Are people delusional about Denver's climate? (2014, live, stats)

[Mini-apple-less]

I often hear Denver has a "mild" climate, despite the fact that it has more days that go below freezing than Minneapolis (though granted many less that are below 0C all day) or any other major city in the US aside from maybe Anchorage. Not only that but summers there are hot with 31 days that surpass 90F. There's no denying that Denver winters are not only cold but long and the summers are hot.

Sure it can be warm during the winter, but more typical is for it to be in the high 30s/low 40s during the afternoon and then to plunge into the teens and 20s at night and through much of the morning. While you can argue it's a more pleasant climate than the Midwest due to less summer humidity and more sunshine year round some people act like it's San Diego or something!

[Mach50]

"If you don't like the weather, wait 5 mins" is a well known saying about Denver and Colorado in general...that is how I would describe it here "dynamic".

Who calls it mild or like San Diego? I don't hear these comments and if I did I would immediately call these people out as delusional and haven't lived in either place for very long. I would say it is better here than the midwest or northeast because of the humidity and the fact that it doesn't rain after snow here. Rain + Snow + Overcast = Miserable...

AGAIN FOR 100th TIME - Nobody should consider moving to Denver unless they like winter, a very long (Oct-May) and sunny winter.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=snowstat

First Measurable Snow Last 10 Years:
October 18, 2013
October 5, 2012
October 25, 2011
November 15, 2010
October 21, 2009
November 14, 2008
October 22, 2007
October 18, 2006
October 10, 2005
November 1, 2004

Latest Freeze for the past 10 Years:
May 14, 2014
May 5, 2013
April 16, 2012
May 5, 2011
May 13, 2010
May 5, 2009
May 11, 2008
June 8, 2007
May 10, 2006
May 12, 2005
May 14, 200

[Tom Lennox 70]

I'm wondering how often flights at the airport are delayed due to snow and ice in mid-December. My family is planning a trip to Hawaii and taking off from Washington Reagan airport and most flights to Hawaii on United where we have free tickets connect through Denver. Is there a big chance of flights being delayed or even cancelled? Or should we fly out of another airport with connections through Los Angeles or San Francisco instead? I've visited Colorado once but it was in the summertime, and even then it was considerably chiller than Kansas City or places in Utah (this was on a cross country road trip). I don't fly too much and have only been through one delayed flight and it was due to snow and ice in Cleveland, Ohio where they had to de-ice the plane twice.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by valsteele

I often hear Denver has a "mild" climate, despite the fact that it has more days that go below freezing than Minneapolis (though granted many less that are below 0C all day) or any other major city in the US aside from maybe Anchorage. Not only that but summers there are hot with 31 days that surpass 90F. There's no denying that Denver winters are not only cold but long and the summers are hot.

Sure it can be warm during the winter, but more typical is for it to be in the high 30s/low 40s during the afternoon and then to plunge into the teens and 20s at night and through much of the morning. While you can argue it's a more pleasant climate than the Midwest due to less summer humidity and more sunshine year round some people act like it's San Diego or something!

Let's look at some stats:

Average number of days when the temperature drops below freezing:
Denver 157, Minneapolis 148 -- I don't think that 9 days makes Denver's "winter" that much longer.

Average number of days when the temperature drops to 0 degrees:
Minneapolis 23, Denver 7 -- Denver is really cold for a week. Minneapolis is really cold for over 3 weeks.

Daily Winter mean temperature:
Minneapolis 19 degrees, Denver 31 degrees -- Denver wins, hands down

Average Daily winter low temperature:
Minneapolis 11 degrees, Denver 18 degrees -- Denver wins here, too.

Average Daily winter high temperature:
Denver 44 degrees, Minneapolis 27. -- Minneapolis doesn't see 44 degrees for months at a time.

Average winter snowfall:
Minneapolis 54 in., Denver 53.8 in -- Denver's melts right away; Minneapolis's snow lingers.

Average number of days with cloud or fog:
Minneapolis 169, Denver 120 -- Denver has 1 1/2 months more sun than Minneapolis.

Interestingly the normal daily mean temperature in the summer for both Minneapolis and Denver is 71 degrees. Denver is sunnier, Minneapolis is more humid. This affects the feel of the day, but humidity = bugs, so IMHO Denver wins.

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by davidv

Let's look at some stats:

Average number of days when the temperature drops below freezing:
Denver 157, Minneapolis 148 -- I don't think that 9 days makes Denver's "winter" that much longer.

Average number of days when the temperature drops to 0 degrees:
Minneapolis 23, Denver 7 -- Denver is really cold for a week. Minneapolis is really cold for over 3 weeks.

Daily Winter mean temperature:
Minneapolis 19 degrees, Denver 31 degrees -- Denver wins, hands down

Average Daily winter low temperature:
Minneapolis 11 degrees, Denver 18 degrees -- Denver wins here, too.

Average Daily winter high temperature:
Denver 44 degrees, Minneapolis 27. -- Minneapolis doesn't see 44 degrees for months at a time.

Average winter snowfall:
Minneapolis 54 in., Denver 53.8 in -- Denver's melts right away; Minneapolis's snow lingers.

Average number of days with cloud or fog:
Minneapolis 169, Denver 120 -- Denver has 1 1/2 months more sun than Minneapolis.

Interestingly the normal daily mean temperature in the summer for both Minneapolis and Denver is 71 degrees. Denver is sunnier, Minneapolis is more humid. This affects the feel of the day, but humidity = bugs, so IMHO Denver wins.

Minneapolis definitely has worse winters, but yeah people act like Denver has a mild winter in the way the West Coast or the South does which is definitely not true either. Denver winters are probably comparable in severity to winters in Ohio or Indiana but much longer.

[maciesmom]

I have never seen anyone claiming that Denver's weather is comparable to San Diego.

Having lived for many years in the midwest as well as many years in Denver, I can honestly say that Denver winters are much better than midwest winters. Yes, I would definitely say a typical Denver winter is "mild" in comparison to a typical midwest winter. The lack of humidity here makes the cold much less biting; the strength of the sun here in the altitude melts the snow more quickly (very seldom have I ever seen that mountain of black snow so typical in midwestern parking lots - that just accumulates all winter as the result of plowing) and honestly, just seeing the sun on a regular basis makes it emotionally less challenging.

It's not San Diego but it is certainly better than a lot of places that have snowy winters. And the summers, yes they have been hot lately (although this past summer was lovely). I still prefer the summers here simply because the lower humidity makes it tolerable to be outside even if it is hot - not to mention it generally cools down nicely in the evenings. I've spent plenty of summers in the midwest where the temp was 95+ and being outside in the evenings was a miserable, sweaty mess spent slapping mosquitos away. No thank you.

[DenverBound41]

Having lived in Indiana and SW Michigan and now Colorado I can say that Denver winters aren't in the same ballpark. And not nearly as long. Sure it can snow in May but it's also 50+ far more often from Dec-Feb than most people realize, that and the snow rarely hangs around that long. It is certainly possible to play golf 12 months a year.

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by maciesmom

I have never seen anyone claiming that Denver's weather is comparable to San Diego.

Having lived for many years in the midwest as well as many years in Denver, I can honestly say that Denver winters are much better than midwest winters. Yes, I would definitely say a typical Denver winter is "mild" in comparison to a typical midwest winter. The lack of humidity here makes the cold much less biting; the strength of the sun here in the altitude melts the snow more quickly (very seldom have I ever seen that mountain of black snow so typical in midwestern parking lots - that just accumulates all winter as the result of plowing) and honestly, just seeing the sun on a regular basis makes it emotionally less challenging.

The Midwest does not have humid winters, though. The dewpoints in places like Chicago are very low during the winter.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by valsteele

Minneapolis definitely has worse winters, but yeah people act like Denver has a mild winter in the way the West Coast or the South does which is definitely not true either. Denver winters are probably comparable in severity to winters in Ohio or Indiana but much longer.

Comparing Denver's winter to any Midwestern city is laughable.

I've lived in the Midwest. Cloudy all the time. Humid. Biting cold. Denver is so much more pleasant in the winter time. Sunny and dry most of the time here. It makes a big difference, even if the mercury is the same.

Does it get really cold sometimes? Yes. Does it snow big sometimes? Yes. Do we get days of intense sun? Absolutely.

Is our weather mild? No. It's extremely variable. Not cloudy for 3 months in a row.

Now as for summertime, give me dry and 90 over humid and 90 any day of the week. I didn't know what a heat index was until I lived in the Midwest.

[JMM64]

People don't feed the OP troll! If you ignore it then it will leave!