Can someone explain Colorado weather to me? (spring break, how much)

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by history nerd

No, no one can.

Exactly.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by Angel Heart

I live in the south. Heat and humidity year round. Never snows. Never cold.

According to this U.S. Average Snow State Rank CO is 5th for snow. How can that be if CO isn't too high up in latitude? What factors play into that?

I've always wanted to move to a cold, snowy place and escape the extreme humidity I've been stuck in. CO seems to be a good choice. I'm reading that the weather varies greatly across the state so it'd be great to have a rundown.

Actually it is fourth. The lowest point in Colorado is 3315'. The tallest is 14,440'. That's an 11,125' variation. 75% of all the land in the United States over 10,000' in elevation resides in Colorado. Elevation, the variations associated with it, and the widely unpredictable weather patterns it produces are why you can't really explain it much more than that. YWe may not be too high up in latitude, but we are way high up in elevation. You also are looking at averages. Don't forget that some places in Colorado get 100+ inches a year, while some places barely get any. Temps can range widely as well and its possible for Pueblo to be 110* while a peak in the San Juan range at a more southern latitude is 40* on the same day at the same time. Humidity here ranges from 5-100%. Typical average is 15-30% when it isn't raining. Have you ever experienced that? It will dry you out until your nose bleeds.

Originally Posted by Angel Heart

https://snowfall.weatherdb.com/d/a/Colorado would you say that this is accurate? I need a good snowfall by city/state website

No, I wouldn't say that is necessarily accurate.

I've seen a lot of unusual requests on C-D.com, but this is the first one I've seen l choosing a place to live by snow totals. Living with that much snow on a regular basis is a whole different animal than visiting it for a few weeks. In the Colorado high country, you can get snow from August to July with significant accumulations starting around September and continuing until May. You ready for that?

[pekemom]

Be ready for anything...it can snow one day and be 85 degrees a couple of days later...

[Sunderpig2]

In basic terms, the drier an area is, the more widely varying the temperatures become. Then in turn, most of the atmospheric conditions are effected by the more widely varying temperatures at different altitudes.

[OhioToCO]

Originally Posted by history nerd

No, no one can.

Good explanations were given, but honestly, until you live in Colorado for a year or two, you still don't fully "get it". I've had my parents move from a 4 season climate in Midwest, and they keep getting surprised by twists in Colorado weather. First they were stunned by 60 degree February, then shocked by 1.5 ft of snow in mid-April. And, of course, their experience would be somewhat different if they'd lived in other parts of the state.
After 5 years in Colorado, I *think* I understand the weather here

[Kar54]

Originally Posted by history nerd

No, no one can.

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Exactly.

+1

Born and lived here most of my 60 years, I can't figure it out.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Angel Heart

I live in the south. Heat and humidity year round. Never snows. Never cold.

According to this U.S. Average Snow State Rank CO is 5th for snow. How can that be if CO isn't too high up in latitude? What factors play into that?

I've always wanted to move to a cold, snowy place and escape the extreme humidity I've been stuck in. CO seems to be a good choice. I'm reading that the weather varies greatly across the state so it'd be great to have a rundown.

https://snowfall.weatherdb.com/d/a/Colorado would you say that this is accurate? I need a good snowfall by city/state website

What we lack in northern latitude, we make up for in elevation.
State Elevation Ranking (by mean elevation) from NETSTATE.COM
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
1. Colorado 6,800 Feet
2. Wyoming 6,700 feet
3. Utah 6,100 feet
4. New Mexico 6,100 feet
5. Nevada 5,500 feet
6. Idaho 5,000 feet
7. Arizona 4,100 feet
8. Montana 3,400 feet
9. Oregon 3,300 feet
10. Hawaii 3,030 feet
48. Louisiana 100 feet
49. Florida 100 feet
50. Delaware 60 feet


If I had to use one word to describe our weather, it is "variable".

As others have said, we get beautiful winter days and we also get some spring days that feel like the middle of winter. We have very intense sun. This makes cold seasons much more bearable here than they are in the Midwest and Great Lakes region. We don't get weeks of cloudy cold winter. We also don't get sticky, summer days where you feel like you need another shower the second you towel yourself off.

One thing that I can say for certain is you will rarely get humid days. If you are looking to escape that, we can accommodate.

[lovely40]

Variable, non-humid, distinct four seasons & overall perfect!

[denverian]

For me, April (and usually the first week or 2 of May) suck the most. Because you've HAD IT with snow and cold, and you get beautiful warm, Spring-like days in April, but then it turns around and is cold/snowy/rainy/cloudy for days on end. This just pisses me off!!

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by denverian

For me, April (and usually the first week or 2 of May) suck the most. Because you've HAD IT with snow and cold, and you get beautiful warm, Spring-like days in April, but then it turns around and is cold/snowy/rainy/cloudy for days on end. This just pisses me off!!

April is one of my favorite months, but then I love variable weather.