What does the winter cold feel like in Santa Fe? (Albuquerque: homes, college)

[olindagirl]

Hi all!

My first post here...
My husband and I are contemplating a move to the Santa Fe area, likely Madrid or Cerrillos since we want to have some land.
We live in Maui now, and are dying to get back to the mainland for many reasons; it isn't the paradise here that most think it is.

Anyway, I have no problem with winter cold, but my husband does. When we see in the coldest time of the winter, high temps in the mid 40's that go down to the teens, it sounds terrifying to him. How bad does the cold really feel in the winter? My husband actually hates the heat and humidity here in Maui, and likes the idea of a dry climate, but how does the dryness affect how cold it feels? All I ever hear about is how a dry heat is more comfortable. Does the same hold true for the cold? Can someone give me a comparison to the feel of a Northeast-type damper winter cold to the Southwest dry winter cold?

Any input is much appreciated!

Thank you!

[jamnkats]

I've experienced Buenos Aires humid winters and found they seemed to seep into my bones. While we haven't spent a winter in Santa Fe, we've been there in winter. it is cold, for certain, but it didn't seem to seep into my bones like a humid cold.

[Cathy4017]

Can someone give me a comparison to the feel of a Northeast-type damper winter cold to the Southwest dry winter cold?

I'll throw in my two cents....

I hear you on Maui and HI in general. Nice to visit, but I wouldn't ever live there for many reasons...heavy, cloying humidity is at the top of that list.

I was in northern Indiana skiing at a man-made hill outside of Valparaiso. It was at night, blowing a gale, -4 (that's not wind chill, either) and very, very humid. I have never been that cold in my life. It took the only exposed part of my body (my lower face) 30 minutes to warm up from being outright numb. I was also in Chicago later on the same trip. It's a humid cold that penetrates to the core. I was covered up head and ears, and could never get really warm.

We used to ski both New Mexico and SW CO every year. We were at Pagosa Springs, which is in SW CO not far from the Wolf Creek ski area (150 miles north of SF). Wonderful place. We got back from skiing and ate supper. I put on a Speedo swimsuit to go to the motel's hot springs. It was 10-15 degrees outside at 8:30pm. All I had on was a terrycloth bathrobe and my suit. I hardly noticed the cold at all. It IS a very dry cold. So, for me, a dry cold is very bearable. We also skiied ABQ/Sandia as well as the Santa Fe area. It was the same difference to me.....it just doesn't bother me that much.

You WILL get the changing of the seasons in SF, and I imagine some would find it too cold at 7K feet in elevation. If I could afford it, I would be headed to SF or Durango, CO. They both have four seasons, but the winters are not that severe.

HTH!

[Steve-o]

Um, Id have to disagree. Ive been to Santa Fe in late October and it was downright FRIGID (low 20s those particular nights). In fact, it was so cold we left 2 days early just to make it back to Chicago, which felt MUCH warmer. Fact is, cold is cold, no matter which way you look at it. If your husband dislikes the cold, steer clear of Santa Fe. In fact, the only area in NM that he might be happy is Las Cruces, but unless youre bilingual, you might just want to stay put in Hawaii.

[T-rose]

well they say its HOT here in summer.....but its a dry heave. LOL

winter.....hey....it was 0 degrees here in los alamos a few days ago first thing in the morning. it was probably similar in SF. by mid day it was about 25 degrees. now that is a COLD day here and when you get out in the sun its really not that bad. Its been below freezing since that storm but the foot of snow in the yard is nearly gone because of the sunshine.

300 days of sun a year keeps things pretty warm and not uncomfortable in winter. and the altitude...7000+ ft in santa fe keeps it beautiful and never TOO hot in summer.

I ski and its so beautiful most days that you can unzip your jacket and enjoy the sun on your face, but watch out for the sunburn at 10000 ft!

its going to be a change in many ways from Hawaii but its really not any kind of bitter icy wet cold like many areas of the country see.

[T-rose]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

but unless youre bilingual, you might just want to stay put in Hawaii.

and if that is how you feel you might have problems moving anywhere in the world.
personally....im not bilingual and i find that to be MY misfortune as MOST of the folks in this state and primarily those whos first language is spanish....actually make the effort to learn english. That is rarely the case of us one languagers who wouldnt dare learn spanish to make things easier all around.


dont people speak hawaiian in hawaii too?

[LLD]

Dry cold in the teens, 20's and 30's does not feel nearly as cold as humid or wet cold in the teens, 20's and 30's.

I've lived in Houston (very humid), Austin (medium humidity), DC (medium humidity) and now Albuquerque (hardly ANY humidity comparatively speaking). I've also been in Ireland and the UK in the winter -- lots of humidity and a damp cold feels 10-15 degrees colder than the same dry cold. When I first got to Albuquerque I would say oh it must be 40 and then look at the temp and it would be 25!!!

That said, 20 degrees in dry cold is still cold -- it was about 21 this morning (I'm north of Albuquerque) about 35 miles south of Santa Fe. And it only got to about 36 today I think, but it felt warmer in the sun when I was out walking the dog -- and I think that is because of the elevation being over mile high.

[olindagirl]

Thank you so much for all your input. I'm hoping my husband will WARM to the idea, but I know we need to be there and experience it for him to make a final decision, which we are going to do in February. He keeps envisioning that if we move there, it'll be like homesteaders out on the Great Plains in the 1700's...

Incidentally, in Hawaii, no one really speaks fluent Hawaiian, except for those who have a desire to learn the language academically. The local people here speak what they refer to as pidgin. It's a sort of creole comprised of grammatically incorrect English with a smattering of Hawaiian, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and a some other languages. Living here, you really need to at least understand pidgin since so many speak it; the locals all understand standard English though.

[catman]

This discussion reminds me of a joke:
Q: What do you call a person who speaks only one language?
A: An American.

Hawaiian is pretty much a dead language, from what I know. I took German in college, but it doesn't help me much. One would expect to hear some Spanish language in New Mexico, right?

Dry cold (and heat) is easier for me to take than the humid variety, but wind makes more difference to me. Out on the plains, there is lots of it.

[kaivalya]

My wife & I came close to moving to the Madrid - Cerrillos area earlier this year.

The land you seek will be expensive, particularly if it is on the grid. Much of the area you are thinking about is off the grid, with many hippy-dippy types enlessly discussing their solar panels, generators, windmills, etc.

Don't belive the dry cold arguments any more than you believe the dry heat stuff about Phoenix. Cold is cold, and being high desert, it gets cold in SF in the winter. The Gallisteo Basin around Madrid gets some pretty stiff winds. The winds blow up a lot of dust and grit. It is super dry. Your skin will likely dry out & start cracking pretty quickly, and you'll closing yourself inside and running a humidifier 24/7. One advantage of the basin is that it sits "down" at around 6,000 feet, so the air is a bit more breathable compared to Santa Fe and its northern suburbs.