predictions for the coming winter..

[MrMarbles]

Originally Posted by dxiweodwo

^^ I'm from Miami and even I don't think Melbourne has "real" winters

I think a definite winter is one where all of your deciduous trees go bare and you have many nights from Dec-Feb that dip below freezing. I think a place like Macon, GA or Montgomery, AL are the southernmost major cities that can be said to have "definite" winters.

I think a "real" winter is one that has at least one month of the year that averages below freezing and more than 15" of snow annually. So a city like Cincinnati or St. Louis are the southernmost big cities that can say they have "real" winters.

Am I the only one who thinks that there is a difference between "real" and "definite" winters?

I think that makes sense, actually. Most subtropical locations have winters in some sense (i.e. a very noticeable change in seasons) but I wouldn't call them "real" winters. (Note: I do NOT want to this to become yet another "what is subtropical" thread!)

[dxiweodwo]

Originally Posted by MrMarbles

I think that makes sense, actually. Most subtropical locations have winters in some sense (i.e. a very noticeable change in seasons) but I wouldn't call them "real" winters. (Note: I do NOT want to this to become yet another "what is subtropical" thread!)

Lol, me neither. The whole "subtropical" thing has been beaten to death already.

I used to live in North GA and there was definitely a winter there, all deciduous trees go bare there and from Dec-Feb the average lows are below freezing. But definitely not a "real" winter. Some years there is no snow at all lol

I honestly don't even think Vancouver has a real winter but a definite winter for sure.

[deneb78]

Originally Posted by dxiweodwo

Lol, me neither. The whole "subtropical" thing has been beaten to death already.

I used to live in North GA and there was definitely a winter there, all deciduous trees go bare there and from Dec-Feb the average lows are below freezing. But definitely not a "real" winter. Some years there is no snow at all lol

I honestly don't even think Vancouver has a real winter but a definite winter for sure.

Agreed... as fascinating as I find the topic, the "subtropical discussion" has been beaten to death.
I was just wondering if there was a meteorological or objective definition to what defines what winter is as there are plenty of subjective ones.
You're right in that Vancouver definitely does not have a "real" winter in the sense of somewhere like Thompson, Manitoba but a 16C degree difference from the hottest month to the coldest month is a significant change in temperature throughout the year.