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I always thought it was cold cause my dad is from denver and whenever he talks about "home" all he talks about are his snow stories. lol. i guess i just assumed.
Denver can get very hot in the summer (like right now, with temps in the high 90s for weeks) and very cold in the winter. It's both hot and cold. There are many winter days in Denver that are just as cold, just as gloomy, just as windy, just as blizzard-like conditions as anything in the midwest or northeast, and sometimes even worse. Conversely, there are many days in the winter that are quite mild with the sun shining. It's really a grab bag of everything. Unfortunately people in this country are turning into a bunch of p***ies lately when it comes to cold weather, with everybody wanting to move into the sunbelt. For these people anywhere that doesn't have palm trees is too cold for them.
Are we quibbling about perceptions here? I've been in Denver in the winter in the cold and in a blizzard, and it can get as snowy and cold as anywhere I've ever been. So that's why some of us see Denver as cold, EVEN though there are plenty of mildish spells throughout the winter which are pleasant and not cold.... Heck, you could even say the same for Boston and New York....
Because it is. I grew up there and froze my butt off for several months out of the year. 60 inches of snow a year is pretty wintry. It's not Sheboygan...but it's a pretty cold, snowy place to live.
I have lived in the metro area since 1971, except for 3 years. They think of it as cold because Denver has Extremes of temps: look at any climate graph of the area. We may have hot summers and the annual average or mean may be moderated by that, but both the summer and winter averages are high, and low, respectively. That means if you like a moderate temp, you are mostly out of luck summer, winter, and the last few years, even in the spring. Plus, we do get snows even in the city and for people who aren't winter snow people that's the same thing as cold, because you still have to go out and shovel your walk and driveway.
The weather here is all over the place! My parents thought I was crazy for moving here and thought people skied to work in the winter. Imagine how surprised they were when I called one day during winter saying it was in the high 60's while it was almost freezing back in Chicago!
I have to admit, I didn't think much differently about the climate in Denver before I moved here. I love it though and have no complaints. it has been HOT here this summer though. Going on 23 straight days of 90+ temps!
Denver can get very hot in the summer (like right now, with temps in the high 90s for weeks) and very cold in the winter. It's both hot and cold. There are many winter days in Denver that are just as cold, just as gloomy, just as windy, just as blizzard-like conditions as anything in the midwest or northeast, and sometimes even worse. Conversely, there are many days in the winter that are quite mild with the sun shining. It's really a grab bag of everything. Unfortunately people in this country are turning into a bunch of p***ies lately when it comes to cold weather, with everybody wanting to move into the sunbelt. For these people anywhere that doesn't have palm trees is too cold for them.
Great post! lol
However, why do you think the midwest is nothing but gloomy, windy, blizzard-y, etc? Kinda like people stereotyping Denver's weather, eh? 50% of our winter days are sunny here in Chicagoland. Denver's sunshine % is even higher. But yes, Denver gets bloody cold in winter, with significant snowfall levels, which often extend late into spring.
I think because people normally only remember things for their extremes. Like how people always note when it's below zero in Chicago during the winter, but then forget about the weekend in January where it's in the 60s. 60's is more "normal" for a human, so you don't really take note if you're not living there to feel it. You just hear about the weekend it was -10.
Denver gets very cold and has big snowstorms in the winter, but compared to places in the northeast and midwest, it gets a LOT more warm spells in the 60's and 70's, even in the dead of the winter. I was surprised when I was out there during February and it was 70.
Denver is right next to the mountains and many people confuse Denver as actually being in the mountains or something. Denver can get cold in the winter though and it gets 60 inches of snow a year which is more than every major city except for Buffalo. It is a mile high city and higher elevation usually means its colder. Of course it gets hot in the summer but the humidity is very low so it cant compare to places like Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta when they are the same temperature because the humidity makes it seem much hotter.
Of course it gets hot in the summer but the humidity is very low so it cant compare to places like Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta when they are the same temperature because the humidity makes it seem much hotter.
Yes, Denver is much drier, but Chicago is cooler and has tons of cool/dry spells that lower the humidities drastically, making it very comfortable, and sometimes 10-20 degrees cooler than Denver.
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50% of our winter days are sunny here in Chicagoland. Denver's sunshine % is even higher. But yes, Denver gets bloody cold in winter, with significant snowfall levels, which often extend late into spring.
