Do tell - (sales, mover, home)

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by ljotis

I remember winters in Caribou, way up north, and they haven't changed. If you get a call for 6" of snow, it'll probably be more than a foot of snow.

Actually, they have mellowed a bit during the last 20 years. I don't think we hit -30 at all last winter. Even the weather forecasting is a bit better. Don't know when you were here last, but the forecasting took a big jump toward being RIGHT once in a while when Tony Mingone left to work for the NWS, and quit giving the forecast locally. Still, it is true, if they say 6" it is going to be a foot, or NOTHING. If they say 18-24" you can almost bet on 6". lol But they are right about 25% of the time now, that is a big step up.

[mollysmiles]

lol....I do hate it when they forecast for a lot of snow and we don't get it....it's a huge let down!

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

lol....I do hate it when they forecast for a lot of snow and we don't get it....it's a huge let down!

You sick woman! lol

[mollysmiles]

shhhh.....don't tell!!

I do love my Maine weather!.....well, not anything over 80 though.....

[mainebrokerman]

it is pretty after a fresh snow...i do enjoy winters but ya gotta have the right mindset, wear gloves and a hat, with the wind, it does get cold,,,warm your car up in the am, before you head to work,,,, when driving on the interstate you have to make a decision,,whether to go 75 mph in the left passing lane,,or 35 in the right hand lane,,,no in between..(when its snowing or freezing rain)
have a bucket of salt and sand handy near the front door to throw on the steps and walkway for the ice

you windshield and windows fill fog up quickly at times,,..say quickly after a shower and your hair is still wet, or you worked out at the gym,,and get into a cold car,,
i have an inverter that plugs into the cigarrette lighter that will take a common 3 prong plug...i keep a small blow dryer in the car for when this happens,,works great!
dont leave soda, or full beer cans or any beverage in a bottle in the car..overnight in the cold,,they will burst.

[MRVphotog]

Originally Posted by quelly

So what are those Maine winters really like? Pros and cons please . Are places to cross country ski and snowshoe plentyful? What about winter festivals?

How about the COLD? We lived in Massena, NY, the winter of 93-94 and it got so cold our car froze and would not start for 3 days .

Thanks!

You obviously forgot to plug your vehicle in. When I lived in Wyoming where everyone has a engine heater you plug in every night if it's cold. Even when you have 2 weeks straight of -40F your car starts up easily and warms up quickly when your plugged in overnight.

[Elcarim]

Boy we have a lot to learn! I've never even heard of an engine heater. How much do they run and where do you buy them? Thanks!

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

Boy we have a lot to learn! I've never even heard of an engine heater. How much do they run and where do you buy them? Thanks!

Me either, El. Guess that's why we're on here to be prepared when we move. Maybe we will blend in more and not stand out so much as "from away."

[Acadianlion]

[quote=forest beekeeper;1679004]In the last two winters living here: we get a weekly snow dump. Four to six inches of snow followed by a week of sunshine or overcast. Most of the snow melts away before the next snow storm comes through.

The weather men ALWAYS call for 12 inches to 18 inches, but we get 4.



Forrest is correct, and there is a reason for this. Maine has a highly cyclical economy. When the "Folks from Away" are here, the grocery stores do a tremendous business. And most people here will tell you that beginning around the middle of May, the prices in the grocery stores skyrocket.

In the winter most of the "Folks from Away" have gone back to New Jersey or whereever they came from. In order for the grocery stores to stay in business they needed to develop a new means of pushing up their sales.

What has happened here in Maine, is that the grocery stores have paid off the weather men at all the radio and tv stations. Anytime the weather forecast even hints that there might be a little snow, the weathermen are bribed to make it at least one to two feet.

Immediately after that, the grocery stores are crowded beyond belief. The parking lots are jammed with cars and people frantically shop for a month's supply of twinkies, soft drinks and apricot brandy along with a few staples. Mainers...even those who have been here for a long time...panic at the thought that the Great Storm of '03 might be coming, and they will starve to death.

The grocery stores are happy. The weathermen are happy. And after all the apricot brandy is swilled down, the Mainers who were so terribly afeared of being housebound....well, they are sure happy, too!

[Zymer]

Forget the apricot brandy, it's Rumpleminze (peppermint schnapps) in hot chocolate or warm spiced mead for me.