Sun
A yearly average of 300 days of sun. High-altitude sun means sunscreen. Use it. Lip balm with sunscreen is also advised. The great thing about the strength of the sun is that melts snow pretty rapidly. All that sun means glare can get bad. Make sure you have sunglasses in the car, and just know that sun glare does cause some accidents here. Traffic often slows down when you are driving into the sun (so the West-East in the morning and East-West in the afternoon commute can be slower than you might think).
Drought
There are usually water restrictions in place that limit water outdoor water use. It can be so dry that if you don’t keep your grass, trees and shrubs regularly watered during pretty much any time of the year they will die. This can also make gardening difficult for those of you who like to use your green thumb.
Rapid Weather Change:
“Don’t like the weather? Wait 5 minutes, it will change!” Layers are great! It is wise to keep an “Emergency Kit” in your car. If you decide to go hiking make sure to plan your route, do your research, and bring a bag with emergency items including layers in case the weather changes; Being unprepared can be dangerous if you are far from civilization.
Winter
Having an emergency kit is a great idea especially when traveling into the mountains during winter. I would suggest bringing some bottles of water, blanket, extra warm clothing, first aide kit, lighter, flashlight, and kitty litter.
Be prepared to spend time in traffic if you plan on going into he mountains for the weekend.
Also be aware that in the winter certain roads permanently or temporarily close due to hazardous conditions. In addition to closures, there are time that you might be required to have tire chains or Four-wheel drive. CDOT’s website has a great interactive map to check for updates before you leave (https://www.cotrip.org/map.htm).