Snow in the flat area of Colorado Springs (houses, taxes)

[Central Florida Joe]

In the Flat area between the mountains where the downtown and suburban areas of Colorado Springs
Are does the snow pile up high on roofs of houses and do you have to climb up and shovel it off.
My uncle who lives in the mountains just outside of the downtown says in down town Colorado Springs they don't have to salt the roads much because the Sun melts the snow and ice fast. Is he making an accurate statement?

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Central Florida Joe

In the Flat area between the mountains where the downtown and suburban areas of Colorado Springs
Are does the snow pile up high on roofs of houses and do you have to climb up and shovel it off.
My uncle who lives in the mountains just outside of the downtown says in down town Colorado Springs they don't have to salt the roads much because the Sun melts the snow and ice fast. Is he making an accurate statement?

No. The snow in COLO SPGS is mostly air, very light stuff compared to the heavy wet stuff that falls back east. Never heard of anyone shoveling snow off of roofs in COLO SPGS but did it once myself back in the DC area where we got 2-3 feet of the heavy wet eastern snow. Moisture content of snow in most of COLO is so low that I never heard of any problems with it.

They use mag chloride in COLO SPGS and/or grit, but no salt.

Snow quickly evaporates due to bright sunlight, dry air and Chinook winds (air coming down off the mountains and heats up a bit due to compression of the molecules).

During the 11 years we live there we only had a few blizzards to contend with.

[otowi]

I've lived in Colorado Springs for 43 years and there have only been in that time maybe one or two storms in which anyone in the city would have even thought to consider getting up on the roof to get snow off.

[TCHP]

Well, there isn't much flat space between downtown and the mountains since that is where the foothills reside. But no, we rarely ever get sufficient snow in the city to warrant shoveling roofs. Some ski towns deep in the mountains may have this issue.

Often, but not always, snow can be swept off sidewalks with a broom. Certainly if we get a blizzard that drops a couple of feet overnight, shoveling walks will be necessary. Colorado is home to champagne powder, which most skiers love. The dry, thin air simply doesn't allow much moisture to accumulate in the snowfall.

[phetaroi]

The other posters are right on target.

My only complaint is that Colorado Springs does the worst job of clearing the streets and roads of anyplace I ever lived -- the Rochester, NY area, Maryland, and Virginia. And what it makes really bad on occasion is not the depth of snow so much as the often hilly streets. I will tell you in all seriousness, if the streets in northern Virginia were plowed as poorly as here in Colorado Springs, heads would have rolled.

[Belle99]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

The other posters are right on target.

My only complaint is that Colorado Springs does the worst job of clearing the streets and roads of anyplace I ever lived -- the Rochester, NY area, Maryland, and Virginia. And what it makes really bad on occasion is not the depth of snow so much as the often hilly streets. I will tell you in all seriousness, if the streets in northern Virginia were plowed as poorly as here in Colorado Springs, heads would have rolled.

I will take our plowing here any day rather than have Virginia's taxes.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by Belle99

I will take our plowing here any day rather than have Virginia's taxes.

May you experience it some time when you have to go to the emergency room.

[DrDog]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

May you experience it some time when you have to go to the emergency room.

Isn’t that what 911 is for?

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by DrDog

Isn’t that what 911 is for?

Most people who go the emergency room do not go by 911. The data I found indicates around 15% go to the emergency room by ambulance.