Do tell - (Caribou: houses, job transfer, school)

[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!

[bigchuckie]

I cant imagine it being a whole lot different than NY

[lynnbass]

I grew up in the Keene N.H. area; 3 1/2 hrs west of here. The winters are like night and day- I know it's hard to believe but being 1/2 mi. from the ocean keeps the weather mild. I don't fully understand it but it's great compared to what I was accustomed to. Instead of snow, often we get a misty rain. AND it's not as cold as inland areas. I swear!! Another benefit to coastal living is the seabreeze keeps it 10 degree's cooler in the summer but with the same warm sunshine. It's really awesome here, but my husband took a job transfer so we have to move.

[Maine Writer]

We have two or three cold spells when I don't want to leave the house for a couple of weeks at a time. It's not possible, but it would be nice! There's a lot of room for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. We snowmobile and ice fish. It's probably not much different than what you're used to now.

[quelly]

I would live to be snowed in just once. My parents talk of years ago we had so much snow that they could not leave their house for a couple of days. That was in Michigan where I spent my highschool years. Never got THAT much snow in my time there.

Here one february here it snowed and snowed - we had ice dams on our roof and spouts. Melting snow was pouring in our windows. I noticed in Maine alot of houses do not have rain gutters and spouts. We have to have them here to direct the water away from the basements.

Are basements typical in Maine homes? They were in Michigan due to the tornado potential of the area. Here there are few tornados, but basements are desired in homes. Many basements here get water in them - maybe even a natural spring pops up when the water table is very high. That is not the case this year though!

[forest beekeeper]

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.

Our first winter, we never did break out our snow shovel. It just never built up enough to need it, we used a broom to clear our steps after each storm.

This past winter we did use our snow shovel to help us with walkways between the house and the driveway, etc. And we did have one snow dump of twelve inches. That we got out and shoveled, it took us half of the day to get our driveway cleared.

Our roof did pile up with a lot of snow/ice, and each time that it warmed up, the layer slid off. So any gutters would have been ripped right down. To keep gutters you need those electric heated strips that attach to the bottom two foot of your roof, to keep it melted away.

[mollysmiles]

Most Maine homes have basements

I know there are parts of Maine where you might get snowed in for a day or so....maybe a little more if you're way out of "town" (town meaning group of 5 or more houses!)....but frankly...and unfortunately in a way....those days of being snowed in for most of us are very rare.

I love winter myself....if I could change anything, I'd have MORE snow!! I don't like it when we get a "cold snap"---really cold weather that lasts for a few days, because I don't get to snuggle down inside and hibernate while it's happening, and it's harder to go out and enjoy the snowshoes and skis

[quelly]

Wow, surprisingly your winters sound much like ours here. We get great snows, play in them and then they melt and it stays cold until the next snow. We do get our share of ice and there are some winters where there are no snow or ice storms.

I REALLY enjoy winter too. It has been much to hot for me this October!

[corgis]

Originally Posted by quelly

Wow, surprisingly your winters sound much like ours here. We get great snows, play in them and then they melt and it stays cold until the next snow. We do get our share of ice and there are some winters where there are no snow or ice storms.

I REALLY enjoy winter too. It has been much to hot for me this October!

Way too hot for me also, it's going to be 92 degrees for the 55th time this year. The leaves are just turning brown and dropping from the trees. No color at al. We need a frost and cooler temps. Wishing I was back in Maine where it's bound to be cooler than here. Hasn't rained since we got back here last month.

[ljotis]

I know that in Feb, Big Rock (mars hill, up north) has a 4 or 5 day festival, skiing, lots of places to snowshoe and you can even go see the pretty wind turbines (joke guys laff ha ha funny?). Sugarloaf has a few as well: Sugarloaf/USA | The Finest Golf Course in Maine (broken link)

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. Do I mind, heck no, I loved the snow, but the cold and the wind are what always bothered me. Cold isn't cold til its more than -10...then I don't wanna go outside. Of course our cars always started, only because they had the heater blocks on them and they were plugged in at night...but I can remember a few times when I was driving and the carb. on my car froze closed or open and I had to get out my lil torch and melt it off and start going again...