Winter in Colorado, 2011 to 2012. (Pueblo, Aspen: living, prices, water bill)

[Katarina Witt]

October 15 because my family is going on a pumpkin patch trip with my grand-niece. It takes 8-9 adults to help her pick out a pumpkin!

[Count David]

I'm going to guess October 15 too, this September rain seems odd, and it is already getting chilly at night.

Just an announcement, as of right now, there's like a 99% chance I will not be here in Colorado for much of the winter (but probably here for some of it), so I will likely NOT be making a Denver snow thread this year.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I'm going to guess October 15 too, this September rain seems odd, and it is already getting chilly at night.

Just an announcement, as of right now, there's like a 99% chance I will not be here in Colorado for much of the winter (but probably here for some of it), so I will likely NOT be making a Denver snow thread this year.

Oh, no! Say it isn't so, David! We'll miss you.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

.... there's like a 99% chance I will not be here in Colorado for much of the winter ...

Hmmmmmm
A. IRS chasing you?
B. Alimony draining you dry?
C. Lost a big bet to Raider fans?
D. Parole violation?

Inquiring minds want to know.....

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Oh, no! Say it isn't so, David! We'll miss you.

Thanks!

We shouldn't see any change from me here on the forum, I'll still be here (maybe not as often though), but not as physically present in Denver as I currently am.

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Hmmmmmm
A. IRS chasing you?
B. Alimony draining you dry?
C. Lost a big bet to Raider fans?
D. Parole violation?

Inquiring minds want to know.....

Haha!

A. Taxes should be very interesting next year.
B. Yep, AND child support.
C. My Raiders-diehard uncles are coming after me because they saw me on TV at the game wearing a Broncos cap.
D. My PO found out I went to a Queensryche concert at the Ogden.

I was asked by my employer to take a 20% pay cut without any cut in responsibilities (mgmt/ops) or hours (72/wk). The cut would take my salary to right around poverty level, or to half of what it was in 2008 (it's already been cut a few times since then).

So I decided it was time to walk. I could make more money delivering pizza or waiting tables, while working half the hours. But, I'm not going to do those things either. I'm aiming higher.

When I'm settled where I'm going, I'll provide more details.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

Thanks! .....When I'm settled where I'm going, I'll provide more details.

Take care and all the BEST to you.

[CosmicWizard]

jim9251 wrote:

Down into the low 50's here at night, snow in the high country. After this insanely hot summer I am ready for winter. Anyway I think it might be a tad milder in Delta than it is in Ridgway.

Comparatively speaking, this summer wasn't that hot. During the 6 summers I've spent in western Colorado, this summer ( June, July, August ) just past was actually one of the cooler ones, with Grand Junction being ONLY 2.04 degrees hotter than the long term average. During the time I've lived here, the trend has been COLDER than average winters and HOTTER than average summers:

Year Variance
2006 +2.63
2007 +3.90
2008 +2.03
2009 +0.83
2010 +2.18
2011 +2.04


BTW...while I was out of the area recently, my wife said their was SNOW in the Colorado National Monument on the morning of Sept 15.

In Grand Junction, 2011 as a whole is almost right on the mark. It's just .02 degrees below the average mean temperature thru 9-20. The normal mean thru 9-20 is 55.81 and the actual yearly mean is 55.79

[jim9251]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Comparatively speaking, this summer wasn't that hot.

Moving from Ridgway to Delta, oh yes it was. I don't know the averages in Grand Junction since I don't live there, but here, where I live, it was over 95 degrees every day since June and well over 100 degrees for several days.

I'm just happy that's over and it's cooled off.

[CosmicWizard]

jim9251 wrote:

Moving from Ridgway to Delta, oh yes it was. I don't know the averages in Grand Junction since I don't live there, but here, where I live, it was over 95 degrees every day since June and well over 100 degrees for several days.

A short distance can make a big difference! Perhaps it boils down to this....up here in GJ, July was very cloudy and muggy with only 12 days of the 31 days where the temp hit 95 or more, but due to the persistent cloud cover, the night time lows were higher than normal, and thus the monthly mean was still slightly above the norm. Seems like you didn't have the July cloud cover holding temperatures down during the day, and I mistakenly assummed that you did.

[jazzlover]

In western and southern Colorado, this has been an odd summer--unusual to see even for me as a half-century studier of Colorado climate and weather patterns. High temperatures have often been normal or below, but nighttime low temperatures have been consistently higher than normal since June. Humidity has generally been higher than normal, but rainfall--especially during the Southwest Monsoon period from mid-July to late-August--has been spotty and often below normal. The Southwest Monsoon itself was nearly a month late in its onset in many areas, but has lingered for longer than normal. It has also been more spotty and capricious than normal, with some areas well-favored and others not. The fall has also been generally late coming, with the turning of the trees in the high country at least 2 weeks late in many areas and still counting. Many long-time observers of Rocky Mountain climate have opined that the period from the end of the Dust Bowl in the 1930's until the late 1990's (which is the frame of reference for most people living in this region now) was "abnormally normal" and that era is ending--with much greater variation and unpredictable climatic behavior becoming the norm in the region. We may very well be seeing that now--and it portends some very serious negative consequences in a region where overpopulation for available water resources is already a looming problem.