For people who hate winter (Denver, Louisville: home, live in, dryer)

[lpfan921]

Does the sun make a difference in your mood during the winter months? I currently live in PA where it is cold, rainy and overcast during the winter. From what I have heard, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and other western states can be very cold, probably a bit colder than the east, but it is usually bright and sunny. Does this make it easier to deal with? Or do you still hate winter about as much as you would in an overcast place?

[vegaspilgrim]

I don't know what "usually" means. There are indeed many days in the winter that are 100% sunshine. Often these days occur immediately after a snow storm. The temperature can be as low as 15 degrees outside but it can feel downright hot with the sun reflecting off the snow, especially when you're out shoveling the driveway (hint, wear hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen). It can also be sunny, but extremely windy at the same time, and feel freezing cold. Winter nights can be very cold. But there are also many gloomy, overcast days in the winter too. The days are short and you could easily spend an entire week going to work in the morning and coming home at night all in the dark. And especially when there's no fresh snow on the ground, Denver can be a pretty ugly, dirty place in the winter. Even when most of the snow melts there can still be piles of black gunk lining the sides of the streets and sidewalks for weeks at a time. Surprisingly, the gloomiest, most depressing winter I've ever personally experienced was this last winter in Reno, NV-- which is a high desert climate at the exact, same latitude as Denver, slightly lower elevation, also just east of a major mountain range, and statistically much less precipitation and snow. Go figure?

So if you hate a gloomy and "wet" winter and suffer from SAD Denver is likely to be a major improvement over PA. But a place like Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, or southern California would be better yet.

If you're into skiing/snowboarding/winter sports, winter is something to look forward to!

[OneMoreMove]

Originally Posted by lpfan921

Does the sun make a difference in your mood during the winter months? I currently live in PA where it is cold, rainy and overcast during the winter. From what I have heard, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and other western states can be very cold, probably a bit colder than the east, but it is usually bright and sunny. Does this make it easier to deal with? Or do you still hate winter about as much as you would in an overcast place?

I can answer this one

I'm a cold weather hater. Many people say that, but for me it's the real deal! I hate cold weather! I lived in LA for most of my adult life and it was too cold for me in the winter! I grew up on the east coast so I'm familiar with that weather, too. Now I live in Denver because my wife had a great opportunity here, so I'm dealing with some cold, cold, cold winter times.

The answer to your question, in my personal opinion, is YES the sunshine really helps a lot. Really a lot.

Contrary to what Denverites want to believe, it DOES get very cold here in the winter. It's true that the sun melts the snow quickly (sometimes) and that it can be mild shortly after a bit snowfall. But it's also true that last winter we had periods where temps were in the teens and that snow hung around for a long time!

What you don't often get in Denver is the dreary grey periods that we had on the east coast. That makes it much easier to deal with the cold, and I think this would apply to most people. It's just not as hard to face a 12 degree day when the sun is shining - much less depressing

If you read the historical temperatures, you'll see that it gets plenty cold and there is quite a bit of snow in Denver so don't expect it to be mild at all. But boy does that sunshine help out mentally, and it also helps that snow to melt quickly (although there's more snow behind it!).

[Katarina Witt]

RE: very cold, that is in the eye of the beholder. Look up Denver's average temps on one of the many weather websites out there. Compare them to a randomly selected midwestern or northeastern city.

The hisorical average high for every day in January is at least 47 degrees. That doesn't mean it never gets below freezing, but it does mean that more often than not, a January day will be in the 40s-50s, during the day. In addition, the lowest high in Jan. 2010 was 21 degrees, not 15, not below zero.

AccuWeather.com - Louisville Month Weather | Monthly Forecast for Louisville, CO (http://www.accuweather.com/us/co/louisville/80027/forecast-month.asp?mnyr=2-01-2010 - broken link)

[OneMoreMove]

The average doesn't tell you that 'more often than not' it will be 40s-50-s during the day. It tells you the average of all temperatures, without regards to distribution. Also, keep in mind that with Denver's dry climate, there can be big temperature swings as the sun sets/rises, etc.

With an average low around 20 degrees and average high around 45 degrees during January, we can see how wide the range can be. The weather frequently goes below that average low of 20 degrees and above that high. The mean temp this past January was around 32 degrees (History : Weather Underground), quite often the temp went below freezing nightly during that period.

You have to be careful when using 'average' temps in a place with such temperature fluctuation. Last January I remember it getting cold night after night for long periods, but I also remember a few very warm afternoons. The average and the mean must be considered.

Very cold may be 'in the eye of the beholder' to some, but to me it's really a simple matter of looking at what the temperature is. There are degrees of 'cold', but below freezing is certainly cold

[Katarina Witt]

^^I agree with that post, and I was talking abou the daily highs, not the nightly lows. "Brutal" is not an adjective I'd use to describe the Denver metro's winter. Chicago, maybe yes.

[OneMoreMove]

I'm not saying it's brutal. I have survived some brutal winters in my day and Denver is not that bad. But, being a warm-weather fan I am amazed at how defensive Denverites are at the idea of Denver being cold at all. It's not the most brutal winter, and the sun shines a lot, but it's a full-blown winter with lots of snow, ice, freezing temps, cold wind, etc.

[Moonwalkr]

I'm a cold-weather fan, and Denver is not cold enough for me. In fact, it's downright balmy to me. So yeah, feel free to use my own personal opinion and assume all Coloradoans are like me.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by OneMoreMove

I can answer this one

I'm a cold weather hater. Many people say that, but for me it's the real deal! I hate cold weather! I lived in LA for most of my adult life and it was too cold for me in the winter! I grew up on the east coast so I'm familiar with that weather, too. Now I live in Denver because my wife had a great opportunity here, so I'm dealing with some cold, cold, cold winter times.

The answer to your question, in my personal opinion, is YES the sunshine really helps a lot. Really a lot.

Contrary to what Denverites want to believe, it DOES get very cold here in the winter. It's true that the sun melts the snow quickly (sometimes) and that it can be mild shortly after a bit snowfall. But it's also true that last winter we had periods where temps were in the teens and that snow hung around for a long time!

What you don't often get in Denver is the dreary grey periods that we had on the east coast. That makes it much easier to deal with the cold, and I think this would apply to most people. It's just not as hard to face a 12 degree day when the sun is shining - much less depressing

If you read the historical temperatures, you'll see that it gets plenty cold and there is quite a bit of snow in Denver so don't expect it to be mild at all. But boy does that sunshine help out mentally, and it also helps that snow to melt quickly (although there's more snow behind it!).

lol... I've spent 12 years in the LA area and like you, I didn't even like winter there! It's often chilly, and it's still dark by 5 p.m., which I find depressing.

As for Denver, the sun definitely helps. I spent the past winter home with the kids and just having sun coming in the windows helped. I'd say last winter was unusual in that it didn't get very warm from late November to sometime in March. Most winters will see days in the 60s and even low 70s a few times in Dec - Feb. Also, the low humidity, as annoying as it can be indoors (dry skin) helps the cold not feel so bad.

My ultimate goal is to retire in Hawaii or maybe San Diego or Puerto Rico. I'd prefer a tropical area, although the humidity in PR might be too much for me.

Another thought... summer in Denver is so nice (because the humidity is low) that in a way, it makes winter worth it. If you're anywhere east of here, you go from too cold to too hot and humid, so it's rarely pleasant to be outdoors. Summer in Denver is more like Summer in L.A.

[OneMoreMove]

Summer in Denver is nice, yea, and it's not that different from LA. I think it's a bit hotter, actually, and somewhat dryer but it has that same 'feeling' in the air.