Winters in Pitt PA, what are they like? (Pittsburgh, Erie: apartment, water heater)

[col]

I may have to move due to the dry winters and dry indoor heat in NYC, gthe south dosn;t seem to fit my family...I have seen so much good stuff for us in
Pittsburgh...whats the winters like..lots of snow. lake effect stuff?? other?


Thanks

[Carpathia]

I moved here from NYC in 2006 so I've only been through one winter. It was milder than NYC. You will still have to run your heat during the winter, so the air will get dry. Although you can add a humidifier to your heating unit to keep the air moist.

[MissShona]

Temperature and atmospherically-wise, I think Pittsburgh is pretty comparable to New York. However I think wintertime can be more "difficult" here. When we do get snow and icy conditions, you have all of the hills to deal with when driving. And the combination of state roads vs. country roads vs. city roads makes it unpredictable sometimes when knowing which roads will be clear when it's time for you to go to work. New York seems more organized that way.

We are too far away from any lakes to get a real "lake effect" (like Cleveland does). But we still have a humid atmosphere because of all of the rivers.

[gallacus]

The inconvenience of winter driving in Pittsburgh is, in my opinion, far overstated. Living on the Southside Slopes and having to navigate steep hills to get to and from work, I hear all the time from people who say “Oh my god, I could never live on the Slopes because of the snow!” If you break it down, though, it isn’t really that big of a deal. They salt like crazy here and when it does start snowing, they are pretty good about plowing. Living at the top of a hill, I may have to deal with there being snow on it during my commute three or four times a year. That adds up to a grand total of about 30 minutes of inconvenience per year. Not bad in my book.

As for climate, you can expect a very similar climate to that of New York City's. One thing that might improve if you move to Pittsburgh, though, is that you should be able to control your own heat. Most buildings in NYC use the hot-water heaters, I'm not sure what most places here use, but central air is not hard to find. With central air you can control the humidity as you like.

In closing, I will say one thing. I've never heard of anyone complain of the lack of humidity in Pittsburgh

[fleetiebelle]

Living at the top of a hill, I may have to deal with there being snow on it during my commute three or four times a year.

I live at the top of a hill, too, and in addition to one's regular route, it's good to have a backup "less steep" one just for weather emergencies. Like gallacus says, they don't happen very often, but it's good to have a Plan B.

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by gallacus

The inconvenience of winter driving in Pittsburgh is, in my opinion, far overstated. Living on the Southside Slopes and having to navigate steep hills to get to and from work, I hear all the time from people who say “Oh my god, I could never live on the Slopes because of the snow!” If you break it down, though, it isn’t really that big of a deal. They salt like crazy here and when it does start snowing, they are pretty good about plowing. Living at the top of a hill, I may have to deal with there being snow on it during my commute three or four times a year. That adds up to a grand total of about 30 minutes of inconvenience per year. Not bad in my book.

Interesting; I admit, I've never lived in Pittsburgh city proper. However as an almost life-long resident of the south suburbs of Pittsburgh some of my "regular routes" get pretty messy in the wintertime. I used to work in Monroeville and I drove from Clairton taking Route 837 crossing over onto Lysle Blvd in McKeesport. Then going up to North Versailles and crossing Route 30 through East McKeesport going towards Wilmerding. I was fine until I got around there. It's uphill to get to Monroeville and I just couldn't find a clear route. Finally I went over through Turtle Creek and saw how if you could run a stop sign and get a running start, you could get up a hill that leads you right behind the Sears in Monroeville. That trip alone took an extra 40 minutes I think.

[suzeeq521]

As for climate, you can expect a very similar climate to that of New York City's. One thing that might improve if you move to Pittsburgh, though, is that you should be able to control your own heat. Most buildings in NYC use the hot-water heaters, I'm not sure what most places here use, but central air is not hard to find. With central air you can control the humidity as you like.

I'd take hot-water heat over forced hot air or gas heating stoves any day. I find them so much more drying. The downfall in apartment buildings is that usually you give up control when there is hot water heat (one control, managed by the landlord/rental agency, controls the whole building.)

Sadly, the place I'm in now tore out there hot-water heat about 30 years ago. I like controlling my own heat, but it is both inefficient and horribly drying.

[Geeo]

Since it's almost 70 degrees on this January day, I'd say Pittsburgh winters are a breeze! But seriously, we have the normal cold snaps, some snow throughout the winter, and a blizzard maybe once a decade. We're a hardy lot, and I've never found the winter weather to be intolerable, unless it drags too long into the spring. We seem to get the biggest snow storms in February and March.

[Seaharbour]

Pgh has a good winter season but it nothing like areas that get lake effect snow, I lived in both and I would pick Pgh winters anytime!

[goodgirl49]

Originally Posted by Seaharbour

Pgh has a good winter season but it nothing like areas that get lake effect snow, I lived in both and I would pick Pgh winters anytime!

I agree with you, I went to Edinboro University, which is just south of Erie in the snow belt and Pittsburgh winters are a walk in the park compared to that!