need honest assessment of weather (Boise, Moscow: real estate, low crime, houses)

[needthesun]

We are seriously thinking Boise might be a perfect fit for us in many ways..but I am concerned with the weather. We currently live in Seattle and I hate the constant grey skies so the sun factor in Boise will be excellent. However, I am concerned with how cold it gets in the winter. I understand it really does not snow all that much in the valley itself, but temps get downright cold for several months, am I right? Like highs at freezing level?

Do people go outside in the winter? Or stay in their houses? Do people have wood or pellet stoves?

In the spring and fall does it get quite cold as well?

I have to admit I like warm weather, anything above 75 degrees, and I really like it in the 90's!

Needless to say I am rethinking our decision...perhaps a southern state like NC or SC would be better weather wise.

One of the main reasons we are moving is the lack of sun here and the depression that follows the many many months of endless grey and drizzle.
Many thanks....

[boi2socal]

I lived in Seattle for under a year and experienced each season except for winter.

Boise gets much hotter than Seattle in summer. As other posters have noted it gets much hotter in Boise than they assumed. 90s are typical and 100s are not unusual. Most days will not have one cloud in the sky but a thunderstorm every so often is not unusual.

Fall and spring are random...fall less random but spring can be annoying with one day being in the 70s and feeling summer is here and the next in the 40s.

Contrary to popular belief winters in Boise do have the possibility to be very grey. Although I doubt more grey than Seattle. The coldest days in Boise from my memory was when it was completely clear with breezes and temps in the teens. But those days are rare yet still more possible than in Seattle.

Overall, people from Seattle seem to remark on the dry air and the need for moisturizers! lol

[Haakon]

There are some gray days in Boise in the winter, but from what I've seen they aren't nearly as dark as the gray we get in the Seattle area. The cloud cover just isn't as thick, and doesn't stick around for weeks at a time.

People go outside in the winter, you just have to bundle up a lot more than in Seattle. Hiking, ice fishing, skiing, skating, snowmobiling, there are all kinds of outdoor things to do in winter.

This chart might give you some idea of the temp extremes.

Days Below 32º January 26 February 21 March 17 April 8 May 2 June N/A July 0 August 0 September 0 October 6 November 18 December 26


Days Above 90º January 0 February 0 March 0 April N/A May 1 June 5 July 19 August 16 September 3 October N/A November 0 December 0

[Torrie]

I came from the Portland-Metro area and Boise is definitely lighter and brighter than the Pacific Northwest. I believe we average 232 days of sunshine. The winters aren't all that bad, IMO. The cold is drier- it's not a damp cold that chills you to the bone like the Seattle area. January is typically our coldest month. Winter seems to go from Dec- to the first part of March.

Boise's Climate

If you're considering the south you'll have humid weather and tornados to deal with. One of the reasons Boise gets voted one of the safest places to live in the country is not only due to our low crime, but our uneventful weather-meaning no tornados and no hurricanes.

People heat their houses with either gas, forced air or wood/pellet stoves.

[2much2soon]

Originally Posted by Torrie

I came from the Portland-Metro area and Boise is definitely lighter and brighter than the Pacific Northwest. I believe we average 232 days of sunshine. The winters aren't all that bad, IMO. The cold is drier- it's not a damp cold that chills you to the bone like the Seattle area. January is typically our coldest month. Winter seems to go from Dec- to the first part of March.

Boise's Climate

If you're considering the south you'll have humid weather and tornados to deal with. One of the reasons Boise gets voted one of the safest places to live in the country is not only due to our low crime, but our uneventful weather-meaning no tornados and no hurricanes.

People heat their houses with either gas, forced air or wood/pellet stoves.

I didn't get the memo on Idaho being removed from the Pacific Northwest.

[Torrie]

Originally Posted by 2much2soon

I didn't get the memo on Idaho being removed from the Pacific Northwest.

Yes, you are correct, Idaho is part of the Pacific Northwest. I always think of the Pacific Northwest as the Oregon/Washington region more so than Idaho and that is what I was referring to. Don't mean to confuse anyone.

[LillyLillyLilly]

It's true that it doesn't get above freezing for days at a time, but it's not all that bad. I bought a knee length down coat, ear muffs, a scarf and gloves and I went for an hour walk most days last winter without freezing to death. The only days it's really too cold are the days that are windy, which we seemed to have last winter more than we normally do.

I'm sure Torrie's been in more homes than I have and probably knows more about it, but I didn't think many people use wood to heat with, though many homes have fireplaces for the ambience factor. All the people I know use natural gas furnaces for heat. We do have inversions which block the sun and hold pollution in the valley, and during those times we have burn bans. Sometimes there's a ban on even burning wood for indoor heat, tho I haven't kept track of how often that happens. I just remember a news report several years back where a family was being fined for using their wood stove even though they had no alternative source of heat.

If you really hate cold and don't mind humid, very hot summers, then I agree that one of the Carolinas is probably a better match for you. And from what I've seen, real estate is cheaper there too.

[Greensleeves]

I lived 60 miles north of Seattle for a little more than 25 years.

Really, I love the climate SO much more here in Idaho, even with the cold. I'm outside a lot more, even when it's 20 below. Yes, it is much drier and there is a difference between being cold and wet or cold and dry. But if I never see another slug, it'll be too soon for me! Sure, there are clouds, but here you get to dry out between showers. My ponies are much happier here, too, as we haven't had to battle the yearly bouts of rain rot.

My only problem adjusting to Idaho has been the job situation and the total lack of political correctness in the more rural areas. So, if I didn't have to work for a living and could just venture out when I wanted to, I wouldn't be going back to Washington at all.

[stingraynm]

Yeah, Boise winters can be pretty cold, but after growing up there, I had never had a bout with seasonal affective disorder until I moved north to Moscow. THERE was a cloudy winter!

Unfortunately, the cold, cloudy days in Boise winters are more common than the SE states you mentioned, so if cold is a bother for you, Boise might not quite be a fit. If you make a mid-January visit, you'll likely get the coldest spurt Boise has to offer. That would be a good way to decide. The winds from the Arctic one day and the Oregon/Cali coast the next day are major contributors to the tendency for fluctuations in temperatures.

[Sage of Sagle]

Originally Posted by Torrie

Yes, you are correct, Idaho is part of the Pacific Northwest. I always think of the Pacific Northwest as the Oregon/Washington region more so than Idaho and that is what I was referring to. Don't mean to confuse anyone.

I also hear us referred to (by climatologists) as "Inland Northwest" which is drier but colder than the Pacific side of the Cascades.