Are people delusional about Denver's climate? (ski resorts, apartment, credit)

[Mini-apple-less]

Originally Posted by jessicarae1060

OP... Would you mind getting to the point?!? If you don't want to live here than don't.

That has nothing to do with it at all. I'm actually defending Denver's winter as a winter fan. People try to make it out like its winter is not cold like a Midwest winter but I'm arguing that it is.

[Pincho-toot]

Originally Posted by Katiana

@BadgerFilms-By your reckoning, it snows in Minne from November through April. That is 6 months. And they rarely get a "January thaw" or any kind of thaw.

It's not consistently snowing in November or April. Most days in those months are above freezing, at least in the day. April is a spring month, and even if it has a slow start, by the end of the month it's usually green and full of leaves. November is a fall month and the beginning of it is full of foliage and falling leaves. March is a spring month that can sometimes be really snowy, and others really mild. The core cold true winter months are December-February. Also, it can get to the 30s several days in January which bring a little thaw. February can have even warmer thaws.

Snow on the ground there is most normal from about Thanksgiving week to maybe a week or two after St. Patrick's Day.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by valsteele

The snow melts in Boston too, it's not until you get into say Vermont that you have snow that sticks all winter generally.

Yes, when it gets 40 degrees and rains. Yuck.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by BadgerFilms

It's not consistently snowing in November or April. Most days in those months are above freezing, at least in the day. April is a spring month, and even if it has a slow start, by the end of the month it's usually green and full of leaves. November is a fall month and the beginning of it is full of foliage and falling leaves. March is a spring month that can sometimes be really snowy, and others really mild. The core cold true winter months are December-February. Also, it can get to the 30s several days in January which bring a little thaw. February can have even warmer thaws.

Snow on the ground there is most normal from about Thanksgiving week to maybe a week or two after St. Patrick's Day.

Well, it doesn't snow consistently from September through May here, either.
It snowed on 9/11 (fitting, eh?) in Boulder and Denver. Then we had a three week warm spell where it got up to 87 one day (and I believe 90 in downtown Denver). It hasn't snowed since; in October the days have all been in the upper 50s (2 days) through upper 70s (2 days) with only those two days below 60. It snows at least 0.1 inch for a total of 33 days in Denver.

Weather History for Denver Centennial, CO | Weather Underground
Denver CO Snowfall Totals & Snow Accumulation Averages - Current Results
Boulder sees 1st measurable snowfall of season, but sunny skies to return - Boulder Daily Camera
Summer snow covers ground in Denver - DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG
Weather History for Denver Centennial, CO | Weather Underground

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Well, it doesn't snow consistently from September through May here, either.
It snowed on 9/11 (fitting, eh?) in Boulder and Denver. Then we had a three week warm spell where it got up to 87 one day (and I believe 90 in downtown Denver). It hasn't snowed since; in October the days have all been in the upper 50s (2 days) through upper 70s (2 days) with only those two days below 60. It snows at least 0.1 inch for a total of 33 days in Denver.

Weather History for Denver Centennial, CO | Weather Underground
Denver CO Snowfall Totals & Snow Accumulation Averages - Current Results
Boulder sees 1st measurable snowfall of season, but sunny skies to return - Boulder Daily Camera
Summer snow covers ground in Denver - DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG
Weather History for Denver Centennial, CO | Weather Underground

Add the fact that we hit 60 at least once every January, often more.

[Neditate]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

Add the fact that we hit 60 at least once every January, often more.

I've lived in CO for 33 years and I've experienced low 70s in January and February. That never, ever, ever happened where I grew up in Wisconsin!

[davebarnes]

1. I can wear shorts and a golf shirt outside more than once a month in the Winter.
2. I spent 30 years living in: Hartford, Saratoga Springs, northern NJ, Niagara Falls, suburb of Boston, Troy (NY), suburb of Boston. Denver winters are balmy.
3. Denver has no "slush month", aka February in other locations.

[sade693]

Originally Posted by Mach50

Who calls it mild or like San Diego?

I heard that multiple times before I moved here. It was even one of the factors that led me to choose Denver.

I heard "300 days of sunshine a year - just like San Diego!" and I heard that Denver generally has mild temperatures. My guess is that, to come to the latter conclusion, people were looking at the averages. You can't really look at averages in this city, though, since the weather changes so much throughout the day. I walk 90% of the places that I go, and I never know how to dress in the morning during spring/fall. It'll be so chilly in the morning and then shoot up to the 70s by the late afternoon...and don't even get me started on the sporadic storms.

Denver is a great city, but I definitely miss the more consistent (or at least predictable) weather of the other US regions where I've lived. The weather here isn't spotty enough to warrant too much complaining, but I did feel misled by what I'd read and been told.

Also, a fun fact that I learned in a geography class: Denver's natural climate is the same as outer Mongolia! Both are considered steppe deserts.

[DressageRider]

We moved to Colorado to get away from Boston's depressing gray winters and never looked back. Not at all comparable.

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by sade693

I heard that multiple times before I moved here. It was even one of the factors that led me to choose Denver.

I heard "300 days of sunshine a year - just like San Diego!" and I heard that Denver generally has mild temperatures. My guess is that, to come to the latter conclusion, people were looking at the averages. You can't really look at averages in this city, though, since the weather changes so much throughout the day. I walk 90% of the places that I go, and I never know how to dress in the morning during spring/fall. It'll be so chilly in the morning and then shoot up to the 70s by the late afternoon...and don't even get me started on the sporadic storms.

Denver is a great city, but I definitely miss the more consistent (or at least predictable) weather of the other US regions where I've lived. The weather here isn't spotty enough to warrant too much complaining, but I did feel misled by what I'd read and been told.

Also, a fun fact that I learned in a geography class: Denver's natural climate is the same as outer Mongolia! Both are considered steppe deserts.

Sunshine is not the same thing as temperature or climate. Anyone who believes that an inland city at over 5000 ft altitude is going to have the same climate as SD hasn't done much in the way of thinking.

Helpful hint for anyone considering moving: There is a sticky on the Denver forum titled "Official 2014-2015 Denver Winter and Snow Thread!" Guess why? We have winter and it does snow. In order for it to snow, it must get cold. Clearly that is not some big secret perpetuated by folks who are delusional about the climate here and trying to convince people it's just like living in San Diego.