Originally Posted by preppyboyofIL
In response to posts disagreeing with me... Yes it's true Chicago's winters are no fun... For one with a degree in meteorology, I can tell you that I knew I would get much grief from people who think Chicago's winters are so horrible...
Truth is this, when compared with cities such as Minneapolis, Buffalo, Syracuse, Cleveland, Boston, and nearby Milwaukee; Chicago's winters are a joke. Everyone whines and complains about the littlest things such as 6 inches of snow or temps dipping for two-three days into the single digits, yet here's the truth, winters are very cloudy here and yes it does snow. Alot? NO! Regardless of what people tell you. Don't believe me? Then research it yourself through a credible source like Noaa, the almanac, or the National Weather Service.
Does it brutally cold? Yes it can, however it is uncommon hence the reason that Chicago gets placed under things like wind chill advisories sometimes where other cities wouldn't think of such a thing without temps dipping to -20F. Temps can get down as low as -20 here, but that is uncommon and when it does happen it happens usually at 5AM, then on those days it will warm up to a high of about 5F. Cold? Indeed! But not as cold as what Chicagoans compare themselves to when it comes to other cities.
Chicago media makes big deals out of what they call "snowstorms or blizzards" as they call it on the evening news for storms that produce 6-10 inches of snow, a tally that cities on the east coast would consider light snow or flurries.
That being said, here's the bottom line, it's all about what you are used to. If you were born and raised in lets say Memphis, Miami, Atlanta, or Dallas, then yes our winters are going to be tough to swallow, but if you have been subjected to those winters of the northeast where "nor-easters" swing up the coastline burrying people's cars and even houses with snow and winds up to 60MPH, then this Chicago's winters are going to be a breeze.
AND... For the person who made the comment about Chicago's downtown or areas near the lake having a more moderate climate.... UMMMMM, NOT AT ALL!!! Yes the outdoor temperature reading might be on a December day higher by perhaps 5-10 degrees, however Chicago's skyscrapers create whats known as a "wind-tunnel effect" on it's downtown streets thus creating biting wind chill effects that are usually 10-15 degrees lower than that of the surrounding burbs where winds are typically lighter. AND... The Loop's/downtown's close proximity to the lake creates much more cloudiness so lack of sunlight would also usually result in lower temperatures with the exception of nightime readings where cloudiness would actually hold the "heat" in or down if you will, and reduce it's escape out into outer space.
As for the urban heat island... This has become such an issue of severity/priority that Mayor Daley has made making Chicago a "green" city a top priority of his, not because he likes how clean and pretty the city will look, but because Chicago's urban heat island is now one of the worst in the country proved in 1995 with hundreds of people loosing their lives to extreme temperatures fueled by the urban heat island effect. The fact is this is only getting worse as the entire metro area continues to pave over once green farm land for things like malls and parking lots.
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08-13-2007, 10:43 PM
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