Newcomers to Denver from CA: are you finding the Colo winter depressing? (2015, middle school)

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I'm from CA and am enlightened by the winters here.

It's the summers that kill me. They give me a weird/draining feeling.

You probably need to increase hydration then. It took me several years to figure that out, coming from the humid-summer northeast.

[Mike from back east]

I found Winter in COLO SPGS far more enjoyable than the depressingly humid east coast weather.

[TCHP]

Seeing how southern CA contains Mediterranean, semi-arid, and desert climates, I'm always surprised how so many refer to it as lush and green. Aside from the man made irrigation of the metros, which is no different than Denver, I don't see where its particularly greener than CO.

Northern CA, on the other hand, seems overall more green than CO, but also very similar to many areas of CO with the mountains, snowfall, and wide ranging temps that produce green in river valleys, not unlike may of our river valleys.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Seeing how southern CA contains Mediterranean, semi-arid, and desert climates, I'm always surprised how so many refer to it as lush and green. Aside from the man made irrigation of the metros, which is no different than Denver, I don't see where its particularly greener than CO.

Northern CA, on the other hand, seems overall more green than CO, but also very similar to many areas of CO with the mountains, snowfall, and wide ranging temps that produce green in river valleys, not unlike may of our river valleys.

Dallas-Fort Worth has a humid subtropical climate, but it's hardly lush and green year-round, too. You don't notice it as much because of the trees, but any grass that isn't irrigated is crunchy, dead, and brown from July til February/March. So you get a triple-whammmy - brownness, soul-crushing heat and humidity, and next-to-nothing in terms of natural beauty. It's like Sterling or Lamar with more trees.

[ABQConvict]

I always thought the relatively mild, sunny winters was one of Denver's main attractions.

No, it is not balmy subtropical coastal weather, but apart from the occasional blizzard, Denver is a winter lightweight. Not much more wintry than Albuquerque.

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Seeing how southern CA contains Mediterranean, semi-arid, and desert climates, I'm always surprised how so many refer to it as lush and green. Aside from the man made irrigation of the metros, which is no different than Denver, I don't see where its particularly greener than CO.

Northern CA, on the other hand, seems overall more green than CO, but also very similar to many areas of CO with the mountains, snowfall, and wide ranging temps that produce green in river valleys, not unlike may of our river valleys.

Grew up in SoCal. I would never describe it as lush/green. Pretty brown most of the year in areas that are not artificially supplemented with water.

[Quietude]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

I always thought the relatively mild, sunny winters was one of Denver's main attractions.

[raises hand] The weather here is one of two major reasons I chose to relocate to Denver. After decades of just a little cool and rainy in northern California, and then, well, Connecticut, the balance of sun and cool and dry and just a good shake of winter is perfection to me.

Originally Posted by maciesmom

Grew up in SoCal. I would never describe it as lush/green. Pretty brown most of the year in areas that are not artificially supplemented with water.

You don't need to specify "SoCal" - to about 90% of the country, "California" means "the greater LA area." :P

I, on the other hand, have to be very careful to say, "NORTHERN California," and then usually have to follow up with "No, not the Bay Area." [enters didactic mode] There are THREE Californias, not two (and fer gossakes, not one). There's LoCal, everything up to about the Bakersfield divide, which is what too many people assume is all of/the only California. There's the Bay Area, which is a country all its own, spinning into cackling insanity for the last few decades. And there's everything else, largely the greater Sacramento area, the Sierra and the northern third. I am exceptionally proud to be from the last. [/end didactic mode]

But yes, I can see how someone who lived long in the endlessly slightly faux green of LoCal, where it's 72 all year round, would find Denver's few days of snowy gloom depressing. I suggest they spend a year in real winter - Chicaguh, TwinCities, MA/CT/VT/NH, or gawdelpya, upstate New Yawk. With that expansion of weather experience, you'll appreciate that the pretty little snow we're getting right now is just some salt in a well-balanced climatic stew.

The one thing that Northern Californa has a very short green phase, in spring. (I am speaking a bit historically, before climate shift.) Which all turned to bright gold for most of the summer - not brown, not dead, not depressing but a gold that covered hills and plains as brightly as the earlier green.

Three Californias. File that in your permanents.

[xeric]

The flora in most of California is not affected by cold dormancy (as it is in most of the rest of the US). This is true for the planted and irrigated vegetation in the cities as well as the surrounding vegetation. The regions of the US with winter dormancy (which is most of the country) will look dead all winter. This applies to wet, semiarid, and dry cold-winter areas. The coastal belt of California (particularly since that is the wet time of the year) is going to look pretty lush in winter compared to most of the rest of the country. I'm not sure what the point is of denying this except to make people feel better about living in cold-winter environments.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Seeing how southern CA contains Mediterranean, semi-arid, and desert climates, I'm always surprised how so many refer to it as lush and green. Aside from the man made irrigation of the metros, which is no different than Denver, I don't see where its particularly greener than CO.

This time of year, SoCal is quite greener than CO. I'm talking, LA/Orange County/non-desert IE.

In the summer, Denver is much greener.

[hiapr]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

Denver is a winter lightweight. Not much more wintry than Albuquerque.

For the months of Dec, Jan and Feb:

Denver Average Daily High/Low: 44/18
Albuquerque Average Daily High/Low: 49/27

% of days with a high of 39 degrees or less:
Denver: 35%
Albuquerque: 12%

% of days with a high of 29 or less:
Denver: 15%
Albuquerque: 1%

Average Annual Snowfall:

Denver: 55"
Albuquerque: 10"

Average number of days it snows each year:

Denver: 33
Albuquerque: 9

Average first/last frost:

Denver: October 1st/May 9th
Albuquerque: October 28th/April 16th

Chance for a white Christmas:

Denver: 40-50% depending on the source
Albuquerque: <5%