I HATE this weather! (Denver, Greeley: tornadoes, apartment, sick)

[nelumbo]

So that no one is surprised by any snow on Thursday:
7-Day Forecast for Latitude 40.02N and Longitude -105.25W (Elev. 5356 ft)


per the NWS discussion (which is in all caps):

...BUT THE END RESULT FROM EACH
MODEL APPEARS TO BE A GOOD SHOT OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA. QUASI-GEOSTROPHIC ANALYSIS PACKAGE SHOWS DECENT FORCING FOR
ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH...ALONG WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF
MOISTURE PRESENT. TEMPERATURES AND 700 MB SPECIFIC HUMIDITY VALUES
ARE STARTING TO LOOK LIKE IT WILL BE TOO WARM FOR ANY SNOW ON THE
PLAINS. WILL CHANGE THE WORDING ON THE PLAINS TO "RAIN OR SNOW
LIKELY" SINCE THE MODELS MAY NOT CONTAIN ENOUGH DIABATIC COOLING.
THE SYSTEM WILL CONTAIN POTENT COOLING THROUGH LIFTING OF THE
AIRMASS...BUT IT IS ALSO GOING TO BE THE 1ST OF MAY ON THURSDAY.
THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS MAY GET SNOWFALL AMOUNTS CLOSE TO ADVISORY
CRITERIA...BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO ISSUE ANY HIGHLIGHTS AT THIS
TIME.

[rebagirl]

I'm sure those of you who have lived in Colorado for many years were not pleasantly surprised by the snow this past Saturday. You're probably a bit tired of it. I was actually there on Saturday house-hunting when the snow came in, and for me it was enjoyable.. It only lasted about 30 minutes or so where I was. I couldn't believe it was 34 degrees, as I had just a T-shirt and light jacket. It was cold, but not bone-chilling. It was interesting, because the next day (Sunday) I met my cousins for an early evening barbecue, and they were all in shorts and flip-flops and it was very warm. Flying back into California, I did not enjoy descending into the thick layer of smog, then stepping outside into 97 degree heat. UGH! I'd much rather deal with some unpredictable weather, put a jacket on here and there, than having to figure out a way to be comfortable in the smog and heat.

[kristenfromdenver]

Call me crazy if you will, but I actually really love the weird weather. I think I find it an exciting surprise that it's snowing in the middle of an April day. I think it's really hard to adjust to when you first move here, but once you start remember to layer on a daily basis, you'll be ready for anything. I guess for me the fact that it can be 70 degreses in the middle of Decemeber (which I love) also might mean snow in the middle of June. It doesn't bother me because I know it won't last more than a day. It is a big adjustment at first.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by kristenfromdenver

Call me crazy if you will, but I actually really love the weird weather. I think I find it an exciting surprise that it's snowing in the middle of an April day. I think it's really hard to adjust to when you first move here, but once you start remember to layer on a daily basis, you'll be ready for anything. I guess for me the fact that it can be 70 degreses in the middle of Decemeber (which I love) also might mean snow in the middle of June. It doesn't bother me because I know it won't last more than a day. It is a big adjustment at first.

I was there in december, oddly enough, the weather was the most consistant, COLD. I never saw one day in the 70s that I can remember. It got to a high of 40...and sunny at that.

[nelumbo]

From December 2007 NWS statistics

Station: DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Month: December Year: 2007
__________________________
-1- -2- -3-
Day Max Min
_____________
2 44 17
3 62 23
4 72 42
5 51 27
6 52 34
7 39 27
8 28 6
9 29 0
10 40 20
11 23 12
12 39 7
13 32 13
14 20 8
15 28 3
16 44 9
17 51 11
18 45 25
19 44 22
20 52 27
21 40 19
22 31 11
23 40 11
24 49 19
25 32 13
26 24 0
27 17 10
28 23 5
29 30 4
30 37 14
31 28 11

[No. days with]

Max 32 or below: 13
Max 90 or above: 0
Min 32 or below: 29
Min 0 or below: 2

[Katiana]

OTOH, I have seen 70 degrees in December.

[Katiana]

Add: the record highs for December range from 65-79. 13 days have record highs in the 60s, 18 days have record highs in the 70s.

Denvers Climatological Information

[vegaspilgrim]

I'm going to be back in Denver two weeks from now for about a month while I'm "in between degrees," and I hope it still snows! Probably not, but it has snowed in May before so you never know. If not I'm going to have to drive up to the mountains just to see snow. I feel like I've gotten ripped off, missing all the beautiful times it has snowed there-- even though I've been back for winter break each year. I am ABSOLUTELY sick of the climate here in Phoenix. The heat here makes me feel angry and aggravated, like I want to punch something. Ironically, when I first came to Phoenix I was intoxicated with the heat... well, flash forward four years, and I am sick of it. I wish I could be back in Denver this very instant, I don't even want to be here another two more weeks-- it's already getting hot and sweaty. I LOVE cold, icy weather. Unfortunately, I'm going to be robbed of another season of beautiful Colorado winter, because stupid me chose to attend a master's program in California. At least it's only one year, and LA gets nice and cool at night, unlike Phoney-icks. Now I'm starting to wonder if even Denver is too hot for me. I guess it goes to show there's a perfect climate for everybody-- one person's heaven is another person's hell.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I guess it goes to show there's a perfect climate for everybody-- one person's heaven is another person's hell.

Yes--or maybe there is *no* perfect climate because otherwise, people would not have anything to complain about.
It's good you'll spend a year in CA and experience that; our older kid, a CO native, did junior year abroad and spent a year doing his masters in Madison.

In Denver, I have definitely experienced those 70 degree days in December/January. I remember many, many Thanksgivings that were t-shirt and shorts holidays. These days are a treasure and it's nice for neighbors to hang outside and chat over a beer instead of a snow shovel.

It's those spring snows that can wear on ya. Gardeners who have late daffodils or tulips blooming,if a weather system is on the way, must enjoy them while you can, or pick them--because they can be flattened. If it's a heavy snow, trees might lose their branches, or even completely topple. I'll never forget the pink crabapple tree I saw, sitting on the ground. In full bloom, its entire trunk had severed from the weight of the snow. I am sure it was a grim, costly event for the homeowner who had to pay for its removal.

Spouse and I got married in central Denver on May 1, 1982.
With reckless abandon, we had the reception outside, with no tent.
It was a warm, gorgeous day.
We left on our honeymoon and (my mom later told me) 4 or 5 days later, it snowed. Fast forward a couple years, when good friends of ours got married the last week of April.
It did actually snow a couple inches on their wedding day.
But what are you gonna do? That's Colorado weather.
You just have to take the bad with the good--and wear layers.

[nelumbo]

It was 72 on December 4th last year in Denver, then proceeded to be well below normal the rest of the month (the point of my earlier list of numbers).

Getting warmer temperatures in the winter for a few days at a time is not uncommon most anywhere in the midlatitudes. The record highs for DC in December are almost all in the 70s, for Boston in the 60s and 70s, for Chicago in the 60s and 70s with one or two upper 50s thrown in. For Anchorage, the 40s and 50s. Unless you are next to a moderating element like the ocean or some kind of orographical feature, large temperature swings are par for the course between roughly 30-60 degrees latitude. This is not a particularly special feature of Denver.