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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,606 posts, read 55,825,632 times
Reputation: 11862
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tom77falcons
Average temps may be the same, but maybe it is those extremes that make the look of Barcelona more tropical than Charleston, at least to me. When I was in Barcelona I was floored that there were green parakeets flying all over the place, with the tropical foliage. I know that in manicured gardens in Charleston you get that foliage (especially in sheltered warm spots), but when I was in SC I just didn't see that much overall, expecially once out of the city center.
And yes, maybe there aren't that many days below 45, but there certainly are quite a few just above 50, and with nights in the 20's it doesn't feel that warm. Many winter mornings in Charleston start off in the upper 20's to low 30's and it feels pretty cold. I'll always choose a climate in Aus over the US due to the stability. I can't stand going from 70F one week to 40F the next. To me that is the South in winter.
Extremes are just that, they shouldn't define the general character of a climate. Although it does seem in recent years we've been having at least one '100 year record' being broken every year.
I wonder if Charleston usually gets a sharp enough annual low to "mow down the bug count."
If so that would be a minor perk over Newcastle,
or somewhere like central or south FL.
Usually in the southeast, your annual low coincides with a large diurnal range.
Most years Charleston probably does not have a daytime high below 35 F/2 C.
(Many years have no highs below 42 F/5 C?)
What's good about Charleston is that it's actually as mild (or milder) than many parts of North Florida, another 400+km south.
Extremes are just that, they shouldn't define the general character of a climate. Although it does seem in recent years we've been having at least one '100 year record' being broken every year.
I agree, but in the eastern US in winter, cold snaps are not extremes they are routine and happen every single year. Those cold snaps almost always extend down into FL. Getting one month of below freezing temps in Charleston is the long term average. A colder than normal winter you could get 40 freezing days. There is no reliably warm weather in the US south in winter. I think sub-tropical should be more reiably warm than that. That is only my opinion of course.
I wonder if Charleston usually gets a sharp enough annual low to "mow down the bug count."
Usually in the southeast, your annual low coincides with a large diurnal range.
Most years Charleston probably does not have a daytime high below 35 F/2 C.
(Many years have no highs below 42 F/5 C?)
What's good about Charleston is that it's actually as mild (or milder) than many parts of North Florida, another 400+km south.
In my experience - no…at least from Charleston southward. I was in St. Augustine at the end of this February, and while this was one of the coldest winters in 50 years in Florida – there were still the common insects that one would encounter in a temperate climate summer (ie, ants, flying bugs). This was not to say it was “buggy” at all, as they spray 12 months a year in Florida. Several times I have been out at the islands off Charleston (Folly, Sullivans, Isle of Palms), and the famous “Palmetto Bugs as big as Volkswagens (lol) would be seen now and then. As I showed above, a daily high even below 45 F is very rare in Charleston, maybe 2 times a month in an average winter, with average daily highs in the middle of winter near 60 F.
As for the milder than north Florida part – are you sure about? I think most cities in Florida are warmer than Charleston in each of the three winter months. I didn't do a spot check, but here are the aves for Jan (the coldest months)
That map looks much warmer than what it actually is. 40's in STL and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in January the avg high in STL is 38F, 37F in Cincy, and 35F in Pitt. And it shows 50s for Nashville when the average high there is 44F , did you just see the warmest map you can find and posted it up here?
That map looks much warmer than what it actually is. 40's in STL and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in January the avg high in STL is 38F, 37F in Cincy, and 35F in Pitt. And it shows 50s for Nashville when the average high there is 44F , did you just see the warmest map you can find and posted it up here?
The map is not accurate. It has SW PA warmer than SE PA. Pittsburgh has colder winters than Philly hands down. The temps in SE PA are not above 40 for Jan highs. Our avg high in Jan is 38.7. The map is outdated. I think I read that winters in the eastern USA are getting colder since the 70's. Maybe that data is from that warm period in the 40's or 50's lol.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,606 posts, read 55,825,632 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by tom77falcons
The map is not accurate. It has SW PA warmer than SE PA. Pittsburgh has colder winters than Philly hands down. The temps in SE PA are not above 40 for Jan highs. Our avg high in Jan is 38.7. The map is outdated. I think I read that winters in the eastern USA are getting colder since the 70's. Maybe that data is from that warm period in the 40's or 50's lol.
That map looks much warmer than what it actually is. 40's in STL and Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in January the avg high in STL is 38F, 37F in Cincy, and 35F in Pitt. And it shows 50s for Nashville when the average high there is 44F , did you just see the warmest map you can find and posted it up here?
No need to get testy...I don't work for NOAA...I only copy their maps:
The map shows the 40 F isotherm just touching St. Louis, Cincinnati.
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