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I was born in Conn and lived there until I was 11 so I know what a real fall looks like. Fall in KY and parts of TN is quite beautiful and almost rivals New England without the huge amount of snow and constant below freezing temps. You get 4 real seasons almost evenly spaced apart.
Yep, that is what I really like. About the time I've had enough of one season, here comes the next one. We have had a few days around 90 lately (and may see it again this coming weekend), but 45 days from now those will be pretty much in the rear view mirror.
Most of Kentucky fits this quite well. Lexington averages 10 inches of snow per year.
Louisville averages 9 inches of snow
Bowling Green averages 6 inches of snow
Paducah on the western edge of the state averages 6 inches of snow
If you like a little more snow, the NE side of KY gets a little more. Maysville averages 16 inches of snow.
The U.S. average is 26 inches per year so it's still well below average and nothing like the upper Midwest.
Fall in KY
Ok, Ok, I would agree that upper midwest does get a little bit more snow. Where I just built gets an average of 136" of snow per year. Our final 'downsize' may consist of burning furniture to keep warm
Totally agree. Not sure what "special aspects of winter" would be. I always enjoyed it until around February....then it was just "bring on spring, baseball and beach weather!"
We spend ski season in Park City UT. It doesn't exactly qualify but comes close; let me describe it.
As a ski resort, Park City gets a lot of snow. That would seem to disqualify it, but it doesn't.
The air is very dry. In fact, it is easy to become dehydrated; tourists are constantly reminded to guzzle water.
The consequence is the dry air is the snow "evaporates" very quickly (OK, OK, for the chemists in the crowd, I know that the snow doesn't evaporate; it sublimates -- goes from solid state to gas vapor without melting - but let's not be technical).
So, you can have a foot of snow Monday night and it is gone by Tuesday mid-day. All the streets are plowed quickly. I've seen YouTube videos of motorists stuck in snow in the NorthEast and MidWest and it looks treacherous, but I've only seen someone stuck once in Park City -- even when we've had 400+ inches of snow (not all at once, of course).
So, unlike snow in Chicago (where I lived for a couple years in grad school), snow in Utah is light & fluffy and really not an impediment to much of anything.
So, it does have 4 fairly balanced seasons with a lot of snow that is not a PIA. And great skiing.
That was 12†total for the winter. You can get 12†of snowfall in November some years in much of Maine. I’ve had $500+ plow bills in Portsmouth NH. I imagine the average snowfall in southern Maine is in the 50†to 75†range somewhere. Sugarloaf is the only place that averages 200â€.
Most of Kentucky fits this quite well. Lexington averages 10 inches of snow per year.
Louisville averages 9 inches of snow
Bowling Green averages 6 inches of snow
Paducah on the western edge of the state averages 6 inches of snow
If you like a little more snow, the NE side of KY gets a little more. Maysville averages 16 inches of snow.
The U.S. average is 26 inches per year so it's still well below average and nothing like the upper Midwest.
Fall in KY
I actually like Kentucky and think it's beautiful....but some have warned me against it as being too conservative...not to make this a political discussion....think I should just stop asking people their opinion on possible states....it's always negative input! I think people in Seattle think there is nowhere else in the US worth living!
The high desert around Albuquerque has a near perfect four-season climate. Most people typically think this is hot desert but it is a far cry from the heat of Phoenix and Arizona. At 5500 feet elevation and close to several mountain ranges the climate is dry and sunny. Winters are not much over 6-8 weeks and mild -- no snow to speak of but it will get into the 20s at night, 50s during the day. There's snow on the mountains and occasionally a little in town. Spring is long because it still gets cold at night so ornamental plants might stay dormant longer. We have a windy season in the spring. June is our hot month and it might get to 100 but with single digit humidity. Most people have swamp-coolers rather than AC. In mid-July we will start to see the monsoon season with daily rain showers or at least rain visible in the distance. That's when we get most of our moisture and in good years it will go into August. Fall is gorgeous and long. It won't get cold again until around Thanksgiving and December is the coldest month.
Adjusting to the dry climate is a challenge for some people and the high elevation is hard for people with breathing problems. It is sunny or partly sunny almost every day so sunscreen and a hat are helpful. With a swamp-cooler you keep the windows open a crack so people with pollen or dust allergies might need AC.
I lived most of my life in 4 seasons...the Midwest, New England. I enjoy being outside, gardening and doing stuff, and winters were pretty much wasted time for me. When I neared retirement age, I decided I just dont have that much time left to be wasting 3 or 4 months out of the year, so I headed south. Theres rarely a day I cant get outside and do something. If we get a heavy frost, and we often do, its melted by noon. Theres no more wasted time for me, I did my time in 4 seasons. No more for me.
Ok, Ok, I would agree that upper midwest does get a little bit more snow. Where I just built gets an average of 136" of snow per year. Our final 'downsize' may consist of burning furniture to keep warm
I lived most of my life in 4 seasons...the Midwest, New England. I enjoy being outside, gardening and doing stuff, and winters were pretty much wasted time for me. When I neared retirement age, I decided I just dont have that much time left to be wasting 3 or 4 months out of the year, so I headed south. Theres rarely a day I cant get outside and do something. If we get a heavy frost, and we often do, its melted by noon. Theres no more wasted time for me, I did my time in 4 seasons. No more for me.
Very informative post and I share your views.
Years back I was reading retirement magazines and some readers criticized the magazine for not recommending more cold weather states with lots of snow.
The editor stated, as you did, that despite pre-retirees stating they loved the snow and cold they were more housebound after they actually retired to a cold weather state.
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