I HATE this weather! (Denver, Fort Collins: home, rent, work)

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Caliguy2007

I'm am so glad I live here in California...I honestly don't know how you guys could handle getting snow and cold temps even in Spring.

I think it was a few years ago when you guys even had Snow on the first week of June.

Its all part of the long series of trade offs in life. I'm sure there's plenty of people in Colorado who'd rather take some snow in May over living in an $1800/mo apartment in California and have to deal with the traffic, crowds everywhere, etc.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by jkcoop

I've had many trees have the buds get killed back. One year one poor tree in particular had to have a go at it 3 times. But it survived - got leaves, looked beautiful that year. So even if you lose buds, don't panic.
It's the nature of the beast when living here. My first year I stressed and covered, etc. Now I don't even pay attention. There is nothing I can do about it and my philosophy is, if a plant/tree can't handle the fluctuations of the climate here then it doesn't belong.
So my yard consists of perennials and bushes and trees I don't have to worry about. I don't ever deal with annuals, although I have many that come back from seed. Marigolds like crazy, California poppies, snapdragons. It's always kind of fun seeing what pops up.

We have learned to deal with the spring snows by getting perennials, etc that bloom late, rather than early. For example, we have a crabapple tree, variety "prairiefire" that is late-blooming. We ususally get some nice blossoms, whereas others bloom earlier and sometimes (often?) get wrecked by a late snow. Of course, the weather here is tres unpredicatable, so we've gotten stung a few times, too. Similarly, we have late-blooming lilacs. Just ask the staff if you buy at a garden center what varieties are late bloomers.

From Caliguy2007:

I think it was a few years ago when you guys even had Snow on the first week of June.

It snowed early in the morning of June 4, 2005 in Boulder. That was the day my daughter graduated from high school at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.

[the_koolkat]

We got hit by the same cold frount you did in Wyoming. High winds closed the highways. It made for a messy morning. All the weather seems to have cleared out now and the rest of the weekend should be fine.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Caliguy2007

I'm am so glad I live here in California...I honestly don't know how you guys could handle getting snow and cold temps even in Spring.

I think it was a few years ago when you guys even had Snow on the first week of June.

Good grief, people. Get over it--it's Colorado weather! When I was a kid, we had to set off fireworks on the 4th of July in overcoats because it was about 35-40 degrees--in Denver! One year, I was driving in 6" of snow in Leadville on Colorado Day--August 1st. Another year, in Gunnison, I was scraping frost off of the windshield because the low was 21 degrees--on June 21st, the first day of summer. I've seen it go to 95 degrees in the day during September--and freeze that night. I've seen the temperature drop 40 degrees in 30 minutes. I've seen the temperature drop during a thunderstorm 30 odd degrees in less than 5 minutes. I've seen it over 100 degrees many times, and below 40 below on more than a few. Winds--over 100 mph gusts many times--55+ sustained, too. I've seen it so dry that I could walk across a major Colorado river in irrigating boots and not get wet, and have seen it so wet that the same river was running in flood stage 30 feet deep and nearly a quarter-mile wide at the same location. I've seen lightning hit trees, houses, fenceposts, railroad tracks, water, vehicles, power poles, transmission lines--seen it 80 miles distant and 30 feet away. Hail--I've seen it up to softball size and have seen it piled four feet deep. Snow--from a skiff to drifts 35-40 feet high. I've driven on roads where the snow was still 6' deep on the level where the road had been plowed out--in late June.

Transplants seem to like to complain and moan about all of that--the natives just accept that kind of Colorado weather and go about their business--and actually enjoy the variability and unpredictability of Colorado weather. Weather would be boring to me if it was any other way.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Good grief, people. Get over it--it's Colorado weather! When I was a kid, we had to set off fireworks on the 4th of July in overcoats because it was about 35-40 degrees--in Denver! One year, I was driving in 6" of snow in Leadville on Colorado Day--August 1st. Another year, in Gunnison, I was scraping frost off of the windshield because the low was 21 degrees--on June 21st, the first day of summer. I've seen it go to 95 degrees in the day during September--and freeze that night. I've seen the temperature drop 40 degrees in 30 minutes. I've seen the temperature drop during a thunderstorm 30 odd degrees in less than 5 minutes. I've seen it over 100 degrees many times, and below 40 below on more than a few. Winds--over 100 mph gusts many times--55+ sustained, too. I've seen it so dry that I could walk across a major Colorado river in irrigating boots and not get wet, and have seen it so wet that the same river was running in flood stage 30 feet deep and nearly a quarter-mile wide at the same location. I've seen lightning hit trees, houses, fenceposts, railroad tracks, water, vehicles, power poles, transmission lines--seen it 80 miles distant and 30 feet away. Hail--I've seen it up to softball size and have seen it piled four feet deep. Snow--from a skiff to drifts 35-40 feet high. I've driven on roads where the snow was still 6' deep on the level where the road had been plowed out--in late June.

Transplants seem to like to complain and moan about all of that--the natives just accept that kind of Colorado weather and go about their business--and actually enjoy the variability and unpredictability of Colorado weather. Weather would be boring to me if it was any other way.

And to think someone in the Los Angeles forum said they didn't like the weather there because any month but July and August, they had to always keep a jacket in the car because it could dip into the 50's at night. Oh, the horror! 50 degrees at night. I honestly think LA is a self-selecting sample of weather wusses.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

And to think someone in the Los Angeles forum said they didn't like the weather there because any month but July and August, they had to always keep a jacket in the car because it could dip into the 50's at night. Oh, the horror! 50 degrees at night. I honestly think LA is a self-selecting sample of weather wusses.

If you think Angelinos are bad, you should see what Phoenicians are like. People here have what I call "heat sickness," they think 80 degrees and anything below is cold. No joke, but they will turn the heater on in their house when the weather is in the 70's outside, and/or start wearing sweatshirts at 80 degrees. They think 100 degrees is a normal, comfortable temperature. I wish I was kidding but I'm not. Go search the archives of the Phoenix forum if you don't believe me. In fact, I've had people on the Phoenix forum tell me they wouldn't even live in Las Vegas because they get a dusting of snow about once a year-- let alone Denver. I think most Denverites are pretty tough when it comes to the weather; it's not that everybody necessarily LIKES winter or summer or storms, but they put up with it anyway.

[Mikieo415]

Here is how I look at it. I don't care if I get a dusting of snow, or even a couple inches in May. The mild winter with sunshine and the often 50, 60, and 70 degree days mixed in makes up for a half an inch on May 1st.

[katmoney]

I'll gladly take snow in May if that means I get 70 deg. days in December!

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by katmoney

I'll gladly take snow in May if that means I get 70 deg. days in December!

there was only 1 day above 69 all December. Are you sure you would trade your entire May, or 1 day in december. I had to work that day, so I even missed that day. No thanks.....give me a warm, non-snowey spring.

[rentalguru]

I heard texas is nice.......