Comparison of Michigan winter to Wyoming winter? (Casper, Gillette: transplants, house)

[jehu]

Greetings, I have been reading the winter threads here. We are moving out there soon to a place outside Gillette. I grew up in rural west Michigan and I know about winter. I always hated it, but I am excited about coming to Wyoming. Michigan has a wet cold that cuts you to the bone. Pipes busted, the cars didn't start and everyday life was difficult. When I was growing up, the first snow flurry came at the beginning of October. We usually had full time snow on the ground from mid to late November and did not see the ground until late March. Then everything was mud for a month or two.

From what little I have seen in my trips across Wyoming in Winter, and from what people describe, Wyoming winters are not worse than Michigan. As I understand from postings here, you get a lot of snow, but it does not stay on the ground for 5 months continously. And yes, cold is cold. But wet cold? It seems to me that a dry 20 below zero is a lot better than a wet 20 above zero. (I may need to experience it to know for sure.) Also, from what I understand, your dry snow makes less mud.

I would like to hear any enlightenment on this comparison if anyone would care to share it with me.

Thanks

[georgiainwyo]

It sounds like you've got the correct information!!!!

[jehu]

We had wind in West Michigan also. Not in the summer as much, but I *DO* remember that cold, brutal wind cutting through me while walking to catch the school bus. There is one more thing that made winter miserable for me. Constant cloud cover. Maybe it is the lake effect in that region, or maybe it was just winter. It was always gloomy. Day after day after day, weeks and months on end. I know that Wyoming gets overcast skies, but is it anything like the upper mid-west?

[Froggie Legs]

No to the gloomy skies, at least in the part of Wyoming I lived in. I remember it being sunny more times than not, and no 40 day stretches without seeing the sun in the winter,as it often is in MN, MI, WI etc. I also do not remember it being as bitterly cold, but whether the humidity is a factor, I cannot say.

[jehu]

I appreciate the encouraging input Froggie Legs. So, is there anything about Wyoming in the winter that is worse than MN, MI, WI, etc?

[StealthRabbit]

ground blizzards, and drifting. Driving can be a challenge at times, but WY has very nice reflectors on the sides to the road. Often you just drive by staying between the reflectors, as you can't see the road due to blowing snow., when you approach a bridge or overpass, you stay away from the windward side, as the drifting can 'pull' your car into the railing.

powdery snow can find its way in very small cracks and you can get some 'interior drifting' too (Both house and car)

The winter nights with a full moon are spectacular on the prairie & most other parts of WYO. It will be very bright at night compared to the overcast MI.

[SkunkApe]

I moved to Casper last May, after living in the Detroit/Pontaic area for many years. Bought a house in Bar Nunn in November. The above posts pretty much have it covered, based on the one winter I've spent in Wyoming so far.

Officially, Casper gets 77 inches of snowfall annually compared to Detroit's 41, but it seems less to me here. It's light and fluffy snow here, and doesn't seem to accumulate. In Michigan, it was wet and heavy. I always used to hire kids to shovel my walk and drive in Michiga. I hated shoveling that heavy wet stuff. I shovel my own here.

The humidity is very low here in the winter. As has been said, its not the "damp cold" problem of Michigan. However, it makes the skin dry out, and causes static electricity in the house. I had a humidifier installed on my furnace to alleviate it.

The impact of of the sunny skies is significant. There are very few days here that its not sunny at least part of the day. In Michigan, we could go days or even weeks and never see the sun. And because the atmoshphere is thinner (due to altitude) the sun feels warmer here.

The average temperature seems to be a bit colder here, and the winter a few weeks longer. But the real killer is the wind.

The wind here has to be experienced to be believed. I thought I knew wind, having gone to school in the totally flat and generally treeless northern Ohio farm country (BGSU.) I was wrong. I had no idea of wind. The wind here can spring your car door if you park the wrong way. It blew a vacuum cleaner I took out for the trash 3 blocks down the street. It blows my deck furniture off the deck. It rattles the windows. Dust finds it's way into every tiny crack, no matter how small. And it never stops, all winter. The wind is bad.

Overall, I'd say the winters between Detroit and Casper are about equal. Casper would definately be less harsh, if it wasn't for that darn wind. I figure its worth it though. Cuts down on the riff-raff.

Hope you enjoy Wyoming. I know I do.

[Wyogirl]

Hey, Ive lived in wyoming my whole life and we do get those wet snows and humidity ...ive shoveled alot of it ! or tried to. We can also have the dry too though.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by SkunkApe

...
The wind here has to be experienced to be believed. I thought I knew wind, ... It blows my deck furniture off the deck. ... I figure its worth it though. Cuts down on the riff-raff...

pretty good description!! (I use the same)

We gauge the speed of the wind by the type of patio furniture flying by.

Aluminum chairs and umbrellas = light breeze
Plastic chairs = good kite weather, but too windy to paint the house or spray weeds
Redwood loungers = time to stay in and away from the windows
Cast Iron = a real gale, take cover


I like to say the wind gets rid of the BMW driving riff-raff, (usually California transplants). It is not good to have your Beemer hit by flying cast iron patio tables or chairs.

Now that I'm in WA instead of WY (But still in a in very windy area) we get freezing rain & our barb wire fences get 3-4" wide horizontal Ice, (thickness of the wire) it is very interesting. When the house gets totally encapsulated in ice it gets petty warm (airtight !) and if it blows for a week without rain, it draws the moisture out of the ground and we get frosty icicles growing from the ground, ~ 4-6" long and bent by the wind. The refraction on the horizon is the same as the sweltering heat from roads in the summer. The horizon line turns all wavy on very cold and windy days (Wish I had a video camera) I thought I was dizzy the first time I saw it.