What are savannah's winters like? (Atlanta: home, living in, vacation)

[donaldgage]

Hey y'all,

I am currently exploring job opportunities in several cities, Savannah being one of them.

Weather is big for me and I was wondering HOW COLD DOES IT GET?

I LOVE your city's look and southern feel (based on admittedly brief visits there) but I have heard that it does get cold. But how cold is "cold"?

I am from the midwest originally, so how would I fare? I am currently in Middle Tennessee, where this past winter was AWFUL!

In Savannah, can I expect much ice or snow? How about December through February?

Is yours a city in which those gray days drag on for months? Either way, I'm sure your city is marvelous, but I want the whole truth about whether I would have windbreaker winters or parka winters..................

Thanks.

[Padgett2]

It depends. We had 3 inches of snow in 1989 in December. Other years, we have used the Air conditioner in December. We might have below freezing temps for a few nights....maybe even during the day. But not often. This past winter was a most unusual one. It would be freezing for a few days, and then a few days on short sleeve weather. We didn't know what to expect!

Most people in Savannah do not own a heavy coat. If it gets too chilly for a light one, we just put on another sweater.

It's usually sunny most of the time. Sometimes we will have two or three days of rain and clouds and then the sun comes out again.

Now, the really bad part is the humidity. It's difficult to explain how it is, but the air is soooo hot and heavy in the summer that you can't cool off by sweating. The heat index will go over 100 for days on end. It does not cool off much at night. You have to have air conditioning or suffer as we used to do before home units.

[bellhead]

It's a vacation from Tenn...

I live in Northern Kentucky right outside of Cincinnati before coming here. Our worst day here all winter is was an above average day back there.

High in the mid 50's in the day with 60's not uncommon. Low's in the high 20 to low 40's during Dec. and Jan.

Remember there are only 2 months of winter here.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by bellhead

It's a vacation from Tenn...


Remember there are only 2 months of winter here.

And nine months of summer.

[DanielAvery]

The close proximity to the ocean also keeps this area from having "extremes" in cold. Living in the city or along the immediate coast means there will be fewer below-freezing nights, and less frosts than if you live even twenty or thirty miles inland.

Don't expect it to get consistently cold until after Thanksgiving, and even then we can have warm spells. And by "cold" I'm saying high-40's low-50's in the daytime, and 30-35 at night. You certainly won't see consistently icy or snowy conditions--snow flurries are rare around here, and excepting the 1989 event, snow accumulations are virtually unheard of. There is that "gray" thing you mention, and it can be depressing in January and February...but Spring typically starts showing itself by the first weeks of March.

We also have those weird but predictable "afternoon and evening thundershowers" from roughly May through September (a by-product of the humidity and the sea breeze). The storms will pop up out of nowhere, and are very localized. I've literally seen places where one side of the street will be wet from being rained on, while the other side is dry. It will rain fairly roughly for ten, fifteen minutes...and then the sun will come right back out as the clouds march further inland and rain themselves out.

[WanderingImport]

Basically what the guy above me said. The winters in Savannah are child's play compared to even Atlanta. The lowest average high in Savannah is in the low 50's, though it may be higher or lower. That's why they call it an average. Lowest average low is 38. The coldest temp Savannah has ever recorded is +3 and the hottest is 105.
This winter and last were VERY cold. The end of February brought a pattern change and temperatures warmed up above normal, however. (When it was cold, we experienced lows in the upper teens & low 20s with daytime highs in the 30s and 40s. There was also a close call with an ice storm and on Christmas there were a few snow flurries, which both were VERY minor and didn't prevent anyone from doing what they had to do, but that sort of thing, as said earlier, is a rarity in Savannah)

[gentlearts]

I wore a winter coat about 4 times this winter. It got down into the 20's at night a few times. I hear this winter was especially cold. As others said, the sun shines almost every day, so if i's a little cold, you don't mind it.
Right now, in mid March, it is in the 70's every day. Except for mid summer, when it's too hot to venture away from air conditioning, the climate is terrific here.

[pink caddy]

My first winter experience coming from born and raised in NYC.

So, how about smoking a cigar on New Year's Eve outside at 1AM in sport jacket only without a problem. Not bad huh?

[I-Ruehl]

I came from Hawaii, no winter, and so cal before that, needless to say I thought I was at the north pole! Winter Boots, heavy coat, tons of blankets, heater pumping all the time. LOL, Yep, but I guess its not bad here, just after 4 years of no winter it was a shock!

[donaldgage]

Yeah, it seems like describing a "harsh winter" is all relative. I was raised in the Midwest, before living in Florida for a short while. I kind of missed the so-called change of seasons when I first when to the Sunshine State; however, once I left, I realized that cold weather simply cripples me!!!

Now I laugh when people say that where I live now is "hot and humid" because South Florida's summers are unparalleled when it comes to oppressiveness. Funny to miss that....

Savannah's winter's sound manageable, but that last post is off-putting ("heavy coat"...etc.)