Question for those who say we do not have a fall season in Denver

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by otterprods

What you're missing is not that autumn in CO is consistently bad, it's that it's totally inconsistent. Sure, it's really nice today, even at >7k', but it could suddenly turn freezing cold with sideways blowing wind and then be nice again.

That's fair. Colorado weather is always a bit unpredictable.

I don't think it's fair for people to say we don't really have a fall. To say that based on the rationale above, you would also have to say we don't really have a winter because some days it's sunny and 60 degrees in January.

We have great fall days!

[mic111]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

That's fair. Colorado weather is always a bit unpredictable.

I don't think it's fair for people to say we don't really have a fall. To say that based on the rationale above, you would also have to say we don't really have a winter because some days it's sunny and 60 degrees in January.

We have great fall days!

That's why people like our winters so much. They aren't like a real winter.

[Freelee]

I washed my car wearing shorts a day after Christmas one year, then another year it was late spring and walked in a restaurant and it was sunny and warm and it was snow storm.

[Shikadance]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Admittedly, I have never lived in the East so have not experienced one of the glorius East Coast falls everyone seems to rave about, but I do not understand why people on here are constantly saying Denver doesn't really have a fall.

We are right at seasonal average temps today so it is hardly unusual weather and it is absolutely perfect outside right now. The leaves are changing, the sun is shining, and the is a hint of chill in the air.

What am I missing??

I think people who say that Denver does not have a fall season have either not lived here very long, were passing thru or never lived in Denver at all!!

Fall season in Denver overall is the most pleasant and stable time of the year weather wise.. However we are prone to get a nasty cold spell or heavy wet snow event that damages the fall leaves but this does not occur consistently...

Any town or city on the east slopes of the Rockies or Black Hills are never immune from getting an early fall snowstorm that can wipe-out the fall foliage.. Didn't Rapid City, SD get 2 feet of snow back in early October??

Denver is above 5000 feet in elevation and some parts of the metro area are over 6000 feet so early Fall freezes and early snowstorms are always a possibility just like there are late Spring freezes and snowstorms but this does not always occur annually...

This Fall we have been teased with brief cold spells and light snow to ease us into the coming colder-snow months which I think is perfect...I'll take some 50, 60 and 70 degree days with a side order of some 40 degree days and overnight light snow which is what this Fall has given us thus far..

Denverites are very fortunate because whether Denver has a brief or prolonged fall there will always be fall like weather that visits Denver even in the heart of the winter thanks to the Chinook winds..

Looks like next week will be an intro to winter weather as temps will be in the 30's with a chance for snow!!!

[Indigo Cardinal]

I've lived here for fifteen years, and I would have to say this is the most stunning fall I've seen in all my years in Denver. I'm noticing this year that there's a lot more colors, and they've had a longer chance to get to a full peak.

It isn't that Colorado doesn't have fall, but as pointed out above--fall in Colorado can be inconsistent with going back and forth between very hot or snowing. This is one of the few years where the temperature has been more 'steady' throughout the fall season.

[wideworld]

Originally Posted by otterprods

What you're missing is not that autumn in CO is consistently bad, it's that it's totally inconsistent. Sure, it's really nice today, even at >7k', but it could suddenly turn freezing cold with sideways blowing wind and then be nice again.

Originally Posted by Freelee

who cares, I love it!!

Right there with you, Freelee. (I'll be grumbling about the sudden freeze on the inside, but hey - could always be worse. )

[sbelvedere]

The problem with fall and spring in Denver is the lack of humidity plus unpredictable weather. The unpredictability means fall colors rarely hit a peak because snow or high winds knock off all of the leaves before peak can occur (this year is an exception, I think). Plus, the species of trees make a difference--in the mountains, aspens are pretty much it for deciduous trees, and they only turn yellow, no oranges or reds; only in Denver do you get the literal transplants, non-native species that have a lot of variety of color.

The lack of humidity means that winter temperatures continue at nighttime for far longer in the spring and earlier in the fall than back east. In a "typical" fall in Colorado, due to the large temperature swings, you start getting 20s or 30s when the sun is down, whereas even in New England the nighttime temps stay in the 40s for much longer, meaning you have these glorious evenings with fall colors in at most a sweater. I've found that the beloved patios in Colorado are not quite as great as one might think because in the summer it's uncomfortably hot until 7 PM or later, and then once fall arrives, the sun goes down earlier and it's in the 30s and way too cold to enjoy a fire pit. Spring in the mid-Atlantic and southeast is much nicer than in New England, so you don't hear as much about the joys of spring compared to fall since the spring has a lot more rain, which negates the nice temperatures.