Snowfall in March, opinions please! (Denver, Golden: rental, hotel, houses)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by AceShopper

Got a question: Are the temperatures in March warm enough to quickly melt all that thick heavy snow ? Or does it stick around for longer than (say) the fluffier January snow ?

This will be my first March in Colorado, so hope I get some interesting experiences :-)

That 90mph windy day last week was the first time I have seen anything like that !

The snow usually melts pretty fast in March. For one thing, the streets and ground are usually a bit warmer than in Jan/Feb, and it usually gets warm by the day after a snow.

The weather in Colorado is always "interesting".

[DOUBLE H]

Katiana's right. You never know what you are going to get. Don't be surprised if you see rain, sleet, hail, snow, then rain all in one day when those late winter/early spring storm fronts roll through the front range. Oops, forgot about an occasional thunder boomer as well.

It happens!

[davidv]

The record high for March 28 is 83 degrees. The record low for the same date is -11 degrees. The snowiest March on record is 2003 with 35 in. of snow (measured at DIA), with most of it coming in one storm. The very next year, there was only 1.8 in. of snow for the entire month.

Expect the weather to be somewhere between these extremes.

FWIW, three of the ten driest/least snowy Marches on record have occurred in the last 10 years. Only one of the ten wettest/snowiest Marches has occurred during the same time. You should be most worried about the the wind. It will blow away any small animals and/or children.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I remember that blizzard of March 2003. My daughter was a freshman in college in Minnesota. The storm came just before her spring break. She was so afraid she wouldn't get to come home. (She did.)

Another snow story involving said daughter. Her birthday is in March. When she was born, my mom was planning to come out from PA to help. Mom thought the snow/ski season would be over by then. She flew out from Pittsburgh on a ski charter that needed one more passenger.

March is the snowiest month, statistically. However, I've seen some warm, dry Marches. I agree with the advice to just buy or borrow the basics. Even checking the weather as you get close won't help much. There can be freaky storms that just up and develop.

This will be my 10th March in Denver (not continuous) and here's what I've noticed. Every March brings a great warm-up with gorgeous weather, warm to almost hot days, and if you didn't know better, you'd think Winter was over. This tends to happen in early to mid March. Then by late March, we start getting the crazy roller-coaster weather where it goes from 70s to snow and back. I've also heard the Mar/Apr snows referred to as "white rain" since it actually helps things green up and melts so fast.

My boys were born on May 3rd. This will be their 4th birthday coming up and so far, all their birthdays have been rather chilly. If they could have waited 2-3 weeks, they would be in solid "outdoor birthday party" territory lol! Although you never know. May 3 could easily be sunny and 80.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by denverian

My boys were born on May 3rd. This will be their 4th birthday coming up and so far, all their birthdays have been rather chilly. If they could have waited 2-3 weeks, they would be in solid "outdoor birthday party" territory lol! Although you never know. May 3 could easily be sunny and 80.

My daughter was born March 14. We narrowly escaped having to cancel the birthday party d/t snow several times. Actually, there is not sold "outdoor birthday party territory" here. My other daughter's birthday is the 4th of July. We had to move the party to an indoor pool a time or two b/c it was too cold to swim outside.

[EthansMoms]

Sounds like I'm up for some interesting weather I'm use to weather that's never consistent but Denver seems more up and down. I'm excited to see it all!!!

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by EthansMoms

Thank u very much I've been slowly buying snow gear just in case and were bring cash in case we have to stop somewhere because of a storm. I'm hoping for snow but visibility still lol wind I'm use to I live in the desert with the Santa Ana winds. We average 20-25 mph usually most days gust getting up to 90mph when we have a storm coming.

I would like to know the above ? About it melting after a snowfall?

Also we're staying at homewood suites DTC on Inverness, if anyone can shed some light on the area that would be awesome! Also.....,,

Things to do as a family while there either free or a charge just nothing pricey?? Suggestions....

DTC and Inverness are right in the middle of a giant business district. You won't be far from Park Meadows and dining. It is very safe.

[EthansMoms]

Thanks Timmy that makes me more at ease

Has anyone done the drive 15 to 70 during mid march?? Am I to expect blizzards? Icy conditions? We're leaving our hometown at night so that way we drive the road we know at night prob hit st George around 6-8am so unfamiliar roads will be during day.....

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

You should be prepared to stop and layover anywhere along your route through Utah and Colorado. As you can tell by the discussions on this thread, the weather can be bad throughout Colorado and can change on a moment's notice. Expect anything from blizzards to ice to thunderstorms to beautiful sunshine.

The thing to do is to check the weather forecast and don't be in a rush. Check the forecast frequently. Check real-time road conditions with both the Utah and Colorado Department of Transportation; they both have websites. Colorado's is Road Conditions, Speeds, Travel Times, Traffic Cameras, Live Streaming Traffic Cameras, Road Closures and Road Work Information provided by Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) a branch of Colorado Department of Transportation.

[EthansMoms]

Awesome thank you I'll bookmark that website in my phone and get utahs as well. We aren't in any rush and we are bringing cash in case of a need to stop over night if needed