Why I Hate Colder Climates

[Grizz]

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!!

Amen, +1

 

[Free To Canoe]

For me, a big part of it is the lack of sunlight. The days are so short in the dead of winter. It's dark when I leave to go to w*rok, it's dark when I come home... it's depressing. Add to the fact that you're virtually trapped indoors all the time as its so punishingly cold outside, and I long for the day when I never have to live through another miserable winter.

I have lived in both climates. Now that I am back in four seasons I realize that I am restricted indoors during the short sunlight days and fully enjoy the longest days in temperate weather while those in "warmer" climates are trapped inside with their AC.

 

[audreyh1]

We're not trapped inside with our ACs all day by any means. We have the early mornings to enjoy, and lovely long evenings. It's only during the middle of the day you don't want to be outside in the sun, and that doesn't mean you can't drive somewhere and enjoy restaurants, shopping, etc. Lots of people go to the pool. If it's breezy, it's not bad in the shade even in the hotter hours. I've often grilled outside in the late morning while I have shade in my courtyard - no big deal.

I just don't get why people think we never go outside during the summer in the south. By no means are we trapped indoors in AC 24/7.

 

[EllisWyatt]

Lived three years in South Dakota (reminds me of the old vaudeville joke -"I spent a month in Buffalo last week"). My last year there had 120 consecutive days below freezing. 30 consecutive days it went below zero.

What I don't miss: Having to plug in your car at night so it would start. Nightfall at 4pm. Day break at 9 am. Shoveling snow. Having to carry survival gear (blankets, candles, etc.) so if you stuck ina ditch you won't die. Bare hands getting stuck to door handles. Ground blizzards with zero visiblity (happens even when it's not snowing - just the wind blowing the stuff around). No bikinis from September through May (okay, I just threw that one in for fun).

When we left, I made a pact with God that I would never complain about being too hot if I never was so cold again - and I never have, even in the middle of the Rub al Khali desert.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

I don't like pants.

 

[Meadbh]

My last year there had 120 consecutive days below freezing. 30 consecutive days it went below zero.

There's a difference?
Oh right, not Centigrade.....

 

[Kroeran]

where is the snowbird discussion in these here parts?

from Canada, it is not uncommon to sell the house in town, live at the cottage during the summer, and go to Florida for the winter.

Personally, I would just move to SW Florida, but the wife cannot get her head around switching to American health care.

I find heat can be uncomfortable, but never depressing. I find 90% of my (now retired one month) day emotionally is tied to blue skies and temps above about 65F.

 

[travelover]

..........Oh right, not Centigrade.....

Oh, "C" stand for Centigrade.

I always thought it stood for Canadian.

 

[LeavingOhio]

I HATE winter with a passion which is why my username here is "LeavingOhio". The lack of sunlight is a big part of it, but it's also just the cold. In most average homes, you can crank up the heat, but it's not on all the time, and you can (and I do) still get cold inside...hard to keep feet warm even with thick socks. Unless I wear long johns (which i don't want to do), my legs definitely get cold. The snow shoveling is bad, the driving is bad. I agree with some of the others who say they would rather be too hot than too cold. If I'm HOT, I can go to the pool or take a cold shower or sit in the AC, and that does it for me. When I'm cold, it's VERY difficult to feel comfortable...the heat doesn't do as good a job as the AC, a hot shower loses it's effectiveness very quickly (and the tub might be cold anyway). I can not wait to move away from Ohio in just 14 more years...maybe fewer depending on where the kids end up.

I'm not overly fond of yard work though, so I may have to have a desert landscape...this points me to New Mexico or Arizona or Nevada as possible retirement spots. Winter weather is just awful. I liked playing in the snow as a kid, but even then, I much preferred summer and warmer weather.

 

[kcowan]

Oh, "C" stand for Centigrade.

I always thought it stood for Canadian.

It might have to stand for every country in the world except the USA, Belize and miscellaneous. Actually C is for Celsius.

 

[travelover]

It might have to stand for every country in the world except the USA, Belize and miscellaneous. Actually C is for Celsius.

Maybe we can all just compromise and go to the Kelvin scale.

 

[EllisWyatt]

Hmmm..... I think that would still be "C", as in the "Calvin Scale"......

 

[EllisWyatt]

I've had the pleasure (?) of experiencing a range of temperatures from -38F (-38C) in South Dakota to 120F(50C) in Saudi. Both are brutal, but at least with the heat you can survive with a bit of shade and lots of water. In the cold, major concern was frostbite, which is hard to completely protect yourself from.

I'll still take the heat, thank you......

 

[Bruce]

More people in the world die from cold than heat. And unless you like winter sports, it has been shown to be unhealthy to sit around the house not getting enough exercise...people have a tendency to be more active in the warmer months...

 

[ls99]

Maybe we can all just compromise and go to the Kelvin scale.

0 Kelvin, absolutely kool!

 

[ls99]

More people in the world die from cold than heat. And unless you like winter sports, it has been shown to be unhealthy to sit around the house not getting enough exercise...people have a tendency to be more active in the warmer months...

Heh, dieing from cold only hurts for a little while.

I have been in hypothermia in Alaska several times. Could have just gone to sleep for a loooong time. But dammit, they thawed me out.

On second thought, it is a good thing, else I would have never learned to skate.

 

[brewer12345]

More people in the world die from cold than heat. And unless you like winter sports, it has been shown to be unhealthy to sit around the house not getting enough exercise...people have a tendency to be more active in the warmer months...

That isn't a real hard problem to fix. Dress appropriately and get outside!

 

[freebird5825]

More people in the world die from cold than heat. And unless you like winter sports, it has been shown to be unhealthy to sit around the house not getting enough exercise...people have a tendency to be more active in the warmer months...

[channel Mr Rogers' voice] Can you say Snow Shovel ? I knew you could.

 

[brewer12345]

[channel Mr Rogers' voice] Can you say Snow Shovel ? I knew you could.

SNow shovel? Where is teh fun in that? Insulated hiking boots, several layers, hiking/survival pack, a rifle if that is your idea of fun, and ito the woods!

 

[freebird5825]

SNow shovel? Where is teh fun in that? Insulated hiking boots, several layers, hiking/survival pack, a rifle if that is your idea of fun, and ito the woods!

I prefer xcountry skiing. My hands (carpal tunnel, tendinitis) have actually recovered, after 5.5 years of FIRE, to the point where I think I can get back to that.

 

[Cato]

I found the strange silence of winter surprising and unexpected - no dogs barking, no bird sounds, and no insect sounds and snow seems to act as a natural sound absorber.

In the middle of winter at -20 C or lower, water vapor from car exhausts does not evaporate and the excess of water vapor creates an eerie foglike appearance with halos around the street lights - and in the somber gloom of evening looks like the setting for a thriller movie.

 

[samclem]

I found the strange silence of winter surprising and unexpected - no dogs barking, no bird sounds, and no insect sounds and snow seems to act as a natural sound absorber.

Yes. Or seeing everything transformed overnight by the year's first snowfall. It's beautiful, peaceful, and makes one very appreciative of having a warm home.

 

[brewer12345]

I prefer xcountry skiing. My hands (carpal tunnel, tendinitis) have actually recovered, after 5.5 years of FIRE, to the point where I think I can get back to that.

I have not tried it, but will eventually. I did buy a pair of snowshoes, which should be amusing.

 

[haha]

I have not tried it, but will eventually. I did buy a pair of snowshoes, which should be amusing.

And exhausting. Fun, but very tiring. Also, take an avalanche course before you venture out into the mountains on snowshoes or skis. Our intuitive understanding is not really enough to be safe, and you really do not want to get avalanched.

Ha

 

[kramer]

I have been living mostly abroad for about 5 years and prefer tropical climates. I don't find any climate in the USA optimal for year around living, as I find the winters too cold.

I actually tried to google before to find why so many Americans seem to prefer cold climates. I never want to see snow again. I grew up in the American Midwest (South Dakota, Iowa and Kansas). Now I find even Southern California too cool for me except in the summer (which is when I always try to visit).

Anyway, I find the climate to my liking here in the Philippines. I rarely use air conditioning (instead I use just fans). It is 2:30 in the afternoon here. My living room is 85 degrees, I have a fan running, and it is 64% humidity. I have windows on both sides for light and air flow and it is slightly overcast outside (the normal here). For me, this is about as comfortable as it gets. I am in shorts and will be leaving on my motorcycle now (no jacket needed!), the temperature only goes down to about 78 degrees in the middle of the night. Ah, the good life. I will go running in the early evening (admittedly, I would find 75 degrees the perfect temp for an intense run, versus the 82 degrees that I will encounter). But then I sweat more and lose more salt, ha ha.

Tomorrow afternoon I have my regular poker game, we play all afternoon. We play outside on my friend's covered patio near the pool. We usually run a ceiling fan. It is great year around. I have said goodbye to the cold forever in retirement.