Why I Hate Colder Climates

[Frugalityisthenewblack]

I hate the cold..scraping ice off the windshield every morning before work for many months of the year....I love Canada but I will be a snowbird as soon as i cn!!

[MichaelB]

My preference is a higher altitude city close to the equator, such as Caracas or Bogota. The altitude offsets the tropical heat and makes for a very pleasant climate, there's a good amount of rain so the cities are green, amazing tropical beaches are still nearby, and the proximity to the equator makes for a more even amount of daylight throughout the year.

[unclemick]

98 degrees right now - should chill to 84 by the time it's dark enough to shoot off my fireworks. Some of us never grow old.

Vancouver(the one near Portland), Seattle, Denver, Long Island, Baltimore, Huntsville(Alabama), New Orleans, and Kansas City.

Where you are at is where you are at. Growing up, school, working and retirement. I still view climate as a challenge to be met versus picking a climate.

I keep saying one day I will pick the 'perfect place' but finding ways to deal with the climate I'm in is still fun - so far.

Heh heh heh - knock on wood no health issues dictating a climate relocation.

[Grainiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB My preference is a higher altitude city close to the equator, such as Caracas or Bogota. The altitude offsets the tropical heat and makes for a very pleasant climate, there's a good amount of rain so the cities are green, amazing tropical beaches are still nearby, and the proximity to the equator makes for a more even amount of daylight throughout the year.

That's interesting. Presuming that this applies to other continents as well, what would be some qualifying cities outside of Latin America

[Goonie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grainiac For someone who spends all the non-frozen months evenings and weekends gardening I am extremely happy for living in a climate where I have very low likelihood for running into poisonous snakes, scorpions, fire-ants, and such. Our 7-8 month thaw season here is plenty long for me, and I am more than ready to take a break on gardening and transfer to my inside hobbies by November. Having lived 68% of my years in areas with a "real" winter, I have learned to deal with it quite well. Regarless, I like spending one week in the middle of every winter somewhere where temperatures get above 50 F during the day, just to warm my bones a bit.

+1

I've spent the entirety of my 55 years here on the homestead in northern Illinois, and LOVE all 4 seasons.....even Winter!!! As a kid I spent most of my waking hours outdoors playing, regardless of whether it was extremely hot or extremely cold. I've always loved our cold and snow here. It didn't matter whether I was in the snow playing or working.

I worked primarily outdoors for the first 17 years after high school, so got to fully experience what every season of all of those years had to offer. I nearly always preferred working in the cold weather rather than the hot weather. I learned how to dress for the cold....multiple thin layers!!! Two winters of trudging through snow, sleet, slush, and extreme cold as a meter reader wasn't overly fun, but it never really bothered me either. In fact it was much more bearable than doing the same job when it was hot and humid.

After my stint as a meter reader, I spent the next 15 years as the low man on the totem pole on a maintenance crew. As such, I got all of the hottest jobs during the summer, and all of the coldest jobs during the winter. My normal daily routine started with 2 hours washing outdoor wastewater tanks with a 1-1/2" hose hooked to a hydrant.....even in sub-zero weather!

I still enjoy being outdoors in the winter! I love snow! And I don't mind cold at all! I enjoy shoveling snow, and rarely use our snow blower. Many times after shoveling, I sit on he patio and bird watch!!! Did I mention that I enjoy being outdoors?! And like Grainiac, winter gives me a much needed break from the gardens, and time to spend on my indoor hobbies (and planning for the next year's gardens).

My cars sit out all year with no problems, and I have never had to use jumper cables or change a battery in the winter. Our city uses hundreds of tons of salt on the streets just about every winter.....NO sand.....and I've experienced no corrosion problems on our vehicles in decades. (I don't wash the cars during the winter either....and very seldom in other seasons.) As for scraping ice of the car windows......I don't!!! We have 'remote starts' on both cars, so I just hit he button on my key ring and the car starts up with the defrosters on. In about 15 minutes the ice/snow has melted off, and I'm ready to head out. And I don't mind driving in snow either, probably due to the fact that in HS I had Drivers' Ed in December and January....in the snow, and then drove a maintenance truck, a snowplow, or a pickup for 32 years.

I love the cold, i love the snow, I love Winter!!!!

[dr_popeye]

I used to live in Canada, moved to Queensland Australia (>300days of sunshine usually). Now I am in Melbourne where the winters are dark and dreary and wet. I almost prefer the Canadian winters. Many people get seasonal affective disorder where the sheer lack of sunlight in the winter months gives them a sub clinical depression. I am certainly wanting to move back to QLD now, but the culture of Melbourne is much better. One thing I noticed is that in a place with 300 + days of sunshine you miss the seasons.

[xyz]

I hope I did the picture post correctly but I think the picture will say it all... As I looked at this photo last week it reminded me why I will not spend another winter up north.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xyz [...] but I think the picture will say it all....[...]

Perhaps to you it evokes strong emotions and says it all, from your point of view. But it doesn't do that to me, looks kind of pretty so maybe you could verbalize it too. (?)

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Perhaps to you it evokes strong emotions and says it all, from your point of view. But it doesn't do that to me, looks kind of pretty so maybe you could verbalize it too. (?)

It looks pretty refreshing to me right now (we are also having a heat wave here in the MidWest - fortunately the humidity is not too bad).

-ERD50

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by My Dream Well I live up where some would consider NORTH, it's actually Toronto Ontario Canada. At the moment it's around 95 F and I don't have a problem with that, I prefer the heat to the cold and last winter was actually mild. In some parts of the US it was much colder then we got, go figure. To boot we hardly got any snow last winter. I'll take some of the Texas heat, as long as I can get into an A/C house to cool down every so often and have an ice cold libation. Bring it on!

I'm not sure if we have any of that there kinda stuff in Texas....



But come on ovah...we'll look in mah pantry.....

[MichaelB]

Here's some photos from when we had moved from Venezuela to NY and just moved into a recently purchased house. First house we ever owned. IIRC it was still late November or early December. The first photo is what I like least about winter - shoveling. The second (same storm) I sent to a good friend in Venezuela who wrote and asked if I was ready to return. The sign, a popular political slogan at that time, says "not one step back"

[audreyh1]

No more cold for me! 5 years full timing was all it took to get me to swear off the cold winter months. Even if moderate temps during the day 60 or 50, I hated nights going down into the twenties. I love the winters in the valley - being able to spend loads of time out doors, few freezes, blooming plants all winter (even if interrupted it's a very short time due to a hard freeze). I complain bitterly when I have to visit family in winter and outdoor time is restricted due cold outdoor temps and very cold nights. I don't like the bare trees and brown grass of winter. I don't like having to deal with extra clothes, coats, etc.

Even here in the summer the early mornings and evenings are fine. Cooking outdoors is fine even if it's hot. I think I've gotten very "thin-blooded" too and used to warm.

Don't even talk to me about snow or ice! I want nothing to do with it.

[Chelhxi]

Where I am in Canada (Winnipeg) it is commonly below -20C Dec-Feb. If it's only -20C that's not too bad. But the weeks of -40C that happen sometimes get pretty tedious.

I'd prefer a warmer climate because I'm a person who is ALWAYS cold. Yes, I can heat my car, but only as much as my husband can tolerate when he's with me. And I can heat my house, but I'm just not comfortable below 25C if I'm inactive, which is of course way hotter than normal indoor temperatures. At the office I wear long underwear under my work clothes pretty much November to March. And then sometimes in the summer because of the air conditioning. I can never wear short pants or a skirt to work. At least in the summer I can go outside to warm up. In the 9 months of not-summer I don't have that option.

When I lived in Edmonton, which has colder summer than here, it was only 25C for a week or two. Which meant I could only wear shorts outside for 1-2 weeks a year. Not enough. Winters are hard here, but summers are hot - lots of 30C plus days. I love it.

So that is why I dislike cold climates. I want to early retire so I don't have to be cold at work anymore.

[Purron]

Yeah, DH and I have been through some cold weather stuff here in the DC area. We'll never forget "snowmageddon" back in 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpxiCxO5k0g

Could have been worse though...that is if you live down under :-)

Antarctica Condition 1 Weather - YouTube

[Midpack]

It hit 100F with lots of humidity here in Chicagoland today, forecast says 102F mañana. If I'm gonna put up with shoveling 30-60 inches of snow each winter, walking/driving on ice/snow (hazardous as we age and fall), and not being able to do my preferred outside activities for 3-6 months a year - you'd think we get moderate summers in exchange.

If global warming proves out, we may end up in a moderate climate area without moving. .

Since we've lived in TX, NJ, RI, OH, FL, WA, IN and Germany, we have a pretty good idea what we like. YMMV, no right answer of course...

[sunnysideup]

Spent all of my life in the northeast except many beach vacations in warmer weather.

Have found that in getting older, the cold can be painful, and as pretty as snow is, don't like dealing with snow, or driving with ice, or black ice. Don't really enjoy sweaters as much as I used to either.

DH and I really enjoy sitting outside at night and eating al fresco, but we are so limited here in NJ to about 8-10 weeks. We like gardening and it's also a limited season. We want to move to a warmer climate to leave winter behind, and enjoy the things we love for a greater portion of the year. Spring and fall are okay, just not interested in winter anymore!

I can definitely understand why people love northern climates, but I guess it's different strokes for different folks!

[Brat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I don't understand why people would put up with "extreme climates" of any nature. ...

I agree. Yes Portland has many overcast days but extreme weather of any type is rare. If we want cold in the winter, very warm in the summer we just drive 100 miles to the east, over the Cascade Mountains.

[veremchuka]

I love winter.


You couldn't pay me to go down south and forget living there! I have been to Florida 3 times and hated just about every minute. No pythons, fire ants, gators or kudzu here! Seldom ever have a tornado or hurricane.


I'm never cold in cold weather but I suffer in heat and especially detest humidity. I never get sick summer or winter. I heat with a wood stove and I am very comfortable all winter and often go out for firewood on the deck in a t shirt, shorts (as in underwear shorts) and sneakers with socks. It is invigorating. I get excited come late October and especially in November, I get depressed in March. I like snow but freezing rain I could do without but it is beautiful especially at sun rise and sun set. I love short days and long nights, I wish the days were shorter in winter. Driving is no big deal, I put snow tires on all 4 wheels of my Accord and drive sensibly. My electric bills are high due to A/C in summer but I spend almost nothing for heating oil all year.


I grow a lot of my food so summer has some use but I need to dig garlic soon and I dread it being over 90 with dew point of 65-73, I prefer to work when it is below 50. I can go out in winter and not break a sweat working and that is enjoyable, I seldom go out in summer except to do necessary garden work and mow the grass.


xyz, great picture I wish I could step outside onto your porch. Ah the winter of 2010 was like they were when I was a kid, this past winter was like winter on 10/28 then it was spring until 6/20. Great climate here, except for summer.

[xyz]

Here's one from the front view of the house. Note it is rather difficult to utilize the RV in the snow.. Although we did take it to Indiana in February for some upgrades that year. Temps were 5 below but it was nice and warm in the coach... I guess I don't mind the cold so much as I do the snow. We had almost no snow this year and winter was alot easier to take. I do have to say Spring and Fall here are the best seasons.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mb In Maryland I preferred the winters to the summers. The winters were not that cold and you can always put on more layers but the summers are uncomfortable not matter what you wear.

I hated every minute of the weather of my Maryland incarceration. There was one January where I had to walk from USNA's Severn River seawall back to the nearest underground passage to Bancroft Hall-- a distance of maybe 100 yards across open ground with 40-knot winds. I thought I was going to freeze solid and lock up before I made it to shelter.

Three decades later, that time of year is still referred to by midshipmen as the "Dark Ages". It took nearly three more months for my morale to thaw out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Perhaps to you it evokes strong emotions and says it all, from your point of view. But it doesn't do that to me, looks kind of pretty so maybe you could verbalize it too. (?)

"Been there, done that, don't wanna do it again"...?