees without the wind.

[hiapr]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

It also doesn't feel as cold as Chicago and New York because of the lack of humidity. A 45 degree day here might actually feel like 60 degrees without the wind.

Agreed that sometimes it does, but there are other times when it feels as cold or colder than the actual temperature. Another factor is that we often start our days at a much lower temperature than a place like NYC which makes for a shorter duration of time spent at/near the daily high temperature. From what I've seen in the 4 years we've lived here, if the high is going to be 43 for the day in the winter, most of the day will be spent in the 20s and 30s with a short window in the low 40s, then right back to the 20s and 30s once the sun sets.

[Squib]

A few thoughts on Denver's weather from a native:

1. In the winter you can be outside in a t-shirt and shorts on a sunny 30 degree day in January and it "feels" like it's 70 degrees. Then a cloud passes over and it feels like the temperature just dropped 30 degrees in a few seconds. Same for when the sun goes down. The solution as any Denverite knows: Wear layers so that you can adjust accordingly.
2. Most of the people I know have moved from the midwest (Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas). To a person, they all love Denver's weather and rave about how you can be outside most days of the year. Apparently this is not the case everywhere.
3. Mild is not the correct word to use unless you are only looking at averages. Daily temps swing like crazy compared to many other places. San Diego may hit a high of 85 during the day and then a low of 75 at night. While Denver hits a high of 95 during the day and a low of 65 at night. Both average about 80 degrees, and would be considered statistically even, but statistics aren't telling the whole story.
4. Denver is kind of shaped like a bowl, with downtown being the low point (5280 feet) and many of the suburbs up to as high as 6000 feet (particularly the southern, and western suburbs). This creates different temperatures and even different climates depending upon where you live. A snowstorm can dump 20 inches in Highlands Ranch and barely even touch downtown. A side note: A boss who lives in or near Castle Rock or Evergreen is a great thing to have since they will more than empathize with your snow excuses.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by Squib

A few thoughts on Denver's weather from a native:

1. In the winter you can be outside in a t-shirt and shorts on a sunny 30 degree day in January and it "feels" like it's 70 degrees. Then a cloud passes over and it feels like the temperature just dropped 30 degrees in a few seconds. Same for when the sun goes down. The solution as any Denverite knows: Wear layers so that you can adjust accordingly.
2. Most of the people I know have moved from the midwest (Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas). To a person, they all love Denver's weather and rave about how you can be outside most days of the year. Apparently this is not the case everywhere.
3. Mild is not the correct word to use unless you are only looking at averages. Daily temps swing like crazy compared to many other places. San Diego may hit a high of 85 during the day and then a low of 75 at night. While Denver hits a high of 95 during the day and a low of 65 at night. Both average about 80 degrees, and would be considered statistically even, but statistics aren't telling the whole story.
4. Denver is kind of shaped like a bowl, with downtown being the low point (5280 feet) and many of the suburbs up to as high as 6000 feet (particularly the southern, and western suburbs). This creates different temperatures and even different climates depending upon where you live. A snowstorm can dump 20 inches in Highlands Ranch and barely even touch downtown. A side note: A boss who lives in or near Castle Rock or Evergreen is a great thing to have since they will more than empathize with your snow excuses.

OK, lock the thread after this post. Well said.

I agree about the snow in Highlands Ranch. I live there. We will get 12 inches and then I will drive east to work where there was only a dusting.

[sammy87]

From my experience in here in Winter.....

AFC Championship 2013 game sub 0 degrees.....Super bowl 2 weeks later took the dog for a run in shorts and a T shirt.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by sammy87

From my experience in here in Winter.....

AFC Championship 2013 game sub 0 degrees.....Super bowl 2 weeks later took the dog for a run in shorts and a T shirt.

Do you mean the AFC divisional game against Baltimore? That was brutal. If they would have won that game they would have played at home in 60 degree weather.