Weather question (Cleveland, Cincinnati: how much, transfer, buy)

[A.Mancini]

I am a native Texan and I have lived in Texas my entire life. In November, I will be transferred from Houston to work at the Proctor & Gamble headquarters for approximately 12 to 18 months and maybe even 24. My biggest concern is the weather. I know weather is subjective but how bad are the winters in Cincinnati? There are several people at my job from Ohio; most from the Cleveland area and two from the Cincinnati area and all of them complained about how much the weather sucks up there.

I've heard conflicting opinions from them about the winter season in Cincinnati. I know the weather in Cleveland is bad, but is there a large difference in Cincinnati's weather from Cleveland's. Honestly, when I think of Ohio's weather in general (including Cincinnati),I think of dreary, cloudy weather, and cold snowy winters. I think I read that Cincinnati receives about 20 inches of snow annually but this does not translate for a Texan.

Most of what I heard about the winter weather in Cincinnati is that it does not snow as much as Cleveland, but it can still snow a lot, and it still gets really cold in Cincinnati. The guy from Cincinnati also said that it's also not unusual for it to be cloudy for almost a week straight during the winter time. I know it means nothing coming from a Clevelander but the Cleveland guys said winter is very short and mild in Cincinnati and I have nothing to worry about.

Please let this Texas girl know what it is like during the winter there. The people here make it sound like I am going to freeze to death up there. Please help?

[Ohiogirl81]

It's not that bad, really. It doesn't snow all that much; it rains more than it snows.

Buy yourself some decent winter clothing (boots, gloves, hat, scarf, wool coat) and you'll be just fine. Go to the auto supply store and get a decent snow brush and an ice scraper. You'll need the scraper more than you'll need the brush.

Most people in Cincinnati hate winter just because they're unprepared.

[skippercollector]

I wish I could help you. However, there is no consistency whatsoever in Cincinnati's weather.
Two winters ago we had a number of huge ice storms. Last winter we had the snowiest February in 30 years. But for a number of years before then, it was mild by Cincinnati standards. By that I mean sunny days (or at least sunny mornings or afternoons) in the 30s and 40s.
In other words, how much fur or how many bands of color a woolly worm caterpillar has are about as reliable a predictor of Cincinnati's winters as the local meteorologists.
Two notes of warning: The weather people on the local stations get a little TOO excited (bordering on sexual!) when the weather changes. By that I mean, if there's a slightest chance of a storm (rain, snow, wind, thunderstorms, ice, but most especially tornadoes), they will interrupt the local network programming and not shut up for hours on end. Cable channels are a must to keep your sanity.
Snow is an odd subject in Greater Cincinnati. The streets are narrow, hilly and curvy. We get lots of wet snow and sleet. Traffic can move at 1 or 2 miles an hour for hours. People tend to panic at the sight of one or two flurries. The traffic and the paranoia are far more disturbing than the weather itself around here will ever be.
Good luck!

[A.Mancini]

When does it start to get cold in Cincinnati and is there snow on the ground most of the winter?

[Ohiogirl81]

Generally it doesn't start to get cold until around Thanksgiving. And, as skippercollector said, snow is a rare sight.

[shyspider]

Originally Posted by A.Mancini

When does it start to get cold in Cincinnati and is there snow on the ground most of the winter?

Hell no. Excuse the language, but honestly....NO, there is NOT snow on the ground most of the Winter.

Nothing against you personally, and I see that you are new here, so I especially don't want you to take this personally, but I am SOOOOOO sick and tired of people from around the country saying that Cincinnati winters suck. They do NOT suck. Most of the time, we have highs in the upper 40s - sometimes up to 60 degrees in January. That doesn't mean we don't get snow. We just don't get it the way everyone else in the country seems to think we do. Most of the time, it's just a few inches, which is QUICKLY cleared off the roads - sometimes even before noon. That is if it doesn't melt when it falls. Most of our winter precipitation is rain. Seriously. Granted, we have some winters where we get heavier bands of snow that fall, and will occasionally see freezing rain or sleet. But it always boggles my mind that people are so petrified of our winters. They aren't that bad.

Cleveland is a bit different, of course. They get massively more snow than we do. BUT....you're not going to Cleveland, so don't worry about them.

As for the cloudy days, it is true that in the Winter it can go for a week straight without seeing the sun. In fact, I remember about 11 years ago we went for 3 weeks straight without seeing the sun. But that's very rare. Most days in the Winter...even after it has snowed the night before (and that's when we get most of our snow - at night)...the sun is shining before noon. As for Summer, I can honestly tell you straight up there have been less than 5 days this entire Summer.....LESS THAN FIVE DAYS....in which we didn't see any sun. Even when there are thunderstorms around, the sun has generally come out every day this Summer. In fact, I'm so sick of seeing the sun that I wish we WOULD see a week of straight clouds. It would be a welcome respite.

Truly, don't worry about the weather around here.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by A.Mancini

When does it start to get cold in Cincinnati and is there snow on the ground most of the winter?

Cincinnati has terrible winter weather. It is very undependable. Unlike our neighbors to the north where you just expect snow on the ground from DEcember 15 through February 15, Cincinnati is about as likely to have a beautiful 50 degree day in December as not.

Some winters pass with two or three measurable snowfalls, some with several weeks of continuous snow on the ground. It gets really cold here sometimes, 10F BELOW ZERO. And sometimes not.

The hills around Cincinnati make it chaotic when weather strikes with traffic jams and scholl closings and all sorts of stuff one would not see in Michigan or Iowa or norther Illinois.

But, you know most of us who have been around here for a while love the uncertainty and serendipity that Cincinnati weather has. Instead of a 3 month winter of drab gray days, we know it is likely that there will be a day to play outside even in January or Spring will start too early, or we will wake up to a scene like this:

[skippercollector]

You're probably noticing that you're getting an extreme disparity in your answers. The Cincinnati forum has had other discussions recently regarding the summer we are having. People either love it or hate it. I suspect that those of us who love summer, especially 2010's, are the ones who are telling you horror stories about winter, and vice versa.
The truth is, your physical and mental temperament are just as much a factor in perceiving what the weather is like as in any statistics you will read.

[A.Mancini]

Lol. Yes, I have noticed the variety of answers I am getting. It's not unexpected though since I know everyone has varying opinions on the type of weather they like. Oh well, I'll just take it in strides. It will be good to experience a change anyway.

That's a lot of snow in that picture, but it is very nice to look at. Is that in Cincinnati?

[Gwenular]

I agree with Ohiogirl81. If you buy yourself some good winter clothes, jacket, etc., you will be fine.

I have only gone through one winter here and although it was not a normal winter for Cincinnati, lots of snow and it did get cold, it really wasn't that bad, although I am used to winters like the past one. Most of the storms we had the snow was melted before I was able to go out and shovel and I liked that. Of course if there is a lot of snow on the ground, that won't happen.

It's really not that bad. Winters are usually dreary to begin with, so it's just a part of life and something to get used to, just like the hot and humid summers which I'm not used to.