Colorado weather question

**caseysmom** · 03-24-2010, 12:27 PM

I am going to be traveling to the Denver area mid to late April and I will need to rent a car and drive for an hour. I am just wondering if the snow is usually over by then. I see that there is a huge storm there now which makes me nervous...its pretty late in the year for a 20 inch snow storm

Any ideas, advice? Thanks.

**lvpets2002** · 03-24-2010, 12:36 PM

Yes it is.. I would say by mid to late April you should be fine with no snow storms.. Now if you go up high into the mountains then maybe not..

**caseysmom** · 03-24-2010, 12:57 PM

I will be driving from Denver to Colorado Springs

**Prairie Purrs** · 03-24-2010, 01:10 PM

While big dumps of snow aren't unheard of along the Front Range in April, they're not an annual occurrence. March is Colorado's snowiest month, but I wouldn't worry about a trip down I-25 in mid-late April.

Try to avoid morning and evening rush hours, though. I used to commute from Denver to CO Springs, and traffic can be a huge pain on both ends.

**caseysmom** · 03-24-2010, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by Prairie Purrs

While big dumps of snow aren't unheard of along the Front Range in April, they're not an annual occurrence. March is Colorado's snowiest month, but I wouldn't worry about a trip down I-25 in mid-late April.

Try to avoid morning and evening rush hours, though. I used to commute from Denver to CO Springs, and traffic can be a huge pain on both ends.

That part kind of scares me since we have to leave Colorado Springs at 4 and the last flight of the night will be 7:30, maybe I need to cut the visit short a bit and leave before 4?

**Prairie Purrs** · 03-24-2010, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by caseysmom

That part kind of scares me since we have to leave Colorado Springs at 4 and the last flight of the night will be 7:30, maybe I need to cut the visit short a bit and leave before 4?

If you're leaving from the north end of the Springs (where the AF Academy is), you shouldn't have any trouble at that end. The bad traffic in the Springs is farther south. On the other hand, leaving the Springs at 4 will put you in the heart of rush hour once you get to Denver. Also, I'd allow at least two hours to get from the Springs to DIA regardless of traffic.

Ask the rental car people whether you can take E-470. It's a tollway, but it uses some complicated automatic billing system rather than cash tolls. You can take that from the far south end of the Denver metro area all the way to Pena Blvd. (the airport road). It should be much, much faster than I-225. Under no circumstances should you take I-25 all the way north to I-70.

**Pembroke_Corgi** · 03-24-2010, 01:14 PM

Our climate is actually pretty mild (though maybe not for a Southern Californian) but we do get late snow storms because of the weather that comes off the Rockies. The snow melts quickly enough. We got about 12" here and it's starting to melt already...I'm not crazy about it but we needed the moisture I guess.

We could have snow in April, but then again it could also be 80 degrees...you never know. It's a fast drive to Colorado Springs (about 1 hour 30 minutes or so) so I think you will be fine- plus you don't need to pass any mountains to get there! There is a lot to do around the AF Academy (I'm assuming you're going to visit the college?) so if you would like any suggestions on sight seeing I'd be happy to help!

**caseysmom** · 03-24-2010, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by Pembroke_Corgi

Our climate is actually pretty mild (though maybe not for a Southern Californian) but we do get late snow storms because of the weather that comes off the Rockies. The snow melts quickly enough. We got about 12" here and it's starting to melt already...I'm not crazy about it but we needed the moisture I guess.

We could have snow in April, but then again it could also be 80 degrees...you never know. It's a fast drive to Colorado Springs (about 1 hour 30 minutes or so) so I think you will be fine- plus you don't need to pass any mountains to get there! There is a lot to do around the AF Academy (I'm assuming you're going to visit the college?) so if you would like any suggestions on sight seeing I'd be happy to help!

Yes my daughter has an orientation at the academy. She has been for a recruiting trip but this will be my first time, I am excited about seeing where she will spend the next 4 years. We also get to buy her boots for boot camp

**caseysmom** · 03-24-2010, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Pembroke_Corgi

Our climate is actually pretty mild (though maybe not for a Southern Californian)

I'm from Northern California, it actually gets pretty chilly here. We have 4 seasons, no snow where I am at but it does go below freezing level. When my daughter went to Colorado in October she attended a football game when it was 18 degrees...now I am definetely not use to that!