Denver temps/humidity/Dust vary for different parts of the metro?? (Aurora: apartment, tornado)

[HarborEastGuy]

When I lived in OC, there were micro-climates where the temps and humidity
were consistently different for certain areas.

I am looking to get an apartment in Downtown, Central Denver,
or in Aurora... (I will be working in Aurora)

Do the temps, humidity levels, or the amount of dust vary when you go
east of downtown towards Aurora??? For instance is Aurora a lot more
dusty than downtown? Would Downtown be slightly less dry from a
humidity perspective? Does Downtown get hotter in the summer due
to the buildings and streets storing up summer heat like a radiator?

Thanks,
Tom

[tfox]

It's not like California where there can be dramatic differences in micro climates. What differences there are depend on two factors.

First, elevation: higher elevation = more snow, colder, and more wind. Parts of the metro area can be as low as about 4900 feet (think: right along the South Platte River) and as high as about 6500 (Parts of Douglas County), and in the foothills up to about 8000 feet.

Second, location relative to the mountains. Close to the foothills will have lots of wind, and sometimes more snow. Far out east of the metro area (examples, far east Aurora, DIA, etc), have more wind, more snow, and tornado activity. Clearly IN the foothills, like Conifer or Evergreen will be much more snowy and cold.

Downtown does definitely have an "urban heat island" effect in both winter and summer. Overnight lows, particularly, can be higher Downtown because all that concrete acts as a heat sink. I don't think it affects humidity much though. Humidity is more affected by the presence of irrigated lawns and that sort of thing, and the suburban areas have those in more abundance than downtown.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Tom63376

When I lived in OC, there were micro-climates where the temps and humidity
were consistently different for certain areas.

I am looking to get an apartment in Downtown, Central Denver,
or in Aurora... (I will be working in Aurora)

Do the temps, humidity levels, or the amount of dust vary when you go
east of downtown towards Aurora??? For instance is Aurora a lot more
dusty than downtown? Would Downtown be slightly less dry from a
humidity perspective? Does Downtown get hotter in the summer due
to the buildings and streets storing up summer heat like a radiator?

Thanks,
Tom

In my experience, the DC area in general is very humid in the summer. I am not sure any differences there are statistically significant. Yes, I have spent a goodly amount of time there in the summer.