Fort Collins weather/climate (Loveland, Alma: real estate, houses, neighborhoods)

[xordite]

I've lived in the Ft. Collins/Loveland/Greeley area for 31 years. I had major hail damage to my car twice,
I've seen several 30+ inch snow storms, I've seen temps of minus 35.
Last year a tornado touched down less than a mile from my house (between Loveland and Ft. Collins).
As has been said before, the traffic is getting worse. The population is growing and the infrastructure can't keep up. Also, unemployment in this area is quite high.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by davit

I would think FC has a few sub-zero and snowy days; in fact Places Rated Almanac rates the winters worse than Milwaukee's.

Average temps, though, would be MUCH higher in FC in than in Milwaukee. 40 degree average highs in Janurary versus 28 degrees. It's also much sunnier in winter than, well, the entire eastern half of the country.

Weather at higher elevations, though, can be highly variable. Winter temps of 70 or -15 below are not uncommon. You won't find that kind of variability in the east.

Colorado winters are definitely not for everyone, though. If you're just looking for warm winters, there's a million places you could go that would provide that: pick your place anywhere in the southern states.

[bproven]

Originally Posted by tfox

Average temps, though, would be MUCH higher in FC in than in Milwaukee. 40 degree average highs in Janurary versus 28 degrees. It's also much sunnier in winter than, well, the entire eastern half of the country.

Weather at higher elevations, though, can be highly variable. Winter temps of 70 or -15 below are not uncommon. You won't find that kind of variability in the east.

Colorado winters are definitely not for everyone, though. If you're just looking for warm winters, there's a million places you could go that would provide that: pick your place anywhere in the southern states.

I would be comfortable saying that of the places that get 4 seasons (and a real winter) CO has them beat. More sun in the winter and less sub zero situations, less snow (in general).

If you are looking for mild winters and no real seasonal changes i.e. hot summers, and extended autumn/spring then you should head to the southern states (or head to Southern CA). I think this all depends on your frame of reference. If you are coming from the South expect harsh winters. If you are coming from say Wisconsin expect mild winters

BTW I came from the south (south Louisiana to be exact) and I'll take the winters here over the summers there. The low humidity makes the difference for me. But again that is just me. You may want to come for a visit during winter to judge for yourself.

[gtho09]

Whether or not the weather is moderate in Fort Collins depends on where you are from. If you're from the northeast, yes it will seem moderate. I grew up in south Florida, and I don't think winter here is mild. If you don't like winter, you would not have wanted to be here in Dec 2006 for sure. And in March 2003 we had a big blizzard that pretty much brought the city to a halt for several days. So there is definitely winter here. Although I won't argue that the sunshine makes a big difference.

[sosobroke]

Well I think the biggest weather concern should be if you can put up with the wind. City Data's "Top 101 cities with the highest average wind speeds (population 50,000+)", Fort Collins is number 5. I can put up the the weather swings on the Front Range, but I wish that wind would just go away.

[lordon]

I agree. I am from Kansas where the wind blows almost all the time. The wind in FC, however, is ferocious compared to Kansas. It is not uncommon to have several days in a row of fairly consistent sustained 30+ mph winds with gusts sometimes as high as 70 mph. I find it depressing. If the gale-force winds would just stop, you could venture outside because, otherwise, it would be a nice day. Contrary to what some said in one of the other forums about FC, these winds are not always warm in the winter. The overnight lows are also frequently in the single digits.

[davit]

Originally Posted by lordon

I agree. I am from Kansas where the wind blows almost all the time. The wind in FC, however, is ferocious compared to Kansas. It is not uncommon to have several days in a row of fairly consistent sustained 30+ mph winds with gusts sometimes as high as 70 mph. I find it depressing. If the gale-force winds would just stop, you could venture outside because, otherwise, it would be a nice day. Contrary to what some said in one of the other forums about FC, these winds are not always warm in the winter. The overnight lows are also frequently in the single digits.

Are there areas in the front range where you could escape those winds, like micro climates, or are they pervasive throughout?

[tfox]

Originally Posted by davit

Are there areas in the front range where you could escape those winds, like micro climates, or are they pervasive throughout?

Winds tend to be highest right up next to the foothills, and on top of "ridges" on the plains (mostly east of I-25). The 90+ mph gusts are at the bottoms of foothills canyons -- never in town, so those eye popping numbers are a bit deceiving.

I don't personally consider Fort Collins particularly windy, by Colorado standards, but admittedly I haven't lived many other places outside the mountain west region. I suppose the towns 50k plus must have excluded the entire state of Wyoming? Now THAT's windy.

[lordon]

The location I am referring to where I have had many, many experiences with 30+ mph sustained winds and much higher gusts (as high as 70+ mph) is the residential area between College & Shields and Harmony & Trilby, which is on the south end of FC. This is neither east of I-25 nor right up next to the foothills. I didn't realize the wind got as high as 90 mph in those locations. It's worse than I thought.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by lordon

The location I am referring to where I have had many, many experiences with 30+ mph sustained winds and much higher gusts (as high as 70+ mph) is the residential area between College & Shields and Harmony & Trilby, which is on the south end of FC. This is neither east of I-25 nor right up next to the foothills. I didn't realize the wind got as high as 90 mph in those locations. It's worse than I thought.

I'm not sure where you're getting those numbers, by the way. The Colorado Climate Center at CSU documents wind speed, so I checked -- the highest GUST (not sustained) in 2008 was 44.5 mph. The highest gust in 2007 was 47.5.

There's a big difference between gust and sustained. One 47.5 mph gust in a 2 year time span isn't going to cause you any problems. It may be uncomfortable if you're out in it, but that's it.

These readings were taken on the main campus at CSU. In contrast, at the bottom of a canyon in the foothills, can of course be much higher.