Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If its anything like Atlanta (Im not from Atlanta, but visited last month) please spare me now! I was in Atlanta-north Georgia for nearly a week and it was cloudy/rainy and cold the entire stay, which = blah for me.
Anyway, apart from that...does DC have any infamous weather traits that I should know about? Being from Florida and living in TX Im used to alot of sunlight most of the year. I know DC gets cold in winter and warm in summer like every state outside of Florida LOL..but does it have any extremes?
Im really considering relocating there this summer, and I doubt any type of weather would put me off if I end up liking it enough to stay; (atleast I wont have to worry about frying eggs in the car anymore like I could in Florida)...but I'm just curious anyway.
Personally, I don't think the weather here is all that bad. You get your hot and sticky days in the summer, which suck, and then cold days in the winter (which also suck), but I really only notice big extremes in about 2 months out of the year (July, mid-January through February). Outside of then, I find it either manageable or pretty nice.
You do have periods of rain, but really it's not enough to be really bothersome (I walk most places, including to work, so rainy days really are a pain for me). In the summer it's mostly short thunderstorms that pop up during the day or afternoon. The biggest issue with weather here is just the unpredictability, especially in the spring and fall. This Sunday it was about 70 degrees, and then Monday morning we woke up to the 30s.
No complaints. It's got the four seasons, all of which are relatively mild.
Winter usually gets a couple nice blasts, but not the months-long bone-chillingly brutal Chicago-style winter.
Spring gets windy, but typically lovely. Autumn is cool and damp.
Parts of July and August can be brutal. The real muggy kind of heat in which you walk outside and your shirt starts clinging to you, your hair jumps into weird contortions and the humidity is like a punch in the face. But people from Florida generally don't even notice.
Overall, the climate is generally pleasant I think.
I'm from NE Florida. I hate the winter here, but its way worse in a lot of places. I personally think the idea of 4 seasons is overrated. Its not worth it to go through the winter. But, I'm from Florida and that is what I love. The summer is awful in Florida for a lot longer than here, but I feel like overall Florida has more mild days per year. I hate looking at leafless brown trees for 4 months. I do think the winter here is slightly better than NYC where I lived before. I definitely got wind burn a lot more in NYC. AND I do have to say the cherry blossom trees are divine this spring! There are a few really horribly hot days in the summer, but way less than you'll get in Florida. Its just more varied here. Oh and there are way less beach worthy days.
Parts of July and August can be brutal. The real muggy kind of heat in which you walk outside and your shirt starts clinging to you, your hair jumps into weird contortions and the humidity is like a punch in the face. But people from Florida generally don't even notice.
If you're from any part of South Florida, nothing will compare to the humidity you've lived with. Don't even consider it humidity, like Jim said.
It's muggy in the Summer and that leads to a rather odd trait--the rush hour thunderstorm. You'll have a bright hazy humid day all day long, and then come about 4 or 5 you'll have a massive quick downpour that lasts about 30 minutes to an hour. It's kind of odd.
There aren't any real extremes. I think it gets 'hotter' in the Summer than it does 'colder' in the Winter, but I'm from the midwest where Winters are a bit harsher. It snows on occasion, but it melts quickly. It's rare to have snow on the ground more than a few days.
Parts of Maryland, such as Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore will experience some harder weather from hurricanes and tropical storms that move up the coast, but by and large in DC proper it's just rain. I think Isabel (2003) was the last direct hit on DC that really caused any problems.
Wind can be a bit dicey at times, mainly due to the large number of trees in parts of the city (NW, and the NW suburbs are very green). It's not uncommon for roads to be closed while crews are chain sawing away trees following some violent winds.
Weather pros could probably be more accurate, but there are sort of 2 or 3 different weather 'belts' in DC. There is the Northern one, that hits Dulles, Leesburg and Montgomery County. There's a central one that blows right through DC on it's way to Annapolis, and then there is a Southern one through Lorton VA and into Southern Maryland. You'll have storms that will sock one part with snow, like Montgomery County while another 'belt' like Southern Maryland will just have a cold day.
I really don't understand people with their concerns over the weather. There is NO area of the east coast that has perfectly mild weather. If you're in the northeast you'll have beautiful, mild summers but disgusting winters. If you're in the south you'll have beautiful mild winters, but disgusting summers. If you're in the middle, you'll have a combo and some wind. It rains everywhere at some point or another. If it didn't, everything would be dead and you'd have rocks for a yard like in New Mexico or Arizona. The weather is constantly changing and unpredictable just about everywhere you go. If you don't want extremes but still want 4 seasons, your best bet is probably the mid-atlantic down through NC.
Weather is subjective based on where else you've been. Compared to my home in Louisiana, summers here are mild. Compared to when I lived in Colorado, winters here are mild.
Overall, i find the weather here to be pleasant. The winters aren't too cold, the summers aren't too hot, Spring/Fall are beautiful, and the people who complain about the humidity need to take a trip to New Orleans in July!
You'll have a bright hazy humid day all day long, and then come about 4 or 5 you'll have a massive quick downpour that lasts about 30 minutes to an hour. It's kind of odd.
I forgot that one's odd may be another's normal And thats pretty normal as I also used to live along the west coast of Florida. But then again, when you leave someplace for even a couple months and return, what used to be normal...you're not even used to it anymore.
Well, sounds like I could handle it. I'll be visiting in the summer first so most likely no chills. Its winter that scare me. But then again, an inconvenient winter in a happening city, which is near a few other happening cities sounds better than being someplace warm and sunny that lacks much in diversity, social and metropolitan affairs
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And thats pretty normal as I also used to live along the west coast of Florida. But then again, when you leave someplace for even a couple months and return, what used to be normal...you're not even used to it anymore.
