Denver's Wacky Weather

• News
• Tuesday, August 12, 2008

So you are visiting Denver for the DNC Convention, or perhaps some other reason.  What should you expect in terms of weather?   In this day and age where many airlines are charging fees for checked bags, the unfortunate answer is that you should expect almost anything.

 I can confidently say that it will not snow in Denver in late August, but beyond that all bets are off.   A week ago we hit 104 degrees as a high, while the overnight low might be in the 40s this weekend.   We had gone weeks without any signifigant rainfall this summer until last Friday, when many people and vehicles were caught in dangerous flash floods.

 In general, I would expect daytime highs in the 80s or 90s, but there is always the chance it could be in the 70s or in triple digits.  If you are a night owl, prepare for overnight lows anywhere from the 40's to 80's.   

As for rain, it is very infrequent. We tend to get either a brief, light sprinkle, or a sudden, violent deluge.The result is that umbrellas are almost completely useless.   In a light sprinkle, people here are ok just getting slightly wet, and then letting the hot dry summer air quickly evaporate the moisture in no time.  In the case of the occasional torrential downpour, we just duck inside and wait a few minutes.    

 Also, don't bother to look at the extended forecast, around here it is about as reliable as last month's presidential tracking poll.