Laramie Winter (tornado, living in, move to)

[jghymh]

We're considering a move to Laramie. Everyone warns us about "The Winters."

We're not so worried, and handle ourselves well in pretty rough winter conditions already. My quesiton, though, is not about the severity of the winters, but the duration.

At 7200', I'm sure the winter can last a lot longer than most places.

[sunsprit]

"winter" weather can set in by around the end of September and easily last until mid-April.

I've been in severe snowstorms/cold frontal passages during that time frame, although the April snowstorms were isolated events of several days duration surrounded by clear skies and warmer temps.

[jazzlover]

Well, a few years back I was in Laramie on Memorial Day--it was 33° and snowing like hell. It has all of the winter weather (and length of winter) of a place above 7,000 ft.--and then some. The "then some" is the wind, which can be brutal. Many people from places that "have winter" are still not used to that dimension of Wyoming weather. I lived in Wyoming for several years, and really didn't mind the climate, but I know many people not as "tolerant" of the climate as I was. It is an acquired taste.

[wyolady]

I'm with Jazzlover. I lived in Laramie for nearly 15 years and loved the town. But let's be honest - compared to places that indicate they have severe winters, Laramie's winters are long. I have photos on record of snowstorms, 4 of more than 6 inches, in June. Snowstorms in April were never "scattered" when I lived there, nor were there many warm days surrounding the storms. There is much to love and appreciate in Laramie - but the winters are lengthy. But the summers are absolutely gorgeous - the 2 months they have of summer!

[MRVphotog]

My memory of Laramie winters is not so much the snow but the wind. You don't end up with a Norman Rockwell xmas card type landscape but a 5' snowdrift one place and no snow another. It was silly to plow in those conditions so they just closed the gates so all road in and out were closed.

[Kele]

I live in Laramie--and I have to admit, winters are longer than other places I've lived. But you know, here it is, the third week of October and the weather is still pleasant enough. This year, it didn't really warm up nicely until about the third week of June. But if you're dying for warm weather, you can always drive two hours south in the spring or summer to Denver and get it there.

I think that the advantages of living here far outweigh any disadvantages a longer than normal winter presents.

[wyomingnative]

If you like:
a) living in a perpetual tornado (the wind never stops...and it's not just a breeze: it's full-on hell)
b) dealing with grouchy and inconsiderate people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder en mass
c) chapped lips and dry skin
d) extremely low relative humidity
e) very little snow in the winter
f) and especially enjoy an intolerably long 10 months of winter
Then...
You will fit right in here in Laramie!

[Froggie Legs]

I believe we had our first snow in September here in Minnesota, and it's still snowing. There is a mass of flooding going on in the Fargo/Moorhead area which the Red is cresting at all time highs this year.

Usually we have cold and snow from 0ct-April... and -20+ temps for long stretches...as well as not seeing the sun. I'm not sure that Wyoming can compare to some of the extensive duration of bitter sub zero weather that we have in northern MN, except maybe at higher elevations. I'd take my chances in WY. The winter I did spend there didn't seem half as bad as people made it out to be.