Is cold weather worse in the Spring? (snowfall, averages, temperatures)

[ilovemycomputer90]

I love extended spells of cool weather during the spring. Must I mention April 2007 again? I also love the occasional May day that fails to get out of the 40s with rain.

Cool weather is welcome anytime of the year, but I have an even greater appreciation for it when it's close to or inside the warm season.

[nei]

Agreed. The other issue with cold spring weather is it delays plant growth. I can tolerate cold weather as long as it's not too extreme, but I get very bored with it (as well bare vegetation) after a few months. At this point I can't wait for cold weather to end. Such a tease…few more weeks, almost there.

Cold summer is never cold enough nor stays cold long enough to bother me; cold autumns are physically uncomfortable but not as mentally frustrating.

[Patricius Maximus]

Originally Posted by dhdh

It's just like if you lived in a warm/hot summer climate and hot weather extended onto, say, October or November

Exactly, and if I remember correctly I did mention this in my post, with my "theory of cumulative misery". However I can only relate to the question via analogies and hypotheticals, and although they do provide understanding, putting myself in someone else's situation is no substitute for actual field experience. Although similar in many respects, uncomfortable heat and cold are different kinds of misery. With the addition of the fact that I do not experience depression during lousy weather, like many others do, the case is clear that fellow haters of the chill have more expertise in this area than I do.

I will admit, however, that I exceeded my own expectations when I started typing the post.

Originally Posted by ilovemycomputer90

I love extended spells of cool weather during the spring. Must I mention April 2007 again? I also love the occasional May day that fails to get out of the 40s with rain.

That sounds lovely to me. April 2007 in your parts was a gift from the sky and as far as I'm concerned you may savor that moment as many times as you wish.

[asbereth]

Originally Posted by nei

Cold summer is never cold enough nor stays long enough to bother me; cold autumns are physically uncomfortable but not as mentally frustrating.

I hate cold summer, but I agree with the rest of your post. Early spring (mid March to mid-April) often times is the most frustrating time of the year for me. I just want the cold weather to end, and there is nothing more frustrating that the 20s and the 30s (and the snow) we keep getting well into late-March (or early April).

For some reason though, cold autumn doesn't bother me nearly as much as cold spring. I hate cold weather, but if I have to endure the cold for months anyway, I would much prefer it during the early part of the season rather than later. Given where I live, with proximity to the Great Lakes, and seasonal lag, cold snaps are much more likely in the spring than they are in the Fall, and winter tends to be colder in the latter part.

[dhdh]

Originally Posted by Patricius Maximus

With the addition of the fact that I do not experience depression during lousy weather, like many others do, the case is clear that fellow haters of the chill have more expertise in this area than I do.

That's a very interesting point. I always though that weather enjoyment/hatred had two components, namely comfort and mood.
As far as I'm concerned mood is a very important component - I'd prefer a -5°C bright sunny day with a pure white snow cover over a 7°C grey overcast day, even though the latter is vastly superior to me in terms of comfort - just terribly poor in terms of mood.

So you're saying that weather is all about comfort for you ?

[dunno what to put here]

Weather is definitely not all about comfort for me. I've always been a weather enthusiast, even as a little child, and even though comfort plays a big part in the weather for me, I also take a great interest in it, so every day being 'comfortable' would be so boring.. I like the extremes, I like four seasons that are not the same.

[nei]

Originally Posted by dhdh

That's a very interesting point. I always though that weather enjoyment/hatred had two components, namely comfort and mood.
As far as I'm concerned mood is a very important component - I'd prefer a -5°C bright sunny day with a pure white snow cover over a 7°C grey overcast day, even though the latter is vastly superior to me in terms of comfort - just terribly poor in terms of mood.

So you're saying that weather is all about comfort for you ?

I actually find an overcast day lends itself to a peaceful contemplative mood, though I won't want them too often. Preferably when the clouds have some form to them rather than the sky being blank and gray. Seems to go a bit better with greenery than bare vegetation as well. My favorite is mostly cloudy skies with some blue patches and the sun going back and forth or just bright overcast. Cloudy skies are often better for some types of photography as well, as the light is more diffuse.

Here are two bright overcast skies:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/60559_800929124455_408154_44320437_1500401_n.jpg (broken link)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/58770_800926534645_408154_44320293_2435699_n.jpg (broken link)

And one mostly cloudy day:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/363_589152341825_408154_37255125_9160_n.jpg (broken link)

The last photo doesn't show the overcast sky all that well, couldn't find a photo I took quickly enough. Actually this one is close to what I have in mind:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/294014_10100186673047515_408154_47717833_489518461 _n.jpg (broken link)

Apologies if anyone's bothered I hijacked the thread.

[Patricius Maximus]

Originally Posted by dhdh

That's a very interesting point. I always though that weather enjoyment/hatred had two components, namely comfort and mood.
As far as I'm concerned mood is a very important component - I'd prefer a -5°C bright sunny day with a pure white snow cover over a 7°C grey overcast day, even though the latter is vastly superior to me in terms of comfort - just terribly poor in terms of mood.

So you're saying that weather is all about comfort for you ?

That is an interesting notion - the two components being comfort and mood. It seems to make sense. To answer your question, weather is not all about comfort to me, with the obvious exception of extreme discomfort which applies to everyone as well as myself. In my preferred weather, I'd still be comfortable in a sense, although "pleasant" better captures it (this includes very cold weather too). However that is not the one driving factor.

Mood is an important component of my weather preferences as well, in the sense that I like weather or think it's awesome, or detest it, without these notions being related to comfort per se. It's just that I am never depressed or in a gray mood, even in the most lousy weather; there's just weather I love and weather I despise. Like yours and many others my weather preferences are affected by mood; it merely manifests itself in a different form.

For instance, when I have strong feelings regarding hated types of weather they are most often anger and disgust, and sometimes "craziness" (especially with long sunny stretches), not sadness or depression. Many people who hate cold weather or are solar-charged have their mood component manifest itself in the form of sadness during cold, cloudy weather, which is distinct from the emotions that I encounter during extended periods of weather I hate. This is why I give a low estimate of my expertise in this area, because the analogy between my version of lousy weather and theirs breaks down at this point.

I hope that this clarifies my remarks and answers your question.

[lpfan921]

Originally Posted by ilovemycomputer90

I love extended spells of cool weather during the spring. Must I mention April 2007 again? I also love the occasional May day that fails to get out of the 40s with rain.

Cool weather is welcome anytime of the year, but I have an even greater appreciation for it when it's close to or inside the warm season.

Wow, i forgot about April 2007. That was really a cold one! i can definitely see how you winter lovers would have enjoyed that month.

[j96g]

I welcome the cold anytime of the year, but it would be annoying to get out a jacket in summer. I think June-August should never have below 40°F in a place it's not normal in. I don't mind a couple of days that bring highs from 80 to 60 in summer as it's still nice, but not cold. But as I hated HOT days in winter (80s,90s+) in South Texas, I assume most warm weather lovers would hate COLD days (40s,30s-).