Are people delusional about Denver's climate? (wedding, prices, store)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by davidv

Rule of thumb is: For every 1,000 ft in altitude change, you will see about 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit change, all things being equal, of course.

However, there are many other factors that influence weather and climate, so making comparisons is a little futile. The climate is what it is. Either you like it or you don't, but it is not going to change significantly from a human perspective.

Good information; thanks.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by sailelsa

Thank you! But, I don't need a roommate. I would buy another house. Which is what makes moving again so hard.

Good to see people finally being friendly on here. Plus I think my next move is probably the beach again.

If I was ever to move again and I could afford it I would go back to San Diego. I really miss the ocean.

[lovecrowds]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

If I was ever to move again and I could afford it I would go back to San Diego. I really miss the ocean.

For the price people pay for a house in Denver, they could live in Western San Diego County.

It is far hotter then downtown San Diego of course but it is stil far better on climate then Denver.

Similar temperatures in the summer with mild, San Diego winters and no snow.

[vegaspilgrim]

I think surprisingly few people, not just outsiders, but also people who live here, even life long residents, really understand what Denver's climate is really like. There's a lot of cognitive dissonance going on between the often repeated chamber of commerce claims (like the 300 days of sunshine lie) and the myth of Denver being in the Rocky Mountains and what the climate here is actually like. I also think a lot of the people who think that Denver's climate is so great haven't experienced much if any of the mountain west, northwest, southwest (particularly higher elevations in AZ and NM-- just about paradise in all 4 seasons if you ask me), and west coast regions. Other parts of the west have truly fantastic weather at times, some of them year round (like coastal southern California within 5 mi of the beach), some of them with a very bad time of the year but otherwise outstanding weather for at least one solid season if not most of the year. Denver doesn't really have any one season where the weather is predictably really nice. Fall would be the closest thing to that, but even that's not always true (Sept 2013 anyone?).

Denver and the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains and western Great Plains is unique in that this region experiences two completely different sets of regional weather patterns. Sometimes one or the other predominates, sometimes it's a mid-continental battleground. From mid March/April through mid/late summer, the weather here is pretty much "Midwest-lite" (with more snow, less rain in the spring, and less rainfall totals than the Midwest, more diurnal temperature difference and less humid but similar storm patterns). Very high occurrences of hail. This is completely different than the weather in other places at similar latitude and elevation such as Grand Junction, SLC, Reno, Boise. Completely different than the west coast, of course. From late August/September through the winter, the weather patterns are pretty much just like the rest of the intermountain west (with a little bit of trace of the southwest monsoon action in late summer), very, very dry and sunny, practically desert like (not necessarily warm, but dry). That can be interrupted with upslope Gulf moisture storms and other events, of course. Some cool (if a little outdated) maps are available here at: Precipitation Maps | Western Regional Climate Center.

The spring here is downright garbage with late spring snow storms that destroy trees the last two years, consistent gloom for days on end (anybody here remember the month of May 2015?) and frequent thunderstorms. Combined with bad allergies, miller moth invasions (not this year, fortunately) and it's a pretty lousy time of the year. I dread that time of the year.

A lot of people on this thread are complaining about the winter, but I think the summer here is much more uncomfortable. Summer is way too hot. My air conditioner unit doesn't work very well in this old townhouse that I overpaid for and it's been stinking hot and miserable here for weeks on end. It does not cool down significantly enough to get cooler air through the windows until the early a.m. hours.

Fall is nice here (usually), but where isn't fall nice?

[caverunner17]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Summer is way too hot. My air conditioner unit doesn't work very well in this old townhouse that I overpaid for and it's been stinking hot and miserable here for weeks on end. It does not cool down significantly enough to get cooler air through the windows until the early a.m. hours.

The dry heat in CO is VASTLY different than humid heat in other places.

I went for an hour run at 7AM today in Chicago. When I left, I looked at the weather. It was 77 deg and 92% humidity. At the half way point, I turned around and I was already drenched in enough sweat that I looked like I went for a swim.

That simply doesn't happen in CO and it feels so much cooler due to evaporative cooling.

As far as a weak A/C, consider closing blinds and installing black out curtains in rooms you less frequently use that get a lot of sun. A significant amount of heat is brought in through sunlight and blinds/curtains help insulate and keep that heat out. This also will help keep your electric bill down.

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I think surprisingly few people, not just outsiders, but also people who live here, even life long residents, really understand what Denver's climate is really like. There's a lot of cognitive dissonance going on between the often repeated chamber of commerce claims (like the 300 days of sunshine lie) and the myth of Denver being in the Rocky Mountains and what the climate here is actually like. I also think a lot of the people who think that Denver's climate is so great haven't experienced much if any of the mountain west, northwest, southwest (particularly higher elevations in AZ and NM-- just about paradise in all 4 seasons if you ask me), and west coast regions. Other parts of the west have truly fantastic weather at times, some of them year round (like coastal southern California within 5 mi of the beach), some of them with a very bad time of the year but otherwise outstanding weather for at least one solid season if not most of the year. Denver doesn't really have any one season where the weather is predictably really nice. Fall would be the closest thing to that, but even that's not always true (Sept 2013 anyone?).

Denver and the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains and western Great Plains is unique in that this region experiences two completely different sets of regional weather patterns. Sometimes one or the other predominates, sometimes it's a mid-continental battleground. From mid March/April through mid/late summer, the weather here is pretty much "Midwest-lite" (with more snow, less rain in the spring, and less rainfall totals than the Midwest, more diurnal temperature difference and less humid but similar storm patterns). Very high occurrences of hail. This is completely different than the weather in other places at similar latitude and elevation such as Grand Junction, SLC, Reno, Boise. Completely different than the west coast, of course. From late August/September through the winter, the weather patterns are pretty much just like the rest of the intermountain west (with a little bit of trace of the southwest monsoon action in late summer), very, very dry and sunny, practically desert like (not necessarily warm, but dry). That can be interrupted with upslope Gulf moisture storms and other events, of course. Some cool (if a little outdated) maps are available here at: Precipitation Maps | Western Regional Climate Center.

The spring here is downright garbage with late spring snow storms that destroy trees the last two years, consistent gloom for days on end (anybody here remember the month of May 2015?) and frequent thunderstorms. Combined with bad allergies, miller moth invasions (not this year, fortunately) and it's a pretty lousy time of the year. I dread that time of the year.

A lot of people on this thread are complaining about the winter, but I think the summer here is much more uncomfortable. Summer is way too hot. My air conditioner unit doesn't work very well in this old townhouse that I overpaid for and it's been stinking hot and miserable here for weeks on end. It does not cool down significantly enough to get cooler air through the windows until the early a.m. hours.

Fall is nice here (usually), but where isn't fall nice?

Lol, I haven't turned on the AC yet . It's stayed about 82-85 in my apartment, but it really does help me acclimate to the warmer temps. I kind of like it that temp and the increase in humidity here is south Denver vs the Springs, but I guess I'm an outlier. I also LOVED May 2015... I've been loving this summer, it's just way too short.

IMO, there are a lot of places in the US that have pretty decent climates, basically anywhere except the great plains and upper midwest (and Alaska). If you like it or not depends on preferences for precipitation amounts, temps, and variety.

CO climate lovers generally have these things in common:

1. A great disdain for humidity
2. An appreciation for winter and being out in the snow
3. A great disdain for overcast days
4. The variety of weather changes possible in a given day, week, and month
5. Not too much interest in plants or greeness
6. And most importantly, the ability to get outside and have the acceptable weather to do your activity, because people here are outdoor activity focused

[ironlady]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

I never knew that.

I have never heard of anyone killed by a cloud. OTOH, I have heard of a lot of people dying from freezing to death, or from heat strokes. Both of which could happen in Denver.

It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Before I moved there, I thought SAD was more like a nuisance. It made me want to jump out of a window. It took a lot of digging to find out that SAD affects everyone to some degree, 10% of the population to the degree they need to be medicated, and 1% actually need to be hospitalized due to depression and anxiety. So yeah, clouds can kill.

[ironlady]

Originally Posted by Denverite75

In my adult life, I've lived in Denver, Dallas and Chicago. Now, Dallas summers are hell on earth, and Chicago winters are miserable. So maybe I'm biased. But the weather in Denver is so much nicer than either of those two places it's not even funny.

Same story. Agreed.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by lovecrowds

For the price people pay for a house in Denver, they could live in Western San Diego County.

It is far hotter then downtown San Diego of course but it is stil far better on climate then Denver.

Similar temperatures in the summer with mild, San Diego winters and no snow.

What's the average home value in Denver? Is it 550K? I've lived in both and Denver is way cheaper.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

What's the average home value in Denver? Is it 550K? I've lived in both and Denver is way cheaper.

I don’t know but there was a thread on here a while ago about a shipping container house in Denver listed at $749,000. Everybody here seemed to think it was a great deal. So I guess people are willing to pay California prices for Denver real estate, despite the less then ideal climate. Then again, if you are willing to pay three quarters of a million dollars for $20,000 worth of recycled shipping containers, I guess you probably don’t care where they are located.