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I am currently living in a suburb south of Denver and looking relocate to Boise metro area/Treasure Valley (considering Middletown, Nampa, Caldwell, or Meridian – if can even afford Meridian anymore). We are studying this for a possible move spring 2022.
Here are our weather-related concerns/questions and any info would be greatly appreciated:
1) Seems like a lot of daytime RAIN (not snow) in the weather app here in Boise in December 2021 (and I have been checking Boise daily to see and compare to here)... how is the ICE on roads since temps drop considerably and I am sure it freezes overnight?
2) From what I have read, the Boise area gets less snow (compared to Denver metro), but does it melt quickly soon after snow falls in Treasure Valley?
3) Which leads to my next question: if snow in Boise area indeed melts relatively fast, what sun exposure (east? West? South?) do you need for good snow melt off your driveway after snow??
4) Denver area (the east side of the Rockies) is very dry like Boise metro, it seems. But do the "foothills" east of Boise green up eventually or is it always kind of a dry/sagebrush type thing?? Denver is kinda... brown... and clay soil. Should I expect the same in Boise/Treasure Valley area?
5) How are the summer NIGHTS in Boise? Is it sun late into evening since Rockies are East of the area? Do temps cool down considerably from day to night in summer?
6) Do you get damaging hail to roofs/cars in Boise area, generally?
7) How “heavy” and wet is winter snow? (not sure if my question makes sense… is the snow in Boise area generally wet/heavy and sticky or “dry powder snow” and lighter easier to shovel, at least at first before overnight freeze)?
8) Is the weather generally stable/easily predicted in Boise area? Do weather apps get it right more often than not?
Thanks for the info.... I think these weather-related questions and answers will help many who have questions.
I totally appreciate the info.
Ps. I am going to be answering questions on my hometown of Orlando, FL (which I work and live in 4 months out of the year at least) and on the south Denver metro/DTC area where I have lived the last 8 years on and off. I am very familiar with both areas. I will be helping these forums as well.
Please ask me any questions you may have about these 2 cities! Happy New Year!
Boise is situated in a valley between the Owyhee and the Sawtooth ranges. Somewhat in the rain shadow of the Owyhees whereas the Sawtooths tend to block cold air masses that form in the plains of Canada. In other words, winters are drier and milder than one may expect. Think high desert.
Too far inland to be a maritime snow climate (i.e. wet heavy snow). Snow is mostly light and dry, though we do occasionally get some wet snow. Either way, generally very low amounts of accumulation. Currently we have maybe 5 inches of snow that has persisted since last week when we had a number of snow events followed by a cold snap. Snow sticking around for more than a few day is somewhat unusual but not unheard of. It happens every 5 years or so. Shoveling such small quantities of snow is easy, I usually just push the snow to the side to keep walkways from getting slick.
Within city limits the highway district does a pretty good job keeping intersections/hills/corners salted and/or sanded. The city is mostly flat except the foothills and a little incline up to the bench. Iced roads aren't a big issue unless you live way outside of town or up in the hills, in which case folks get studded tires. We use studless winter tires mostly because we do a lot of skiing and the mountain roads get a lot more snow. The vast majority of people that stay in the valley get by just fine on all-seasons.
Like all the northern hemisphere, southern aspect driveways with full sun melt the fastest.
The foothills get a little bit of green-up, not much. And they get several wildflower blooms. But mostly sagebrush and brown.
Temps cool off overnight in the summer, but the valley traps the heat so it doesn't cool off as much as other places. E.g. if it's 100 during the day, the overnight low is usually something like 65 or 70, with temps around 80 at midnight. I find the summer nights quite enjoyable, though run the AC to cool things down to sleep.
Weather forecasts are about half-right half of the time. Conditions can change rapidly. It can be a 100 degree day, then a thunderstorm rolls in and it's 60 and hailing. We do get hail, and it has caused damage in the past (about 6 years ago in Eagle is the most recent I'm aware of), but not super common.
Boise is situated in a valley between the Owyhee and the Sawtooth ranges. Somewhat in the rain shadow of the Owyhees whereas the Sawtooths tend to block cold air masses that form in the plains of Canada. In other words, winters are drier and milder than one may expect. Think high desert.
Too far inland to be a maritime snow climate (i.e. wet heavy snow). Snow is mostly light and dry, though we do occasionally get some wet snow. Either way, generally very low amounts of accumulation. Currently we have maybe 5 inches of snow that has persisted since last week when we had a number of snow events followed by a cold snap. Snow sticking around for more than a few day is somewhat unusual but not unheard of. It happens every 5 years or so. Shoveling such small quantities of snow is easy, I usually just push the snow to the side just to keep walkways from getting slick.
Within city limits the highway district does a pretty good job keeping intersections/hills/corners salted and/or sanded. The city is mostly flat except the foothills and a little incline up to the bench. Iced roads aren't a big issue unless you live way outside of town or up in the hills, in which case folks get studded tires. We use studless winter tires mostly because we do a lot of skiing and the mountain roads get a lot more snow. The vast majority of people that stay in the valley get buy just fine on all-seasons.
Like all the northern hemisphere, southern aspect driveways with full sun melt the fastest.
The foothills get a little bit of green-up, not much. And they get several wildflower blooms. But mostly sagebrush and brown.
Temps cool off overnight in the summer, but the valley traps the heat so it doesn't cool off as much as other places. E.g. if it's 100 during the day, the overnight low is usually something like 65 or 70, with temps around 80 at midnight. I find the summer nights quite enjoyable, though run the AC to cool things down to sleep.
Weather forecasts are about half-right half of the time. Conditions can change rapidly. It can be a 100 degree day, then a thunderstorm rolls in and it's 60 and hailing. We do get hail, and it has caused damage in the past (about 6 years ago in Eagle is the most recent I'm aware of), but not super common.
Depending on the year and moisture, the Foothills can be very green during spring and into summer.
Last year not as much as other years because we were in a drought, but the year(s) before, we had a lot of snow and rain in the spring and the hills were a vibrant shade of green almost all of summer until fading to the beautiful brown/greenish tone. Of course, the tops are always green because they are covered in evergreen forests.
I am currently living in a suburb south of Denver and looking relocate to Boise metro area/Treasure Valley (considering Middletown, Nampa, Caldwell, or Meridian – if can even afford Meridian anymore). We are studying this for a possible move spring 2022.
Here are our weather-related concerns/questions and any info would be greatly appreciated:
1) Seems like a lot of daytime RAIN (not snow) in the weather app here in Boise in December 2021 (and I have been checking Boise daily to see and compare to here)... how is the ICE on roads since temps drop considerably and I am sure it freezes overnight?
2) From what I have read, the Boise area gets less snow (compared to Denver metro), but does it melt quickly soon after snow falls in Treasure Valley?
3) Which leads to my next question: if snow in Boise area indeed melts relatively fast, what sun exposure (east? West? South?) do you need for good snow melt off your driveway after snow??
4) Denver area (the east side of the Rockies) is very dry like Boise metro, it seems. But do the "foothills" east of Boise green up eventually or is it always kind of a dry/sagebrush type thing?? Denver is kinda... brown... and clay soil. Should I expect the same in Boise/Treasure Valley area?
5) How are the summer NIGHTS in Boise? Is it sun late into evening since Rockies are East of the area? Do temps cool down considerably from day to night in summer?
6) Do you get damaging hail to roofs/cars in Boise area, generally?
7) How “heavy” and wet is winter snow? (not sure if my question makes sense… is the snow in Boise area generally wet/heavy and sticky or “dry powder snow” and lighter easier to shovel, at least at first before overnight freeze)?
8) Is the weather generally stable/easily predicted in Boise area? Do weather apps get it right more often than not?
Thanks for the info.... I think these weather-related questions and answers will help many who have questions.
I totally appreciate the info.
Ps. I am going to be answering questions on my hometown of Orlando, FL (which I work and live in 4 months out of the year at least) and on the south Denver metro/DTC area where I have lived the last 8 years on and off. I am very familiar with both areas. I will be helping these forums as well.
Please ask me any questions you may have about these 2 cities! Happy New Year!
1. Ice is rarely a problem here, at least when compared to the Midwest. Although we often get rain or even freezing rain in the winter, the roads rarely stay slick for more than a few days. If your commute to work is early, between 5am-7:30ish, expect icy roads during the coldest part of the day (right before sunrise).
2. Yes. Expect for occasional bad winters, you'll find our snowfall amounts to be a joke. Rarely drops more than 3 inches per storm, often melts by lunchtime if it falls overnight.
3. Generally very sunny year round, direction shouldn't be a problem in most cases.
4. Depends on how high up you go. Top of the mountains are a mile above the valley floor, near the local ski resort up there it becomes very forested with pine trees, and only gets more plentiful the farther north you travel.
5. I've noticed here, no matter the season, the hottest part of the day is always at the end (3-6pm, sometimes
still over 100 at sunset ) and the coolest is early in the morning. But in July, it can still drop to the low 60s before sunrise. So not as different as you think from Denver.
6. We get hail often, but almost never bigger than a dime. Damage from hail is almost unheard of here (I'd be more worried about trees falling in a windstorm)
7. Because of Boise's relatively warm winters, we often get a rain/snow mix of big, wet flakes that melts fairly quickly.
8. No. The apps and the local meteorologists are wrong 98% of the time. Take every forecast with a grain of salt... weather will occasionally change drastically by the hour... except in summer. Usually by June/July you'll see this: M 99 T 98 W 97 T 99 F 100 S 101 S 99
Anyone out there who has lived on both areas that can describe the differences in weather between Denver and Boise? The averages show Boise being colder in winter and slightly hotter in summer. But sometimes someone who has lived both places can give a better comparison, as sometimes averages don't tell the whole story. Especially interested in the difference between the Boise and Denver in the winter months. I have hear Boise is more overcast in winter? How overcast is Boise in winter and for what months?
We moved from Colorado Springs (higher elevation than Denver) to Boise in the summer of 2020. Although that's not exactly what you're asking, but the Springs is "in the neighborhood".
Pro's for the TV:
We get less snow here in the Treasure Valley (TV) than what we did in the Springs. Like 1/3 of the snow we got in the Springs.
We get SIGNIFICANTLY less wind events here in TV. In the Springs, being so close to the rockies, the Chinook wind effect would have us with 50-80mph winds that would last a couple of days. There's been 1 or 2 high wind events since I've moved to the TV (40-50mph) that lasted an afternoon, at most through the night.
Daily summer time hail and monsoon's are practically non-existent in the TV.
Less traffic and congestion than any metro on the front range (Springs, Denver, and for sure the I-25 corridor between the 2!)
Want to go play in the snow? You won't be fighting that mess, along with 100s of thousands of other folks, called I-70
The roads!!!! It's like driving on "buttah" here compared to the cracks and pot holes that cover Colorado's roads.
Do you, your family, or guests ever get winded or have dealt with altitude sickness? There's no adjustment needed in the TV being under 3000'.
Con's for the TV:
No international airport... however, it's easy to direct connect to one (SLC, DEN, SFO, LAX, LAS, SEA, pick your poison).
Inversions. Although I don't think they've been that bad since I've been here. Others despise them with a passion.
The TV is basically the ONLY metro within a several hour drive in any direction. There's no cruising up to Ft Collins to hit a brewery, or over to Rocky Mtn NP with guests. If you want to go someplace other than the TV you're driving to SLC or Portland, as an example.
Other notables... like beer? Colorado is known for its' breweries. There's quite a few here as well. Like wine? You don't have to drive over the rockies to get to the Western Slope (Palisade, Grand Junction)... it's a 30-45 minute drive from the TV to the Snake River AVA (aka Sunny Slope). Both the TV and the front range get their fair share of smoke during the fire season.
This is just my $.02 and experience from living in both.
[*]The TV is basically the ONLY metro within a several hour drive in any direction. There's no cruising up to Ft Collins to hit a brewery, or over to Rocky Mtn NP with guests.
I think that is part of the appeal for many people, being the only metro for several hours. There is another thread here at CD about how Denver is one of the most isolated metros in the nation.
In Boise, if you want to drive somewhere out of town to hit a brewery, McCall and Ketchum/Sun Valley are good options. A good place to take guests is basically anywhere in Boise's mountain/forested backyard. Stanley and the Sawtooths are among the most scenic areas anywhere in the west or Lower 48 for that matter.
I think that is part of the appeal for many people, being the only metro for several hours. There is another thread here at CD about how Denver is one of the most isolated metros in the nation.
In Boise, if you want to drive somewhere out of town to hit a brewery, McCall and Ketchum/Sun Valley are good options. A good place to take guests is basically anywhere in Boise's mountain/forested backyard. Stanley and the Sawtooths are among the most scenic areas anywhere in the west or Lower 48 for that matter.
Sun Valley's beautiful snow covered sage brush total white scenery, beats Aspen's brown looking winter mountains hands down. Plus Sun Valley is 2,000 ft. lower in elevation than Aspen, so you won't be dying catching your breath in the high altitude.
Sun Valley's beautiful snow covered sage brush total white scenery, beats Aspen's brown looking winter mountains hands down. Plus Sun Valley is 2,000 ft. lower in elevation than Aspen, so you won't be dying catching your breath in the high altitude.
Sun Valley and Ketchum are beautiful areas for sure. Aspen is too. I think most mountain ski/resort towns are scenic.
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