Best Weather on (or near) New England coast??? (Bar Harbor, Newport: house, camping)

[tg9999]

What area on the New England coast (or within 20 miles of the coast) has the best year round weather?

We have visited Boston, Newport, Stonington and Mystic --- the weather has always been great --- BUT WE'VE ONLY VISITED IN THE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL. We don't mind cold winters, so long as it is not extremely cold. We hate extremely hot, humid summers, and that is why we are looking at New England.)

We understand the entire New England coast is subject to serious storms, but are there any coastal areas from Connecticut to Maine that are a "less stormy" the others?

Housing costs, jobs, demographics, amenities, etc, irrelevant to our inquiry. We are just interested in your thoughts re the best year round weather on or near the New England coast. Thanks in advance.

[Maineah]

Vermont has no coastal storms at all.

[medievalbooks]

Well, if you avoid New England during the hurricane season, almost any state is a safe bet.

Cape Cod is very nice...but very high priced and subject to hurricanes altho most of the hurricanes that they do get there do little structural damage. Most of their hurricanes and nor easters do erosion damage and tree damage so you do lose electricity hence why an older Cape Cod house has oil for heat and gas for hot water and your stove. The weather on the Cape is fairly temperate year round. It has a dry cold, not tons of snow unlike some other states. Can be very bleak tho during the winter season.

[Acadianlion]

Best weather? New England? Surely you jest!

New England in general has very variable weather, and perhaps Maine, the most variable of all.

There is a HUGE difference between southern Connecticut and anywhere "within 20 miles" of the coast of Maine. No joke in the old Maine adage: "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute" and in point of fact, here in Maine: "If you can't stand the winters, you don't deserve the summers."

We can try to cite statistics until we are blue in the face, but if temperate winters are important to you, then you are likely not looking at New England at all, and if you are insistent on New England, stay as far down the eastern seaboard as possible.

As far as Maine is concerned, consider this: most of Maine lies further north than Burlington, Vermont.

[MikeSL]

There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes (and housing and vehicle). Really the secret lies in having a well insulated house, woodstove or alternate heat and preparing for storms so that you don't have to go out on the road until it's plowed. Live in Bar Harbor but considering moving to a snowier Maine locale.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by MikeSL

There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes (and housing and vehicle). Really the secret lies in having a well insulated house, woodstove or alternate heat and preparing for storms so that you don't have to go out on the road until it's plowed. Live in Bar Harbor but considering moving to a snowier Maine locale.

That must be why people choose to go camping in the rain all the time and why the beaches are so crowded in the winter.....Puleeeze!

[cedew]

I don't know, I like his take on weather, it kind of rings true in my experience. Obviously you won't have much fun swimming at the beach in January, even with a dry suit, but weather becomes much less an issue when you're well prepared...in less extreme conditions of course.

[retiredtinbender]

Polar Bear Clubs do it every year. Granted, not for long but....

[fxtrader]

Cape Cod usually has moderate winters. My dad and brother have gone there pretty much anually to golf in Jan. and Feb. I think one year they had to cancel due to a Noreastah.

[medievalbooks]

Well, Maineah....
I am going camping next weekend and just got back from the beach. It was very nice being there when there was gadzillion screaming babies and adults. It was also cool being there ahead of a nor easter coming through and seeing the high tides. But then, diifferent strokes for different folks...