how bad are the winters in Colorado Springs?

Question

Im from NM. and plan on moving to Colorado Springs in Oct. of 08. I am trying to find out aroud what time the snow starts and about how much on an avarage they get. also I plan on visiting there around March of 08 also, is that a good time to visit, or is it still bad roads and weather. looking for answers from people that either live there or have been there alot. thanks for any help.

Answer 1

Most of the answers above are correct on the mild winters.
I've lived here just short of 50 years.

There has been a rare year when you think you live in Churchill, Manitoba. 1990 was the last time we had an ice storm and snow that stayed put until March. Otherwise, even the worst snows melt to bare ground in 2-3 days.
Every season brings the possibility of an Albuqueque Low (you may be familiar). When a powerful low pressure system lays over Albuqueque and pumps the snow into the Colorado foothills. We also call it a "dump"-- drifts several feet high are common with those.

Snow can start falling in early September. Generally, it doesn't snow after April 15th ... tho, we did get 7" of very wet snow in the first week of June in 1983.
It does heavily depend on where in the Springs you are. The foothills and plains can get whacked but other areas will just get a skiff. Denver tends to get more snow than we do.

We're semi-arid. In fact our climate is very much like Santa Fe's.
We have a saying here, "Wait five minutes and the weather will change." The other saying is, "If it starts snowing at 2pm-- you should home by 3pm or else you ain't getting home the same day."

To sort-of sum it up, pretty much anytime during the winter months the weather is 85 to 90% dry. But when we do get snow, man, do we GET snow.

I do recommend at least having AWD. The city can be remiss in plowing and sanding some roads, so you slide around. AND when it's all over they don't clean up the gravel as soon as they should, so you slide around on gravel.

Hope I helped!

Answer 2

Colorado Springs In Winter

Answer 3

I live in Colorado Springs and I grew up in Iowa so I know two totally different climates. Winters in the Springs are not bad at all, if anyone tells you different their a sissy. When it snows it is usually gone by the next day if not later on that day. The only time that snow sticks around is if we get a blizzard which happens maybe once a year then it is all melted within two to three days. Snow removal in the springs is not the greatest, so that can be a little crappy. But for the most part winters here are pretty lightweight.

Answer 4

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Hi! I used to live in Colorado and my job involved driving around the state. The drive from Denver to Colorado Springs in winter isn't bad at all. It's about an hour and a half in good traffic and it's all interstate. A couple cautions: First, if it's snowing or if they're predicting snow "for the foothills" the driving can be hairy and it's best to keep an eye on the weather - it can get partucularly snowy around Monument, CO - so pay attention to the local weather. Second, the traffic getting out of Denver going south toward Castle Rock can be horrible during rush hour either morning or evening. Also, traffic headed north toward Denver from Colorado Springs can be nasty during the evening rush. And, finally, at least when I was driving around, there was a lot of construction on I-25 both in Denver and Colorado Springs. I hear that the Denver construction is finished, but I haven't seen it for myself. I don't know about Colorado Springs. In regard to Garden of the Gods, believe it or not, I never made to Garden of the Gods in winter or summer. I imagine it's spectacular anytime of year. The website for the site is listed below and it is open in winter. Also, for traffic information, the Colorado Department of Transportation has a website that lists road construction and weather related road conditions. It's included below as well. Have a great trip!

Answer 5

Our winters are generally very mild, but it IS Colorado so they can change at the drop of a hat. We usually get a snow sometime in October, but then nothing heavy until spring. March and April have generally been our "heavy" snow months (wet). This last year we had two blizzards back to back at Christmas/New Years that were heavy.

The snow can start as early as early October and can stay as late as into May, BUT it is generally gone in a day or two because it is so dry here.

I moved here from southern California and it has never been an overwhelming snow/winter. Good luck on your move!

Answer 6

March is the snowiest month of the year! But that is ok, you'll get to see the winter at its worst. Which, in my opinion, is not that severe. The winters don't last 8 months, like they do up north. It starts getting cold by mid oct, then the first snow around Halloween. Real snow starts in late Dec/Jan. I consider winter to be pretty much over by April. It seems that we only get really snowy winters every several years, lucky for you we just had a really snowy winter, so I predict the next couple winters will be easy ones. Its not as cold as most people think. If you have a good jacket and a car that can handle some snow and ice adaquately, you will be just fine.

Welcome!

Answer 7

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RE:
how bad are the winters in Colorado Springs?
Im from NM. and plan on moving to Colorado Springs in Oct. of 08. I am trying to find out aroud what time the snow starts and about how much on an avarage they get. also I plan on visiting there around March of 08 also, is that a good time to visit, or is it still bad roads and weather. looking...

Answer 8

I'm from Tx and my wife is from Az and we both met in the Springs (I'm in the Army, its a big military town).We lived there for 4 years and none of the winters were overwhelming. It generally starts to snow about Oct. time frame and can get snow into April. Last year though was pretty heavy with the blizzards that moved through. Don't worry, the roads don't get to bad because once it starts snowing they have trucks that plow and salt the roads. You'll love it there, such an awesome place!

Answer 9

You are so very lucky! i am absolutely in love with Colorado springs, i actually just had to move from there about 3 days ago to hot phoenix, but the winters are crazy there, actually the snow storms arent usually in the winter, they are mixed around the entire year, you never know when they will hit, but they are always fun to have!! have fun! i wish i could have the privalidge to live there again!

Answer 10

I lived in the Springs for quite awhile. The winters are much more mild than you think. We did get quite a bit of snow but that was mostly near Monument Hill which is 20 miles north of the Springs. We do get most of our snow in March.