Will a californian like the weather in Texas?

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by isabel

I hope the next place we live has nice schools and is close to town. Looking at Idaho and Texas. But leaning towards Idaho.

Lean towards Colorado. Much milder climate than either Idaho or Texas.

[isabel]

Really, I picture Colorado. As rocky, snow covered mountains. Very cold. Not so?

Izzy

[deeptrance]

Colorado gets wicked cold. Idaho tends to be milder because it has more influence from the Pacific Ocean and is all west of the Continental Divide. Not sure why ProEye is saying that the least mild of the 3 states is the mildest. I challenge him to a weather factoid duel!

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

Colorado gets wicked cold. Idaho tends to be milder because it has more influence from the Pacific Ocean and is all west of the Continental Divide. Not sure why ProEye is saying that the least mild of the 3 states is the mildest. I challenge him to a weather factoid duel!

What the heck are you talking about??? I lived in Eastern Idaho and W. Colorado, both of which were the harsher portions of each state.

Cleozmom can back me up on this one: Idaho is colder. It's at a more northern latitude for equal elevation, of course it's going to be colder for longer periods of time. Think Alaska is colder than Florida even at sea level? Of course it is.

Let's talk apples and oranges. Of course Colorado can get cold too but overall it isn't as cold as Idaho just because of the latitude.

You can't compare N. Idaho to Colorado since N. Idaho is similar to the west coast--especially during winter.

I lived at 8,000 feet in Ridgway, Colorado and it got up to 40+ degrees many times in the winter. It also didn't seem to be as windy which is something that makes the air feel much colder--you know, wind chill? If you compare Ridgway and Idaho Falls, you'll see that the temps in Ridgway were about 5-10 degrees warmer in the winter. January average high is 38 in Ridgway and only 28 in I.F. What is interesting is that the high in the summer is 5 degrees cooler in Ridgway! Very mild weather...

I'm going back some day and live there permanently. The weather is just too nice and scenery cannot be beat... Gotta have that hot tub again looking out on the San Juans...

[isabel]

Just curious Proeye...how many states have you lived in? You seem well informed on several?

Izzy

[cleozmom]

Originally Posted by ProEye

What the heck are you talking about??? I lived in Eastern Idaho and W. Colorado, both of which were the harsher portions of each state.

Cleozmom can back me up on this one: Idaho is colder. It's at a more northern latitude for equal elevation, of course it's going to be colder for longer periods of time. Think Alaska is colder than Florida even at sea level? Of course it is.

I'm going to have to go with Proeye on this one. The month of January is typically known as the coldest month of winter. During mid-Jan (last month), we did well to bust 20 above in the daytime and were nearly 20 below overnight while (Ridgway)CO was a balmy 30-something during the same week and set a record of 4 below at night.

The area I'm located is high desert. While beautiful, can have high winds, cold temps and often at the same time.

[RodFarlee]

Originally Posted by ProEye

Idaho is colder [than Colorado]. It's at a more northern latitude for equal elevation...

But the elevations aren't equal! You can choose unusual locations in each state, but that isn't representative for most residents (nor very helpful to Izzy). Denver's elevation is twice that of Boise, so it should come as no surprise that Denver's average winter nights are colder than Boise's, although it's average winter temperatures are the same, and Denver gets three times as much snow, on average (not just this winter, when it's been buried!).

Average January low temperature, 1940-2007, http://www.wrcc.dri.edu
Boise 22.3 F
Denver 17.1 F
January mean temperature
Boise 29.62 F
Denver 30.37
Average annual snowfall
Boise 19.5"
Denver 59.5"

As for the rest of the state, most Colorado residents living outside metro Denvier live at elevations above that of the highest incorporated hamlet in Idaho, Stanley 6270' MSL. Very few Idahoans live above 5000', most below 3000', but few Coloradans live below 5000'.

The typical Coloradan deals with more bitter cold and snow than the typical Idahoan. And more summer heat and thunderstorms. And more wind, year-round. It's simply a more extreme climate, because of the elevation. More heat and more cold. But that can be more fun, too!

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by RodFarlee

But the elevations aren't equal! You can choose unusual locations in each state, but that isn't representative for most residents (nor very helpful to Izzy). Denver's elevation is twice that of Boise, so it should come as no surprise that Denver's average winter nights are colder than Boise's, although it's average winter temperatures are the same, and Denver gets three times as much snow, on average (not just this winter, when it's been buried!).

Average January low temperature, 1940-2007, http://www.wrcc.dri.edu
Boise 22.3 F
Denver 17.1 F
January mean temperature
Boise 29.62 F
Denver 30.37
Average annual snowfall
Boise 19.5"
Denver 59.5"

As for the rest of the state, most Colorado residents living outside metro Denvier live at elevations above that of the highest incorporated hamlet in Idaho, Stanley 6270' MSL. Very few Idahoans live above 5000', most below 3000', but few Coloradans live below 5000'.

The typical Coloradan deals with more bitter cold and snow than the typical Idahoan. And more summer heat and thunderstorms. And more wind, year-round. It's simply a more extreme climate, because of the elevation. More heat and more cold. But that can be more fun, too!

Once again, you are absolutely correct Rod. My mistake.

[deeptrance]

Thanks, Rod, for coming to the rescue with stats I'm too lazy to look up and post.

And to ProEye, eastern ID is the harshest part of the state by far, while western CO is the MILDEST part of the state. So you WERE comparing apples to oranges.

But we need to define the word "mild" in order to make sense of this discussion. What I infer from that word is "relatively steady, without wild variation or extremes." In that sense, everything west of the Continental Divide is much milder than the front range of the Rockies, where temps can swing by over 100 degrees in the course of a few days!

Averages are just averages. You have to look at the variation. Boise's average temp in winter is similar to Denver's, but the comparison ends there. Denver frequently sees wild shifts in temperature and weather conditions whereas Boise is relatively consistent. If "mild" means "warmer" then that's a different ballgame. I use the term to mean "predictable and fairly comfortable." Most people in Idaho live in places that are far more moderate in that sense than any place East of Grand Junction. Speaking of which, I like the climate of GJ and could easily imagine living there. Cute town!

[ProEye]

Originally Posted by deeptrance

Thanks, Rod, for coming to the rescue with stats I'm too lazy to look up and post.

Yeah, thanks Rod for proving me wrong once again.

[deeptrance]

Hey, ProEye, let's get that bastard RodFarlee for constantly being right about stuff. He's always making me look bad too, with his research and links to credible sources. Whatever happened to spouting one's opinion and ignoring those pesky facts that interfere with our cherished beliefs? Ban RodFarlee!!!

[isabel]

Hey, I like his fact sheets. Very informative.

Izzy

[cleozmom]

Originally Posted by ProEye

Yeah, thanks Rod for proving me wrong once again.

And I agreed with you only because I had not had once ounce of coffee in me at that point, that's my story and I'm sticking to it

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by isabel

Hey, I like his [RodFarlee's] fact sheets. Very informative.

See? This is exactly why he's a threat to me. I don't like facts. I like my own opinions. You should all accept them as fact and stop questioning me, and by all means avoid reading those fact sheets because facts are responsible for destroying many myths, legends, and superstitions.

By the way, the sun orbits around the earth, and earth is the center of the universe. You can tell by looking at the sky (without the aid of fact sheets!)