How windy is Denver? (Arvada, Boulder: rental car, rental, living in) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

AZmama13 · 03-31-2017, 08:38 AM

Good morning! We are currently living in Vegas, looking at CO as a potential job relocation. I've seen so much info on the dry air, altitude, sunshine and snow. Something I wasn't prepared for in Vegas was the wind. Yesterday we had a huge storm here with 60 mph winds and 80-90 mph gusts. So- how's the wind in the Denver metro area? We're specifically interested in the Centennial area as my husband would be working near DTC. Thanks!

bluescreen73 · 03-31-2017, 09:20 AM

The average annual wind speed in Denver is around 8mph. Denver does occasionally get Chinook Winds during the winter. During a Chinook event the wind can blow from 35-65mph with occasional gusts near 90mph. They are strongest near the foothills but typically dissipate significantly once you get east of I-25.

SkyDog77 · 03-31-2017, 09:41 AM

I was in Vegas yesterday. It was crazy!!! Flight was delayed from 4:00 to 11:00pm.

I have never seen winds like that before in Vegas. It doesn't get quite as windy in denver. We also don't have near the dust when it does get windy.

AZmama13 · 03-31-2017, 09:56 AM

Thanks guys! Yesterday was exceptionally bad, but spring and fall are just constant wind here. To be honest, the wind bothers me more than the 115 degree summers, so it occurred to me that I hadn't read much about wind in my CO research.

Glad you made it back, Skydog77! The news is saying there are still huge delays today!

brown_dog_us · 03-31-2017, 10:07 AM

It gets very windy North of Denver between Arvada and Boulder. The highest recorded wind in Boulder was 147 mph in 1971.

SkyDog77 · 03-31-2017, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZmama13

Thanks guys! Yesterday was exceptionally bad, but spring and fall are just constant wind here. To be honest, the wind bothers me more than the 115 degree summers, so it occurred to me that I hadn't read much about wind in my CO research.

Glad you made it back, Skydog77! The news is saying there are still huge delays today!

It was a mess.

We do get quite windy days here. I just don't mind them nearly as much because it doesn't get the crazy desert dust. If wind really bothers you, there are going to be days in Denver that you do not like at all.

Dangerous Dave · 03-31-2017, 10:25 AM

Always seemed to me that the big wind was north of Denver. Maybe I'm wrong. I've been heading north on I-25 before behind motorcycles riding at a 45 degree angle lol. If the wind had suddenly stopped, they would have dumped it at 65 MPH.

I don't think I could do Las Vegas. Denver would be a happy medium.

AZmama13 · 03-31-2017, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

It was a mess.

We do get quite windy days here. I just don't mind them nearly as much because it doesn't get the crazy desert dust. If wind really bothers you, there are going to be days in Denver that you do not like at all.

You know, I think you're right about that. The wind would definitely be more tolerable if it didn't bring walls of dust with it. It's such a mess.

SkyDog77 · 03-31-2017, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZmama13

You know, I think you're right about that. The wind would definitely be more tolerable if it didn't bring walls of dust with it. It's such a mess.

Waiting for the rental car shuttle I could feel it on my teeth. So nasty.

pikabike · 03-31-2017, 10:55 AM

Where in the Denver area do you want to move to?

The foothills can get fierce chinooks, like 70-80 mph gusts. There are some isolated cases of gusts over 100 mph that will destroy a bridge, but normally even the chinooks don't go that high.

BUT we had some days and nights with steady winds around 40-50 mph with higher gusts...all night, all day, for two days. The duration of high wind can get to you as much as isolated stronger gusts.

Another thing to consider is how suddenly those gusts can whip up. I was out mtn biking in the evening in perfect calm, when I heard a low, loud moan like a church organ's bass tones all played at once. The sound came from a nearby gully. In seconds, it blasted out of the gully and forced me not only to dismount but to SIT on the ground while holding onto my bike with it flat on the ground. Otherwise, I would have been knocked over and the bike flung somewhere. I have also been out when a gust picked up a 19' kayak left on the ground and sent it flying.