Humidity in CO (Denver, Parker: live in, moving, commute)

[downtownnola]

Originally Posted by SouthXSW

The springtime humidity in Colorado is my favorite. Dewpoints in the 40's with a few days in the 50's give the air some moisture without feeling sticky even with temps in the 70's/80's. If it's particular wet like it sometimes is in the spring and summer the humidity will increase but it's never anything like Texas. The winters are always very dry.

I agree with this. The Front Range and eastern plains of Colorado do get somewhat "humid" from time to time. The idea that Colorado is always free of humidity is a myth. It's not unusual to have dewpoints in the 40s and 50s during the spring and summer months. This time of the year, lower level moisture often streams up from the Gulf of Mexico and backs up against the Front Range mountains, increasing our humidity values. Of course, it's all relative... for someone coming from Texas, the air here will feel very dry, even during the "humid" time of the year.

I actually wish that the climate here was more humid (especially during the winter). I've lived here 7 years and my skin still hasn't acclimated to the dry climate.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by lhafer

I would love to visit Denver for a long weekend to get a feel for the city as a whole.

I've never heard anyone complain about the lack of humidity in summer. I think even those from humid climates like eastern Texas love the more moderate humidity of a Colorado summer. It's the winter that's the problem for them. So if you come to visit, you really need to visit in winter to tell. That's when it gets really, really dry for those not acclimatized.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by DenverBrian

Another great advantage to low humidity: Almost no mold. No grody shower curtains or black creepiness in the corners of your shower.

I think it's easier to humidify your indoor air (an Aprilaire or similiar humidifier attached to your furnace) in Colorado than it is to de-humidify your air in Houston.

And here I thought my shower was mold-free due to my awesome cleaning skills But I do remember growing up in the Midwest and the shower grout was always kind of nasty. You could scrub and bleach all day and it still wasn't white.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by tfox

I've never heard anyone complain about the lack of humidity in summer. I think even those from humid climates like eastern Texas love the more moderate humidity of a Colorado summer. It's the winter that's the problem for them. So if you come to visit, you really need to visit in winter to tell. That's when it gets really, really dry for those not acclimatized.

That's true. It's definitely more humid in Summer here. I think it's actually a very comfortable level - not too humid or too dry, very similar to Southern California.

[lhafer]

Well, being that the average humidity in Houston ranges from 60-90% during the year (and in the summer it's 75-90% often with temps in the 90's) I will take 30-40% any day of the week!!

[MobileDave]

Originally Posted by lhafer

I currently live in Houston, Tx. I have dreamed about living in Colorado ever since I was a young girl and we vacationed there often. We are in the process of trying to get a transfer to live there. I've never lived outside of Texas (I've lived in the DFW area, Austin, San Antonio, and several other small towns in between, and currently Houston).

I HATE the humidity here. I can't walk outside without sweating (literally there are about 3 months of the year that are decent weather here). How is CO in terms of humidity? Here the summers are killer with temps in the high 90's and humidity levels can be 80%+. It's like a sauna.

Has anyone moved there who's a native Texan and been okay with the more semi-arid climate CO has to offer?

To give you a good comparison of the humidity levels between the two places, next time you go to squeegee your windshield at a gas station in Houston pay attention. I was in CO a couple of weeks ago washing my windshield the same way I do here and before I could even make two passes with the squeegee to wipe the water off it had already evaporated. Now in Houston you can scrub your entire windshield with the water/sponge side, let it sit for an hour, come back and you will still be able to wipe off the water. In CO it evaporates crazy fast.

Like another poster said the dew points are highest in their city in the 40's and 50's. In Houston we consider this pretty dry. The dew points in a Houston summer usually don't make it below 65 and get as high as 78 with a daily average about 72-73. You are actually trading one extreme for the other. I'm not saying it's a bad thing but it will definitely take time for your body (and hair) to adjust to the difference.

Current dew points:

Trinidad, Co - 11
Colorado Springs, CO - 23
Houston, TX - 65

In case you're lost about what certain dew points feel like, half way down this wiki page you will find a table that explains it.

Dew point - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[cjh5]

We are facing the same very difficult decision!! I have an opportunity in Denver area with my career and my husband covers 11 states with his job (CO being one of them) and the thought of moving to a fabulous climate is very appealing. We live in Tulsa now. The hardest thing is moving away from everything we know and have! We have 3 kids, 9, 6, 3. We also have my husband's whole family here and wonderful friends. If the kids weren't involved we would go in a heart beat. The good thing is my brother and his family are in Denver and my parents are moving there this summer. Where are you thinking of moving to in Denver?

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by cjh5

We are facing the same very difficult decision!! I have an opportunity in Denver area with my career and my husband covers 11 states with his job (CO being one of them) and the thought of moving to a fabulous climate is very appealing. We live in Tulsa now. The hardest thing is moving away from everything we know and have! We have 3 kids, 9, 6, 3. We also have my husband's whole family here and wonderful friends. If the kids weren't involved we would go in a heart beat. The good thing is my brother and his family are in Denver and my parents are moving there this summer. Where are you thinking of moving to in Denver?

That's funny because the other possibility with this potential offer is Tulsa (along with some other much less desirable places in Texas...like Midland ).

Well, I'm not sure as I don't know specifically where he would be working in Denver. But I think it would be the heart of Denver (downtown). The west areas of town interest me the most - Golden, Lakewood, I hear Westminster is a nice area. Not sure about Highlands Ranch - would have to see it.

I'm not sure what commutes are like in Denver. Hopefully they are better than Houston! My DH's current commute is 45 minutes to work, and we live about 30 miles from his work. We live in the least congested part of the city. We have tall trees and pines where we live now, and love it. So that's why I'm not drawn to the plains side of town. I would rather be close to the foothills.

[SouthXSW]

I have lived in Tulsa, it's a great city and very scenic with the hills and forests. It is definitely different than Denver in that it's much smaller and with a completely different climate. The humidity is present nearly all year except parts of fall and winter. Not as bad as Houston but still very humid nonetheless, like all Southern cities.

[j96g]

Originally Posted by lhafer

...I'm not sure what commutes are like in Denver. Hopefully they are better than Houston! My DH's current commute is 45 minutes to work, and we live about 30 miles from his work. We live in the least congested part of the city. We have tall trees and pines where we live now, and love it. So that's why I'm not drawn to the plains side of town. I would rather be close to the foothills.

Commutes are not that bad here. I would personally prefer to drive east or west INTO Denver for the commute as you have more choices depending on where exactly your husband works. I-25 is really the major north to south freeway, but has the most and worst traffic jams. I'd avoid it if possible. Also, I always almost here accidents happening on 225 alot too.