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After living my teenage/adult life in the Rochester area I recently moved south. As stated in other weather-related posts and in this one it's not the cold and snow as much as the never-ending gray depression-inducing skies most of the winter. It's just downright gloomy without many consecutive days of sunshine. Obviously it gets cold and snowy, too. But it's the lack of sun that was my biggest gripe. Though I certainly don't miss winter in general - bundling like an Eskimo to snow-blow the driveway or wondering if ice dams will leak into my house.
As an aside one poster mentioned driving on the icy and snowy roads. I always invested $500 in some Blizzaks or Artic Ice snow tires mounted on separate steel wheels and hubcaps for the winter. Turned every car into a near-tank in the winter. Worth every penny IMO and less than the typical auto deductible if you can't brake well enough and smash into someone.
I was born in Rochester and lived for a bit in Oklahoma. Moving back here was a bit of a shock to the systems- in terms of getting used to the bitter cold. I found it bone chilling for the first winter back. I couldn't shake it. you have to remember, when talking to your husband, it can get down below ZERO here at times and the wind chill is quite painful on top of that. It is not everyday this will happen, but it WILL happen a couple of times each winter. Don't think it is going to be a balmy 30 and sunny... the sun isn't shining in the winter- that is when we are the darkest. I am only telling you the negative side because your husband might not be too keen on the Dec-March climate change. In all, you basically stay inside where it is warm- unless you are into skiing, skating, hockey, sledding... there are many outdoor sports in the winter- my husband is a big fan. I like curling up with a blanket and a book or movie... But, once Spring hits (usually late April) and the sun shines... you tend to forget the cold and spring outdoors. You will swap your heat for cold- think of it as a switch of seasons for you- it will be your summer. I love Rochester and put up with the temps because the rest of the year is bliss.
Ain't that the truth.....it's 75 and sunny out right now. About as perfect as weather can be. That's been the norm for the past week or so now too. This has definitley been a very spring-like April, and one of if not the "least winterish" Aprils I can remember.
I hadn't thought of the gloom factor- that's probably what gets to people more than the actual cold. But i think rgpg is right- if you consider FLA summers to be equivalent to Rochester winters, then factor in the days of rain and few days of cold in north florida where I am- you have extreme weather here for about 8 mos of the year! Rochester has more like six months of cold, then it's nice for about six months right? Though I also wonder about what a pain it will be to bundle up three kids every time I leave the house- in florida you just go!
so I guess we still have some thinking to do- next issue? Jobs. I'm a nurse so I won't have a problem, but husband is in construction mgmt and Rochester isnt' exactly a boom town right now. Still, the city is affordable so we may even be able to pull it off on one income....
I agree that the gloom is the worst of it! On the flip side, and kind of off-topic, is that the Great Lakes keep the weather very stable. Tornadoes are almost unheard of around here, no hurricanes, severe thunderstorms are rare, flooding is almost unheard of in all but a few areas. The worst has been an ice storm in '91 that took out a lot of infrastructure (power lines, trees, signs, poles, etc.), but that was a once in a lifetime event. We do not have earthquakes either, although that obviously has nothing to do with the lakes.
Not to mention that the lake has the posstive moderating effect durring summer. Keeps it very comfortable here with nice breeze...also keeps it sunnier here than most of the rest of the east coast durring summer if you can believe that. (We get more sun than NY, Washington, Atlanta, and Miami in June-August I believe is what I read).
Just like the snow showers we got the last two times they predicted snow?
I know! I just got back from Myrtle Beach and Rochester's weather was better than S.C.! There was supposed to be a snow storm the Sunday after we left for M.B.... never happend. I am betting we are done with the flakes... at least I hope so (already did some planting)
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