How rough are the winters? (Idaho Falls: 2014, home, transfer to)

[finsfan21]

I am possibly accepting a transfer to Idaho Falls for my job. I grew up in the farthest north region of California (Redding.) We have wanted to move to an area with conservative values and great outdoors options like Redding was when I grew up. My concern is the cold. It snows a little in Redding every year, but not much. I lived in Mt Shasta for a year as well and it was not an issue. I read about average lows and highs for the region, but the actual feel for heat or cold can really vary depending on wind, humidity, etc. So I ask you, What can I expect?
Thank you all for any feedback, advice, etc.
Kerry

[cleosmom]

With having an arid climate here, the Winters can feel brutal. It's not uncommon during Winter to have temps below zero and adding the wind chill factor it can be anywhere from -1 to -30 below zero F.

[macadamia9]

I literally just moved here from Bakersfield, CA, arriving very late Sunday evening (August 31, 2014)

To put the area in perspective (albeit my extremely limited perspective...), here is the current temperature (it's 08:00 am, 9/4/14):

Idaho Falls, ID: 36F
Bakersfield, CA: 72F
San Clemente, CA: 70F (where I will live again after winning the lottery... LOL!)
Redding, CA: 77F
Chicago, IL: 75F
International Falls, MN: 57F (I use this as an example since it is usually the coldest place in the US during the winter...)

Now, before all you meteorologists jump all over me and say it is just the high pressure region parked over northeastern Idaho and the cold front that just passed through, it probably is just that... However, having lived in Bakersfield, CA for the past year and San Clemente, CA (about 1/2 way between San Diego and Los Angeles, right on the coast) for the 11 years before that, it's still damn cold for an early September morning...

[banjomike]

Yes it is!
While this is early for nights to be this cold, it's common to get a killing freeze by mid to late September. A freezing night is important to the potato crop, as it stops the growth of the plant and allows the mature potatoes to develop their sugars instead of continuing to grow. On years when the nights remain warm too late into the harvest season, the farmers artificially kill the vines, but a frost does the job for free, so it's always welcome when it comes at a good time.

Within a couple of weeks, you will see the effects of the harvest everywhere. Expect the air to grow less clear as the dust from the harvest rises, but our air quality will never get anything like S. California, and the dust will quickly die down, especially if we get a rainy stretch in October.

These cold dips never last for more than a day or two. The evening temps always rise to average soon after a dip, and the daytime temps also tend to rise accordingly. This year's exceptionally rainy August was a true rarity; the last year like this in my memory was 1967 or 68.

I expect we will get a lingering Indian Summer this year. When the temps are cold this early, we almost get a prolonged warm spell afterwards that can last for up to over a month. In years like this the first part of October can be be as warm as early summer, but the nights continually grow cooler if the skies are clear.

For most of my life, Halloween was almost always a freezing night, and we almost always had snow on the ground by Thanksgiving. The past decade not been typical. We have been warm well into December 2-3 times, and in one instance, it became so warm that the ground thawed and sap began to flow in trees and perennials. A blizzard followed and killed a lot of roses and young trees.
2 years ago, the winter stayed unseasonably warm and dry through February, then was followed by an extra long and cold spring.

I guess the best suggestion I can offer is to expect nothing average will happen for the rest of the year. August probably signaled another odd winter, I think. Just be glad you're not in Montana… when it gets weird here, it gets even weirder on the other side of the Divide.

[tmp4]

I'm shocked that Idaho Falls (4700ft elevation) is colder than San Clemente (120ft above sea level)

sarcasm

[macadamia9]

Originally Posted by tmp4

I'm shocked that Idaho Falls (4700ft elevation) is colder than San Clemente (120ft above sea level)

sarcasm

and significantly warmer in IF in the summer too...

The elevation is from sea level up to about 250 feet at the eastern side in the hills. It has an awesome stretch of beach and a nice pier to walk on.

[banjomike]

Although I'm not too fond of southern California in general, but I have a lot of very fond memories of San Clemente. My in-laws built a beautiful home there around 1970, and it was a very nice place to visit, especially in the winter. They've both passed on now, but not my good memories.

[finsfan21]

Originally Posted by macadamia9

I literally just moved here from Bakersfield, CA, arriving very late Sunday evening (August 31, 2014)

To put the area in perspective (albeit my extremely limited perspective...), here is the current temperature (it's 08:00 am, 9/4/14):

Idaho Falls, ID: 36F
Bakersfield, CA: 72F
San Clemente, CA: 70F (where I will live again after winning the lottery... LOL!)
Redding, CA: 77F
Chicago, IL: 75F
International Falls, MN: 57F (I use this as an example since it is usually the coldest place in the US during the winter...)

Now, before all you meteorologists jump all over me and say it is just the high pressure region parked over northeastern Idaho and the cold front that just passed through, it probably is just that... However, having lived in Bakersfield, CA for the past year and San Clemente, CA (about 1/2 way between San Diego and Los Angeles, right on the coast) for the 11 years before that, it's still damn cold for an early September morning...

I was in Idaho Falls today as well. Company flew me out on Tuesday. I thought today and Tuesday were nice. Wednesday was really windy though.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by finsfan21

I was in Idaho Falls today as well. Company flew me out on Tuesday. I thought today and Tuesday were nice. Wednesday was really windy though.

Yup. For most of this year, big fronts out in the Pacific have moved onshore and head east. Idaho gets them early, so there's been a lot of wind this year, but we haven't gotten the ferocity many of the storms developed later on as they passed through the Great Plains and on to the mid-west and eastern seaboard.

Last winter was very odd. It was pretty mild and dry here, but the skies were often leaden with clouds and there was a lot of wind. The same storms we got all developed into huge blizzards and grew much colder as they crossed the nation.

One reason I.F. is windy is because we lie close to the foothills. The local mountains are part of the Rockies, and the Rocky Mountains act like a big funnel, concentrating storms that come from the ocean. This is the good side; over in Montana, the prevailing winds come down from the Arctic, but few storms are strong enough to flow over the Rockies. Ours mostly come from the Oregon coast. I've seen times in December when it was clear, calm, and 50º here, and less than 200 miles away, over on the other side of the Divide, it's 20º and snowing like crazy.

[meo92953]

It was unusually windy here in Minnesota. We lost some trees due to the wind. It was ferocious at times. Winter was tough too. Lakes were still frozen in April. Very unusual year all across the country from what I heard on the news.