"Atlanta doesn't have a REAL winter ..."

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by maddux0817

This thread hasn't been updated in over a year, but I'm going to comment anyway.

First of all, to say that Atlanta doesn't have a real winter is, well, true and false. Average highs for January are around 50 and lows about 30-35, so it is far more mild than cities further north. Snow is rare, but rain and sometimes sleet is abundant. Having a Humid-subtropical climate just means that the average winter temperature is right at or above 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius). Avg temp for a day in January is 43, which is pretty darn nippy!

BUT..., we just recovered from having highs in the teens and lows close to zero on Monday and Tuesday. This is downright arctic for us! Luckily it's back in the 40s for highs and mid 30s for lows, but we could very well have another cold spell before this winter's over.

While it almost never gets that bad, a typical winter morning consists of me scraping the frost off of my car and heating it up for 10 minutes. What Northerners fail to understand is that Atlanta is higher elevation than most other Southern cities. I can't stand wearing gloves and being a Kansas City native, I can get away without wearing them most winter mornings in GA.

So, yeah, Atlanta has real winters. Very mild winters, but cold compared to Gulf Coast cities and Florida.

excellent summary. we aren't really much like any other major city in terms of climate besides charlotte. people think that because atlanta is on the same latitude as SoCal and texas that it has a similar climate, but in fact we have a similar climate to the mid-atlantic region.

[Galounger]

How soon we forget. Atlanta winter 2011.


BLIZAPALOOZA - Atlanta Snow Storm - January 2011 - YouTube

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by Galounger

How soon we forget. Atlanta winter 2011

That still is a very minor and insignificant amount of winter weather. Just because people freak out here and school systems close for week when it wasn't necessary doesn't mean Atlanta is now Anchorage. Even if that was a blizzard, the next week we were back up in the warmer temps.

I can remember during that storm, the first day or two there was some ice in some shaded spots, but after 2 or 3 days you had to go looking to find even a remnant of ice on roads. Closing the city and surrounding area for a week for what in many areas would be insignificant precipitation isn't the answer and shows that Atlanta doesn't get a "real" winter.

[Galounger]

Originally Posted by neil0311

That still is a very minor and insignificant amount of winter weather. Just because people freak out here and school systems close for week when it wasn't necessary doesn't mean Atlanta is now Anchorage. Even if that was a blizzard, the next week we were back up in the warmer temps.

I can remember during that storm, the first day or two there was some ice in some shaded spots, but after 2 or 3 days you had to go looking to find even a remnant of ice on roads. Closing the city and surrounding area for a week for what in many areas would be insignificant precipitation isn't the answer and shows that Atlanta doesn't get a "real" winter.

I don't think you have to be anywhere near Anchorage status to have "real" winters. And that storm wasn't the only cold weather we had that year. We had a record number of below freezing days that season (leading to extremely high heating bills for many like myself -and I didn't run the heater that much) and it took days for that ice to melt only to ice up again later. No Atlanta doesn't compare to Minneapolis but I don't think that justifies saying it has no winter at all.

Atlanta X-mas 2010

Raw: Atlanta, GA 128 Year Snow on Christmas! Global Warming? - YouTube

[atler8]

I grew up driving in winter weather in the midwest but found that storm in 2011 to be a challenge for me personally.
It was my first real winter storm experience since moving out from Atlanta proper to the south suburbs. My normal method of transport into Atlanta & my job via GRTA express bus was not available again because of the storm until Friday of that week.
That was a moot point anyway though because I could not get out of my subdivision, much less over to the bus park & ride lot because of the ice-bound conditions on my own street. It is an east to west street on a modest incline & largely shaded throughout. Because of the shade, slope & directional factors , there was no real melting occurring on it until the afternoon of Tuesday. That was when we finally were able to get up the hill & out of the subdivision & onto a nearby road that carries commuting traffic. If we had lived on a flat, north to south street & received more of the sun's direct rays, it might have been a different story for us.
On both Wednesday & Thursday I drove 25 miles into midtown but it was not a fun drive at all! The connector was still the pits as I drove much of the wayon RUTS worn down into the layers of frozen sleet & ice still on the roadway. The elevated portion over University Avenue was just awful!
Once off of the connector & on the city streets on Wednesday, I was aghast at the total lack of cleaning & melting on Piedmont Avenue between downtown & midtown. The street conditions soon became a huge p.r. headache for the city proper.
Our receptionist was not as lucky as I was though as her trip in from Douglasville on Wednesday did not end happily for her on ice-covered 10th St. She was rear-ended by a fellow who slid into her.
On Thursday the commute was much easier & thankfully the bus system was operational again by Friday.

[AnsleyPark]

I wish Atlanta had no real winter...

[Galounger]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

I wish Atlanta had no real winter...

I know a couple of people from Southern California and South Florida where they really have no winter that wish the same.