Really, how bad are the winters in Cedar Rapids or Dubuque?

[zz4guy]

I've lived here for 28 years and warm winters like we've had the past few years are not the norm. I believe those were El Nino years so things were way out of wack. This winter is pretty close to normal so far. Winter (below freezing and snow) generally goes from Thanksgiving until April.

If you've only been here two years dont count on warm winters every year. Count on 20 degree highs and 0 degrees or colder for a low every night. And that's not counting the wind

I like the cold though. I would hate to live in a place that is continually freezing and thawing each day and night. It's nice not to have to tromp through slop on the way to your car every day!

I think you can get used to everything though. Heck once it gets below 10 degrees 0 feels about as warm as -20 to me!!

[WoodwardGirl]

zz4guy, don't you think this is more ice than we usually have, though? Maybe because it's a transition year between the warm and the usual... Scenes like I saw yesterday, a guy who threw down the shovel to pick up a huge slab of ice and heave it off to the side, aren't the norm. We're looking forward to this afternoon's snow, for sure. Dh was just out with the skidloader, trying to get some ice off the long, sloped gravel lane and lost traction, sliding about 50 feet and heading straight toward the pond. The piled snow at the side of the drive stopped him. Whew! The rain/fog on top of the ice is not good. That stuff needs to stay down south where it does thaw enough to get it cleared between storms.