When can I stop wearing my puffy coat? (Chicago: 2015, violent crime)

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

An average high doesn't mean it's over 70 all day long. The average low for May is 49. If you're not out at the warmest part of the day, you may certainly need a coat at the coldest time of the day.

I'm well aware that a day's High temperature is not the temperature it is for that entire day. And the average low "for May" varies depending on what day in May. You know you can see each individual day any month's historical average highs and lows on the national weather data base, right? On May 1st in Chicago, the average low is 47. In Philadelphia, the average low on May 1st is 49. In Boston, the average low on May 1st is 46. Lots of reliable data out there that is free on the internet.

[Bellamouse]

Don't get too excited. There might be one day maybe in August where you won't need that big coat.... ;D


That said, summers have been much cooler than usual lately. We have a small pool in the yard and we haven't been able to use it for 3 out of 5 of the last summers. Will that trend go away at some point? Probably. But right now we're in a REALLY, REALLY sucky cycle.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by ForYourLungsOnly

I'm well aware that a day's High temperature is not the temperature it is for that entire day. And the average low "for May" varies depending on what day in May. You know you can see each individual day any month's historical average highs and lows on the national weather data base, right?

Indeed I am aware that the data is all available. Like for last year, the lows were:

May 25: 50
May 26: 61
May 27: 58
May 28: 56
May 29: 54
May 30: 53
May 31: 54

[MassVt]

Cool/warm summers are the absolute best...unless you take some perverse joy in sweating to death. I'll never understand that rationale..

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Indeed I am aware that the data is all available. Like for last year, the lows were:

May 25: 50
May 26: 61
May 27: 58
May 28: 56
May 29: 54
May 30: 53
May 31: 54

Last May/June and the previous one as well were very wild with their temperature swings. I recall being on the lake on my birthday (June 14th) and it being something like 52 degrees, which is enough to need a jacket.

And, for what it's worth, I'll take cool summers over sticky and hot ones any day.

[lenniel]

Global cooling?
I used to traditionally go to Wrigley for opening day in April, and 85% of the time the weather was crap.
Between June-Oct, I love Chgo weather, hate the long bitter winters.

[Lookout Kid]

The northern hemisphere is tilting closer to the sun with each passing day, so it has to warm up eventually!

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Indeed I am aware that the data is all available. Like for last year, the lows were:

May 25: 50
May 26: 61
May 27: 58
May 28: 56
May 29: 54
May 30: 53
May 31: 54

Ok? It's normal for many people in most of the Northern USA to wear jackets during the morning and evenings in May. Many don't. You won't see me wear a jacket on a day where the low is 58... Go to whatever city in the Midwest or Northeast that you'd like and search for the weather averages for any given day of any given month. It just blows me away how people in Chicago can't seem to grasp weather or have the ability to look up a few things on google and figure out what the weather is like. I can't tell you how many people on this forum I've seen tell people "you can only be outside for 3 months out of the year" or "You'll need a jacket in August because this one August we had a cool day and I had to wear a jacket". The anecdotes are incredible, and it's even more incredible that so many Chicagoans think that the weather here is so exclusive and nobody else in the country knows what we're dealing with. Just think if you lived in San francisco....The average high in June is only 66! The horror.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by ForYourLungsOnly

Ok? It's normal for many people in most of the Northern USA to wear jackets during the morning and evenings in May. Many don't. You won't see me wear a jacket on a day where the low is 58... Go to whatever city in the Midwest or Northeast that you'd like and search for the weather averages for any given day of any given month. It just blows me away how people in Chicago can't seem to grasp weather or have the ability to look up a few things on google and figure out what the weather is like. I can't tell you how many people on this forum I've seen tell people "you can only be outside for 3 months out of the year" or "You'll need a jacket in August because this one August we had a cool day and I had to wear a jacket". The anecdotes are incredible, and it's even more incredible that so many Chicagoans think that the weather here is so exclusive and nobody else in the country knows what we're dealing with. Just think if you lived in San francisco....The average high in June is only 66! The horror.

I know for sure the OP is a transplant. Not sure about the others on this thread. I would venture a guess that the people who complain the loudest didn't grow up with this, or if they did they're young. I've been around long enough to remember the blizzard in '67 and the very cold snowy winters of '78-79 and '79-80. I was in college during those and one night we stopped 1/2way home on a 4 block walk to warm up. People skiied the streets of Hyde Park. We had some abnormally warm winters in the early 2000's, I think, so younger people haven't had the years of experience with our winters.

Plus the OP is talking about her puffy coat. I don't wear a parka if it's above 20, maybe 25. A few weeks ago it was about 40 and I wore a windbreaker with a sweatshirt and was totally comfortable.

[ForYourLungsOnly]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

I know for sure the OP is a transplant. Not sure about the others on this thread. I would venture a guess that the people who complain the loudest didn't grow up with this, or if they did they're young. I've been around long enough to remember the blizzard in '67 and the very cold snowy winters of '78-79 and '79-80. I was in college during those and one night we stopped 1/2way home on a 4 block walk to warm up. People skiied the streets of Hyde Park. We had some abnormally warm winters in the early 2000's, I think, so younger people haven't had the years of experience with our winters.

Plus the OP is talking about her puffy coat. I don't wear a parka if it's above 20, maybe 25. A few weeks ago it was about 40 and I wore a windbreaker with a sweatshirt and was totally comfortable.

Yes, many of the people I hear complaining are most likely transplants, though I'm sure there are some home bred Chicagoans in there too. It's normal to complain about the weather...humans do it in every city I've ever been in. Even San Diego. I just think it gets ridiculous sometimes. You would think all of these people were 94 year olds who wear sweaters when the temperature matches their age.

To the OP...my advice is to look up the average temperatures for each month, and decide for yourself when it is warm enough for you to stop wearing your puffy coat. Nobody is going to be able to know your tolerance for cold. You may think 70 degrees or less is warranted for a puffy coat. If so, then mid May is when you can start walking around without it in a typical year, though you will often see warm spells beginning in April (sometimes even late March).