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Location: Techified Blue (Collar)-Rooted Bastion-by-the-Sea
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I used to live in Atlanta and recently relocated to NJ outside of New York a few months ago. I would say that the summers in Atlanta are scorching, HUMID, and long. In general my observation is that compared to northern areas, the Atlanta area, and surroundings, is much more humid. That being said, when Fall rolls around and through December or so, it seems as though Atlanta is only slightly warmer/milder than it is where I currently am. And it seems that every 6 or 7 days, we are significantly warmer than Atlanta because of the trough in the jetstream that sets up in the midwest, including Atlanta. And yes, Atlanta really is in the southern midwest during the winter months as far as I'm concerned. The temperatures in Atlanta during many days in late Dec., Jan. and early Feb. are about 5 to 10 degrees warmer than Cincinnati but may be the same if not much colder than the northeast due to the aforementioned fronts. Take today as an example.
And during the winter time, Atlanta gets COLD .. bone-chilling, winter COLD ... there is no question about it .. it may be fleeting and sporadic but it definitely is one of the things I'll always remember about Atlanta.
I might be a bit pre-mature but, if we don't have a winter, tell me why I had to pen this gem last year on 12/17?
Not much.....Thank God!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mclean Does it ever snow in Atlanta? What is the weather like there year around?
While it's true that unto everyone's life, some rain must fall, Atlanta receives much less than some would expect. And that is just fine with me.....
Having originally grown up in "Moscow" (Read: Cleveland/Akron) I can tell you entirely without reservation, this is a snap....all that crap you read and hear about from Hall Mark cards this time of year is rubbish....I grew up where "men were men"...and unfortunately, so were the women.....it got so cold up there we used to call it the "Moscow Effect" where pretty much everyone would scrunch up like Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day and tell everyone how cold it was going to be and for how long.....
It's the kind of place where one might want to scratch their recently thawed out fingernails onto a chalk board in some sort of masochistic ritual to beg for God's forgiveness as there must be no other reason for the weather to be that cold other than God's damnation.....
It's easy here although as I continue to age and take on a Tom Bosley'ish appearance, I've started to become more sensitive to the cold here....the good news is that unlike Cleveland/Akron, you WILL see the sunshine and you WILL see your shadow again....not occassionally but, on a daily basis.....
The Ground Hog's got nothin' on those folks who endure the wrath of a Cleveland/Akron winter.....eh?
Snow in Atlanta? Sure. But, it's just a dusting.....oddly enough, here's some of the most notable things one will see when it does....never fails to make me smile.....
1) Rush to Home Depot. This somewhat annual ritual is usually fueled by the likes of you-pick-the-newscaster at whatever station you tune to. I call it the "Monica Kauffman" syndrome....no slam on the every-changing fro Monica but, when one watches the wild, in the wild, it's as though the hungry have found food. Hilarious. This is second only to the annual ritual of those gals in Cobb County who actually spy cotillions. To watch the somewhat annual pilgrimmage to Home Depot when really cold weather (read: 10-30 degrees) "threatens" us for 1-2 days is quite a treat. No flashlight, battery, generator, safety tape, piece of insulation or space heater is spared.
It's been known that certain women of larger stature will thump any other Kate Moss type with little notice, and sometimes entirely without, for even THINKING of making a move to the ceramic heaters they have "reserved" for their brow-beaten spouse when he arrives with one of the few remaining carts left....IN THE PARKING LOT!!!!
It reminds me of holiday sales when everyone has waited as long as they possibly can before they rush the tables festooned with China's latest goods at Wal-Mart. These chicks take no prisoners and God help YOU if you reach for the last big padded bra on sale.....you have been warned....It's as though we live in a 3rd world and no one really knows when the jitney bus will show up again......
2) The rush to Publix/Kroger....Ingles for the rural folks....this is similar to Homie Depot with the loads being somewhat smaller. There is a smaller improvement in the decorum that restrains the most vile and aggressive individuals a bit longer. Personally, I think it's the lights. It's brighter and tighter in THEIR aisles so, a little less mayhem tends to ensue.....In this case, no jug of water, milk, loaf of bread, sandwich meat, or PB&J material is spared. The only thing more pathetic than this is the crowd that must fight their way through Ingles for the even less meager selections. Ingles....Everyone's last choice besides Patel's convenience store in Blue Ridge.
It's where the downtrodden or the most rural...shop...if you can call it that....it's where Publix and Kroger (K Roger) probably pawn their soon to be spoiled goods....I know, I've been there....the melons aren't as ripe, the bread is stiff (like Flo, the checkout lady), and the demeanor of the patrons is similar to those that may be found in South Florida...mean...n' meaner.....
It's the kind of place where you get to "Feel" the 3rd world without really actually having to live there.....it's where all those immigrants you whine about show up at 12......with a smile.....just like Wal-Mart.....se habla....
The kind of place where "Cousin Eddy" is going to show up from his latest National Lampoon movie shoot.
3) Traffic. For once, it's light. One thing we whacky Atlantans love is our free time....deserved or otherwise.....we tend to go in late, go home early because of the "traffic".....poor employers.......
Nothing says qwik trip better than a pending storm, of any kind, threatening our very well being in Atlanta. People f'in FLEE the workforces as fast as their supervisors will allow.
The rush usually is led off by that never-quite-satisfied admin closest to the door. Keep a good eye on this broad. She's your visual cue that it's okay to bolt as she IS your alibi when asked why you left at 3....ish.....the day before....
When pressed, simply toss in the kids, flat tires, elderly care or some other hard-to-really challenge nonsense and you are usually okay. In Atlanta, the workers seem to take this to an art form....busy busy busy...just caaaaan't quite get that whole day in.....snow storms, or the looming threat of one, sends them running faster than an Anthrax scare in DC......
And while everyone will make you THINK they need to get home, you can usually find them in the traffic jam with I-POD's blaring, cell phones going, and make-up adornin' juuuuuuust after their "necessary" departure.....GRTA represent!
4) The News. While the folks usually do a pretty good job of tuning these gems out, they are absolutely glued to the latest "developments" of the pending 10mph storm "heading our way". It's right up there with the friend we all have that has at least one TV f'in GLUED to the Weather Channel 24/7. While it's true that weather can change suddenly I'm just not entirely convinced I have to keep my eye on it THAT closely. Heck, I don't even watch my spouse that close and perhaps with that albatross, I should have ample reason to do so?
No matter, the thought of a single hail ball is enough to send our folks in Atlanta scurrying like cockroaches awash in new light (light switch....ON!). On a brighter note, it's THE opportunity to get a new roof so for that, we are all entirely grateful.....insurance pogues nothwithstanding....ahem.....
5) The morning after. Just like that skank you young bucks might have dragged home the night before, all things must come to an end. Sure, you might be able to sneak her out the back for her obligatory "walk of shame" to the car but, much like your employer, you are going to have to face her/them sooner or later.
Man up. Get her up, get her OUT, and get the f to work!!! While the evenings "social activities" ARE important, none so much sp that you are willing to give up your W-2? Besides, how many women, skanks or otherwise, are willing to hang with YOU without a paycheck?
Lose this Bingo and you are going to be arm wrestling for the tatoo'd monster at 3 AM in the pool halls without one. You will know her by the pack of Marlboro's, 1/2 a head of teeth, and "blonde" hair that hasn't seen peroxide for months....mmmmmmmm........tasty........
6) Post Mortems. While said "storms" are always shorter than you hope, the post mortems at work last longer than said storm ever could. Your co-workers, always in the hunt for execuses to do anything BUT work, will spend DAYS going over the blow by blow incidents that almost happened to them or ones they heard happened to a neighbor's friend's cousin, once removed.....sure.......
These, thick-a$$, round chair surfers will spend more time on what could have been than what you would want them to do.....seems simple but, get two or three of these jokers going and you won't hear them come up for air until lunch......It's worse than enduring Terry Bradshaw on Sunday's. Magic Johson in the winter....just no end in sight....sigh.....
Other than that?
Yeah, the Summer and other two Summer seasons are fine. But, that's a discussion for another day.....ping me in the Spring and I'll toss a few more of these morsels out.....
Stay safe, know the locations of all Homie Depot's and Lowe's stores in ADVANCE!!!... and for God's sake, avoid Ingles and cousin Eddy!
I might be a bit pre-mature but, if we don't have a winter, tell me why I had to pen this gem last year on 12/17?
No one said that we "don't have a winter" but there is a difference between the mild winter here in Atlanta and winter in many other places, where they get a "real" winter. Yes, it snows sometimes in Atlanta. When I lived here in the 1980s, it snowed. When it does, we usually get an inch or two, and the place goes into a panic. Contrast that with New England where I lived for 15 years before moving back to Atlanta. There, you get 2 feet and the plows clear your road, drop some sand/salt mix, and you're often on the way to work. If the schools close, it's usually for that one day.
Last year was an anomaly in Atlanta. It was an abnormally cold and snowy winter for Atlanta. You can't base some point on one year, especially given that it was a bad winter all over the US. Contrast that with my experience in NE with year after year of snowfall that reached 100 inches per year, with high temps (not morning lows) that often didn't make it above freezing, for weeks. Here we usually have low temps around freezing, and then it's well up into the 40s, 50s, 60s, or even 70s by afternoon. Again...a MILD winter.
No one said that we "don't have a winter" but there is a difference between the mild winter here in Atlanta and winter in many other places, where they get a "real" winter. Yes, it snows sometimes in Atlanta. When I lived here in the 1980s, it snowed. When it does, we usually get an inch or two, and the place goes into a panic. Contrast that with New England where I lived for 15 years before moving back to Atlanta. There, you get 2 feet and the plows clear your road, drop some sand/salt mix, and you're often on the way to work. If the schools close, it's usually for that one day.
Last year was an anomaly in Atlanta. It was an abnormally cold and snowy winter for Atlanta. You can't base some point on one year, especially given that it was a bad winter all over the US. Contrast that with my experience in NE with year after year of snowfall that reached 100 inches per year, with high temps (not morning lows) that often didn't make it above freezing, for weeks. Here we usually have low temps around freezing, and then it's well up into the 40s, 50s, 60s, or even 70s by afternoon. Again...a MILD winter.
Agreed, just having fun. I grew up in an area with a real winter and believe me, I get it. Low's typically in the 20's/30's and highs near 50 we could only have dreamed about as a kid.....it's just funny to watch whenever we have a "storm"......people all but shiite themselves, wipe out Homie Depot and K-Roger as though we are in for a nuclear winter...downright entertaining......
When you boil it all down, we have about 3-4 weeks of cold temperatures....rarely does it get worse....and in January, we usually get a few days in the 60's....probably have 90 days of somewhat cooler temps...that's about it....we are truly lucky relative to anything much further North than here....
and indiana is mild compared to what I live through. Here it basically does not rise above freezing in Dec, Jan, and Feb so snow that falls just accumulates until March. It's pretty to have it white though, and in the end the difference between it being 15 for a high and 35 is meh.. I'm still not going to go outside to jog so I'd rather have it super cold like this compared to an area where it melts and then it's just brown everywhere... or somewhere where it gets warm enough to make outdoor activities like jogging viable.
I'm not one of those weirdos that goes out during the coldest part of the morning when it's under freezing to jog in shorts. I'm a warm weather jogger. Live 2 blocks from snap fitness here so no problem all hours of the night. Was just out at 1:30 AM jogging and just got up.
I wish I lived somewhere that got a lot of snow, then it melted, with more mild winters, such as along a lake effect snow belt in southern Michigan, Rochester NY, etc. I like the actual snowing part and love huge snowstorms.
No, Atlanta does not have real winters but I find natives who have lived in an area their whole lives and know no different, will complain about the weather no matter what if it gets out of the 'comfort zone' .. this includes being too hot/humid, and too cold, with cold being a relative term for different people. I was shocked when I moved out here from eastern WI, where below zero weather was not nearly as common. People out there complained, but it's quite a bit colder here. If the natives here got eastern WI's temps a whole winter, they'd be rejoicing... at least the ones that don't like to ice fish. Here one can set up a shack on a lake all winter and hook it up with directv, etc.. home away from home. Every winter without question. Not true in eastern WI at all.
Atlanta can get cold fronts through I'm sure.. it's not like southern FL, Calfornia, or areas along the immediate coastline. Southern Alaska along the immediate coast is warmer then here. Water moderates temperatures.
Somebody was mentioning above that some parts of the Great Plains don't have a lot of snow. In some cases, that's because it's too cold and/or dry for snow. I used to live in a location with super snowy winters. To get a lot of snow, you need a lot of moisture and temperatures that aren't too cold - just a few degrees below freezing is best. Snow is challenging to live with, for sure, but so are very cold temperatures, even if not accompanied by masses of snow. There are different kinds of "real winter."
First of all, Atlanta has a real winter. The typical winter temperature is only about ten degrees colder than that found in NYC.
I guess you meant that average temperatures are ten degrees *warmer* than those found in NYC. And yes, New York winters aren't that bad...Atlanta is just a lot milder in comparison.
Atlanta doesn't even have a single month with average *lows* below freezing. That's mild.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay
Somebody was mentioning above that some parts of the Great Plains don't have a lot of snow. In some cases, that's because it's too cold and/or dry for snow. I used to live in a location with super snowy winters. To get a lot of snow, you need a lot of moisture and temperatures that aren't too cold - just a few degrees below freezing is best. Snow is challenging to live with, for sure, but so are very cold temperatures, even if not accompanied by masses of snow. There are different kinds of "real winter."
Yep. Much of the upper midwest (MN, WI, SD, IA) is actually relatively sunny during the winter, at least when compared to many of the other northern areas of the country, and the clear skies will both cause the temps to dip (no clouds to hold in heat) and minimize snowfall (no clouds means no precip).
It's all relative. Atlanta doesn't have a real winter compared to New York, which doesn't have a real winter compared to Green Bay, which doesn't have a real winter compared to Siberia.
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Repeat from 12/17/2010
Live 2 blocks from snap fitness here so no problem all hours of the night. Was just out at 1:30 AM jogging and just got up. 
