I HATE this weather! (Denver, Colorado Springs: spring break, landscaping, school)

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

when 30 degrees in Denver, once you put on a jacket (and possibly a hat and gloves if it's extremely windy out), can actually be quite comfortable. Actually, if it's 30 degrees, sunny, and little wind, you could go outside in t-shirts and shorts!

I've never lived in a cold climate but I can vouch for the above based on my trip to Denver this February. This might sound odd from someone from SoCal, but I'm actually more concerned about being too warm in Denver than too cold. The summers are hotter than I like and even in winter, it seems a lot of places are overheated. But yeah, 30 degrees in the sun in a light jacket was perfectly comfortable for me and I've lived my entire life in a place where a 30 degree overnight low in December is considered beyond cold. I even ran the AC in the car one day after it had been sitting in the sun at 30 degress for an hour.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

I've never lived in a cold climate but I can vouch for the above based on my trip to Denver this February. This might sound odd from someone from SoCal, but I'm actually more concerned about being too warm in Denver than too cold. The summers are hotter than I like and even in winter, it seems a lot of places are overheated. But yeah, 30 degrees in the sun in a light jacket was perfectly comfortable for me and I've lived my entire life in a place where a 30 degree overnight low in December is considered beyond cold. I even ran the AC in the car one day after it had been sitting in the sun at 30 degress for an hour.

I always take my coat off before getting in the car on sunny winter days. I think the strong sun at this elevation warms cars up a lot.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

The truth is this country is turning into a bunch of p*****s when it comes to cold weather, with the migration to the sunbelt. The truth is, for people who would prefer Phoenix's climate over Denver's the reason is not because 9 below zero is too cold for them-- it's because anything under 65 degrees (actually, more like 80 degrees) as a daytime high is too cold for them. They think 30 degrees is unbearably Arctic cold, when 30 degrees in Denver, once you put on a jacket (and possibly a hat and gloves if it's extremely windy out), can actually be quite comfortable. Actually, if it's 30 degrees, sunny, and little wind, you could go outside in t-shirts and shorts! And in Denver, a below-zero temperature is very rare and when it does occur, it's usually in the dead of night when most people are already back home and camped out for the night anyway. In Phoenix this last summer, 110+ degree temperatures were experienced every single day for over a month straight, with not much cooling at night. So the zonies might quote the -30 degree historic lows as the reason why they think Denver's climate sucks, but it's really because they can't take anything short of balmy conditions.

110 is waaaay beyond "balmy" in my book!

[tfox]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

The truth is this country is turning into a bunch of p*****s when it comes to cold weather, with the migration to the sunbelt. The truth is, for people who would prefer Phoenix's climate over Denver's the reason is not because 9 below zero is too cold for them-- it's because anything under 65 degrees (actually, more like 80 degrees) as a daytime high is too cold for them.

Well, for a former job assignment I did spend a lot of time in Phoenix, and my experience was that a "typical" day from about mid-November to March 1st was in the 60s, and occasionally in the 40s-50s, and sometimes up into the 70s. Does that mean that the 'Zonies are freezing to death in their best weather? Maybe so. I thought it was great that time of year.

I was fairly lukewarm (no pun intended) about Phoenix generally, and that included its weather. Weather is beautiful for part of the year, hellish for part of the year, and kind of on-again-off-again in-between. For my part, the weather was neither nice enough to make me want to live there for that reason but not so bad that I would rule the place out based on weather alone, much like Denver's weather actually. I loved Arizona, outside Phoenix anyway, but Phoenix seemed to offer little more than just the opportunity to live in Arizona and a launching pad for exploring a beautiful state. The city itself just doesn't really have anything to draw you in; just miles and miles of sameness, imagine a much larger Denver Metro with no Denver or Boulder and that's pretty much what you have in Phoenix.

[LBear]

Originally Posted by denverian

not way out at DIA.... Still damn cold, but now that the numbers are recorded at DIA, they're misleading.

All major cities record their temperatures at the airports. Chicago records its temperatures at O'Hare or Midway. DIA is NOT that far from Denver. It is located 20 miles from the hub of downtown Denver. How is that "way out at DIA"?

Actually, as the crow flies, it is more like 10-12 miles. Weather does not drive down the roads and interstates. Weather is not bound by highways.

You need to dispute NOAA and the Denver meteorologists. It states that it hit -25F to -50F with the wind chill back in February 2007.

Look, this is not going anywhere. You have your likings and mind made-up. That's fine. My point was that one CANNOT trust "people's opinions" and their so-called "data". You claim that it never gets that cold, yet NOAA, meteorologists, and numerous scientific weather stations state it does.

You love Denver weather, some people don't. That is life. Some people hate Phoenix weather, some people love it.

All I ask is that REAL DATA be used and not backyard readings when describing Denver's weather or any cities weather for that matter.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by LBear

All major cities record their temperatures at the airports. Chicago records its temperatures at O'Hare or Midway. DIA is NOT that far from Denver. It is located 20 miles from the hub of downtown Denver. How is that "way out at DIA"?

Actually, as the crow flies, it is more like 10-12 miles. Weather does not drive down the roads and interstates. Weather is not bound by highways.

You need to dispute NOAA and the Denver meteorologists. It states that it hit -25F to -50F with the wind chill back in February 2007.

Look, this is not going anywhere. You have your likings and mind made-up. That's fine. My point was that one CANNOT trust "people's opinions" and their so-called "data". You claim that it never gets that cold, yet NOAA, meteorologists, and numerous scientific weather stations state it does.

You love Denver weather, some people don't. That is life. Some people hate Phoenix weather, some people love it.

All I ask is that REAL DATA be used and not backyard readings when describing Denver's weather or any cities weather for that matter.

You can obsess over 10 year record lows and once-in-a-lifetime snow events all you want. I'll go with the personal experience of people I know in real life and from city-data who say Denver's weather is pretty decent overall.

[LBear]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

You can obsess over 10 year record lows and once-in-a-lifetime snow events all you want. I'll go with the personal experience of people I know in real life and from city-data who say Denver's weather is pretty decent overall.

It's NOT obsessing nor is it once in lifetime events. In all honesty, I do not care about "personal experiences" because it is all relative to that person. One persons paradise is another persons hell.

Wikipedia describes Denver's weather quite well:

"The climate, while generally mild compared to the mountains to the west and the plains further east, can be very unpredictable. Measurable amounts of snow have fallen in the Denver area as late as early June and as early as September."

That is the KEY. The unpredictability or erratic weather. I lived in the mid west for 30+ years. Denver is BY-FAR a lot more erratic and unpredictable than the mid-west was. When it was cold, it stayed cold, when it was warm, it stayed warm. In Denver you can go from summer to winter in less than 24 hours.

I am NOT trying to change anyone's mind about Denver and its weather. All I am doing is stating that there is A LOT of misinformation out there and more than one person has been lied to by these forum threads. If you want the FACTS, one cannot rely on "personal opinion" as it is always skewed and not a scientific approach.

If you love Denver weather, great. If you hate it, move, like I am and others have. I just didn't appreciate the LIES the Chamber and others on this forum spread in order to "play-up" Denver's weather.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by LBear

If you want the FACTS, one cannot rely on "personal opinion" as it is always skewed and not a scientific approach.

Nor can you rely on numbers on alone to get an accurate picture of a place. Anyone can look up weather statistics quite easily. People come to city-data to get the insight that can only be provided by people who have experienced it first hand. As far as I know, this site isn't run by the Denver Chamber of Commerce and anyone is free to post their own experiences and opinions. If I have 15 people telling me one thing and 2 telling me the exact opposite, who should I believe?

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by LBear

DIA is NOT that far from Denver.

What? I'm sorry Bear. You're losing credibility with me. DIA is just north of Saudi Aurora.

Originally Posted by LBear

You need to dispute NOAA and the Denver meteorologists.

Ummm, no we don't. But thanks for the offer. This is your little project. Get back to us with a full report. Maybe start your own thread and we'll be sure to visit.

Originally Posted by LBear

Look, this is not going anywhere.

Ummm, twue, twue.

Originally Posted by LBear

All I ask is that REAL DATA be used and not backyard readings when describing Denver's weather or any cities weather for that matter.

You can consult all of the NOAA, google, and wikipedia sites you want. I'll go with my personal experience. People that say it can seem warm on a 30° day are telling the truth. It's not really cold to me unless my nose tickles when I breath...usually at about 8° and lower. I have a properly calibrated nose.

Follow your nose.

PS: Let's talk to the folks from the Midwest, Northwest, Northeast, and a few places in between about the OPs thread title-I hate this weather. They're gonna say, "Waa!" I could care less what the snowbirds from Phoenix and southern Florida think. They're in another world from my barometer. Even SoCals know what a cool night is. South Floridians may experience 40°! Wow! They also have to put up with Palmetto bugs and Santa Claus wearin' shorts and a tank!

[kristenfromdenver]

For me the snow in June is a fun little unexpected surprise. It lasts a day or two then back to summer. This is all worth getting the flip side - a 60 or 70 degree day in Jan or Feb is SUCH FUN!!! It helps winter seem less monotonous and long..... That's what makes winter in Denver soooo much better than the midwest or east, in my opinion