No snow in Denver, CO?

[VeryBumpy 272]

I know the seasons in FSX are kinda wacky but trying to figure out if my system is messed up or not.

 

Is there suppose to be snow on the ground this time  of year in the Denver valley area within FSX?

 

KDEN is where I'm starting out at and have no snow at all.

[altstiff 71]

Are you using photo scenery? If so most only include summer textures.

[flapsdown 45]

 

 

Is there suppose to be snow on the ground this time of year in the Denver valley area within FSX?

 

In real life there really is very rarely any consistent snow cover on the ground in the Denver area (only a few weeks here and there - usually any snowfall melts in a matter of days), and my FSX with FTX-Global textures reflects this without any snow until you get into the higher elevations (say 8500+ feet or so) - right this minute I am sitting at home west of Denver, just over 7400' and have only a random patch here and there left over in the shadows from the last snowfall.

 

 I have to admit I have forgotten what default FSX looks like...

[VeryBumpy 272]

Wow, I never realized that about Denver. This is what FSX with UTX gives me. So I guess it is correct then.

 

 

[tttocs 301]

Wow, I never realized that about Denver. This is what FSX with UTX gives me. So I guess it is correct then.

 

The front range corridor and eastern Colorado plains are semi-arid, so we just don't get that much moisture and the temperature variations can be large.  I'm about 50 miles N of Denver, and we've had snow cover for several weeks until recently but we often get warming downslope winds (locally called Chinooks) this time of year which can melt snow very rapidly and cause even January and February temps to rise into the 60s.

 

You can see February averages for Denver here, http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/include/showProduct.php?product=febn.txt&parentdir=cli but note especially the dramatic differences between record highs and record lows.  With the high elevation and dry air, temperature can vary widely, and the averages are just that.  Averages, with significant standard deviation.  It's actually fairly normal for temps to rise into the 60's this time of year, as noted, and also normal for them to plunge well below zero.  Sometimes even in the same day. 

 

Colorado resident and weather junkie,

 

Scott

 

Edit:  You might also find this of interest, which shows current snowpack in the central Rocky Mountain region: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=co_snowpack .  The peaks in your screenshot look a bit bare.

 

S.

Edited February 22, 2014 by tttocs

[CaptKornDog 286]

*looks out window*

 

No snow in my yard.

[brucets 94]

No snow left in Broomfield(north Denver area). We've had only about 5 weeks of real winter so far this year. Have ridden my motorcycles at least 3 days each month this winter, and I don't go out if it's less than 55. It's ugly as hell out there, but not all that cold --- and no snow on the ground except a few very small melting snow plow piles in parking lots and a bit on northern sides of buildings here and there, where the sun doesn't shine.

[VeryBumpy 272]

>  The peaks in your screenshot look a bit bare.

 

 

Yeah, figured the top of mountains should be fully snow white. It's the best UTX can do apparently. FTX Global does it much better apparently?

[Jeff H 63]

Ya know, Colorado is really a great place when it comes to weather.  There's about 320 days a year of sunshine; there's about three weeks in the summer when it gets really hot and about three weeks in the winter where it gets really cold.  Other than that, daytime temps are between 50 and 85 the rest of the year, and the humidity rarely gets higher than about 40%.  Now the mountains are a little different of course, I've seen it snow in June up there, but the Front Range is pretty cool.  Now if you want to see snow here, plan a vacation here in April...it's our snowiest month. 

Cheers  :smile:

[gizmosellsbunnys 106]

Lived in Utah could golf in January it was similar. Now in Minnesota snow up to waist.

[slait 169]

Ya know, Colorado is really a great place when it comes to weather.  There's about 320 days a year of sunshine; there's about three weeks in the summer when it gets really hot and about three weeks in the winter where it gets really cold.  Other than that, daytime temps are between 50 and 85 the rest of the year, and the humidity rarely gets higher than about 40%.  Now the mountains are a little different of course, I've seen it snow in June up there, but the Front Range is pretty cool.  Now if you want to see snow here, plan a vacation here in April...it's our snowiest month. 

Cheers  :smile:

 

Sshhhh! Don't let the cat out of the bag!

[ViperPilot 81]

Really, Jeff... don't spill the beans! We've got it good here!

 

[Jeff H 63]

LOL!!  Yeah I thought about that afterward.  :smile:  Forget what I said, I'm on some meds for an eye infection so I must have been out of my head when I wrote that.  Sorry!!

[brucets 94]

Nobody has mentioned that the Colorado mountains have received an incredible amount of snow this winter. They are reeling from the many storms --- one after another. One Denver news caster said he has friends who have lived in Vail for over 25 years and they've had enough! When the storms and the winds are from the west the snow rarely makes it past the front range into Denver and onto the plains --- really weird. Denver winters in the 50s, 60s and 70s were severe compared to recent history.

 

I'll also add that it can snow in Denver anytime from September to June. In about 1969 it snowed 30" from Sep 15 to Oct 15 and not another flake until March(which is actually the snowiest month). In the very early 80's A buddy and I cancelled our bike trip to PHX because we had over a foot of snow the last week of May. About 1962 it snowed at the Greeley Rodeo on the 4th of July! The weather here is crazy!

Edited February 23, 2014 by brucets