the north = cold/snow

[tamezin]

I have had a handfull of people already freak out about the cold...Hello this is Montana. Sure, this part has the milder winter (southern/bottom area of the state) but it does get cold and snowy here. The fact that people freak out about this....makes me sad for them.

Funny...I was just talking to my daughter about Montana yesterday. I grew up there but I have lived in the mid-west for 20 years. The first two years I lived here, I never wore a winter coat, as far as I was concerned it never got cold enough for one.

Now after so long, I freeze all the time. My daughter asked me what I did when I lived in Montana. I tried to explain it was different because I was used to it. She just couldn't understand how anyone could get used to 20 below 0 or even just 0 degree'd winters.

She wants to go on vacation to MT in the winter so she can see for herself, I told her no, cause if we take a winter vacation, I want to be home before the spring thaw.



Stay warm

[BarbieGirl]

I've spent the last 18 winters in western washington and all the schools close down for an inch or so of snow, we were always so bored those days, coming from Utah where we actually had to walk home from school in a foot of snow in a blizzard. Although last year was crazy and we got 8" to around a foot of snow. I'm curious as to what this year will bring as we just moved to Boise, the last monday of september it was 90* and this last monday it was 50* even had a touch of snow over the weekend or so I hear, I was in Utah park city with snow and rain there (YUCK!!) I can handle rain or snow by themselves but not so much together.

[EricKei]

liquid sunshine in a can

I am assuming that this "sunshine" is comprised partially or wholly of boozeahol. ^_^ I will very disappointed if this turns out not to be the case.

[Andara Bledin]

We do usually drop below freezing 1-5 days a year, tho. That, in and of itself, should give you an idea of what we laughingly call "Winter".

I swear we don't really have Fall, either. The trees all seem to be either green or dead, no pretty changing colors in-between. Hmph.

We have the same temperature situation, but without so much humidity. You can keep your humidity, thanks.

That whole color change thing is mostly due to the length of the days, so you'll get that more spectacularly further north. That's why Vermont has such a spectacular fall season. We do get that a bit some here, but it's more subdued.

^-.-^

[Jester]

What's snow?

The consensus seemed to be that the moment you cross the Pennsylvania border, everything southward is a radiant vision of sun-kissed palm trees swaying in a tropical breeze.

Amusingly, I live in a place that IS a radiant vision of sun-kissed palm trees swaying in a tropical breeze. That being said, there are times it does get cold down here. Sure, it's only 40s and 50s F, which is cold for this place, and while northerners will scoff while reading this, keep in mind that when the wind comes off the Atlantic, with no land anywhere around us to slow it down, it is colder than you would think. I have had people from very northern states (New York, Michigan, Minnesota) bitch about how cold it was a couple times here.

I find it amusing that people get pissed about it being cold here. Yes, even the Florida Keys do have a winter. A short winter, lasting only a few weeks, but a winter nonetheless. Yet more proof that you should always check the weather report before you go somewhere.

I find it amusing and surprising that people bitch about it when it rains down here. "It's the Florida Keys, it's supposed to be warm and sunny!" Hello, it's the tropics. Thus, it rains. A lot. Pretty much by definition.

I went to school in Buffalo, so I'm kind of blasé about snow.

Ah, my poor ex-roommate Space Cadet. He's originally from Atlanta, and spent several years in Key West. A while back, he moved back to Atlanta, and somehow met and became involved with a girl from Buffalo....and moved there last March. And now, his first real Buffalo winter approaches.

I know it can get cold in Georgia. I know this. But this is a Southern boy who has never really dealt with THAT kind of cold, and my roommate Mr. Anti-Social and I are giggling trying to picture his face as he realizes what his love and/or lust have gotten him into as the winter gets deeper and colder up there.

We are considering sending him an amusing care package, including liquid sunshine in a can, tropical postcards, sunglasses, etc. Just to remind him of where he is, and where he isn't.

[EricKei]

Heeheehee

We do have kinda the opposite problem the during the rest of the year, tho -- It's pretty much always humid, even in Winter (makes windbreakers, or, as we call them, "winter coats", less effective) --

It's not even "summer", per se, anymore, and we still get heat. There have been days within the past WEEK where I've had to "let the heat out of my car" first thing in the AM before I leave the house >_<

A teacher in college once remarked that "Back home [in Japan], we have FOUR seasons! Here, you only have Summer and Winter!" -- I wish she was joking. In an unusually warm year, that becomes "Summer and February". We do usually drop below freezing 1-5 days a year, tho. That, in and of itself, should give you an idea of what we laughingly call "Winter".

I swear we don't really have Fall, either. The trees all seem to be either green or dead, no pretty changing colors in-between. Hmph.

[Mike Taylor]

The last time it snowed down this far South was 1977.

But yeah, when I lived in Chicago the city only shut down for blizzard conditions... and never for more than a day or two. I remember coming into work downtown and encountering snowdrifts taller than me.

[protege]

Last winter was actually pretty mild. At least here. Sure, we got several days of intense snow, but for the most part...wasn't too bad. There was about a foot or so on the driveway (twice), but at least there wasn't any ice in-between the snow-jobs Of course, right around Christmas...it was 70F. No snow, and warm enough I could drive the MG (which doesn't have a heater, BTW) in shorts. That didn't last too long--about a week later, it was in the 30s.

[Midorikawa]

Do be careful. A charming bit of information about extreme cold. Under about -20 or so bones don't fracture, they shatter. mrDrone sat on the qdeck of his barracks in Great Lakes naval Training Center and watched a guy slip on the ice, a crew of corpsmen come out to pick him up, and one of them wipe out as well. Major reconstructive surgery ensues. The recruit was released, they couldn't repair his ankle enough to qualify for boot camp. The corpsman had his arm in a frame for several months and ended up with all sorts of screws and plates. That was the day that the thermometer broke, it doesn't go below -30. Apparently it was -40 before the wind chill

/me snuggles the cat and a hot cocoa at the thought

Whoa...That's enough to scare me inside for the rest of winter. O_o

[blas]

I blame everyone in this thread for even mentioning the s-word.

Why, you ask?

There is a slight chance of that dreaded s-word this weekend. As if a temperature plunge from 70s/80s in September down to 40s the past week and a half weren't enough of a reality check.

[Shalom]

I went to school in Buffalo, so I'm kind of blasé about snow. In the four years I was in Western NY, I can remember them closing the school only once, and that wasn't even for snow, but because the 290 was a solid sheet of ice and there wasn't any way to get onto the campus without skates.

(Although Buffalo has an unfair reputation for winter weather. Rochester gets more snow than Buffalo every year, and Syracuse routinely beats both of them. It isn't even that cold there, about the same as NYC where I grew up, because it's right on the lake and that moderates the temperature. Yet when I told people I was moving there, everyone was saying "Man, you're gonna freeze." Come on guys, it's not Alaska, or even Montana. I'm not sure what it is, maybe it's that Buffalo has an NFL team, so people all over the country can put on their TVs and see 80,000 maniacs sitting in the stands with snow up to their tuchuses. Thing is, the stadium isn't even in Buffalo, it's in Orchard Park, south of the city, and it does snow more down there.)

[Salted Grump]

You get snow days?

Technically, it's less 'Snow day' and more 'Stay off the road if you want to live day'

[AccountingDrone]

I'm not a "wuss", as I can handle cold, but sheesh. I've never seen < 0F before now.

Do be careful. A charming bit of information about extreme cold. Under about -20 or so bones don't fracture, they shatter. mrDrone sat on the qdeck of his barracks in Great Lakes naval Training Center and watched a guy slip on the ice, a crew of corpsmen come out to pick him up, and one of them wipe out as well. Major reconstructive surgery ensues. The recruit was released, they couldn't repair his ankle enough to qualify for boot camp. The corpsman had his arm in a frame for several months and ended up with all sorts of screws and plates. That was the day that the thermometer broke, it doesn't go below -30. Apparently it was -40 before the wind chill

/me snuggles the cat and a hot cocoa at the thought

[Midorikawa]

I grew up in northwest Texas. We got ice storms, and no more than 2-3 inches of snow, that was always gone by 10AM. One winter when I was in high school, we got 4 inches of snow, and the entire city shut down. Snow day for us...except...the snow was almost gone by the time I got back up after getting up at 6 to see school cancelled. I had enough snow in the front yard for 2 snow balls, and that was about it. Had the rest of the day to do nothing.

...Now, I live just south of Salt Lake City, and I tell you, growing up in West Texas desert and moving here has been...interesting. I grew a caveman beard to compensate, and still froze my marbles off. This winter should be interesting, too. I'm not a "wuss", as I can handle cold, but sheesh. I've never seen < 0F before now.

[hotelslave]

Heck in Northern VA schools are delayed and or cancelled for an inch of snow. Loved it as a kid until June came around. Now working retail hate it lol