Winters In Chicago (Worth: mall, move, swimming pool)

[ngrome]

Originally Posted by Venom

I get headaches in hot weather.
I hate it.

I totally agree. I got one now.

[ngrome]

Originally Posted by KevK

Chicago winters are like Hell on Earth. Sort of as bad as Phoenix or Dallas summers. And they last forever- often from around Thanksgiving to April and May even. Sometimes weeks pass before the temperature even breaks the freezing mark of 32 degrees. Temperatures of sub zero are not uncommon in the suburbs especially. There is also very little sunlight in the winter and this is compounded by the fact that Chicago is on the eastern edge of the Central Time Zone so it gets dark very early in the winter- around 4PM- which can be depressing.
As for public transit, it is excellent. It runs 24/7 and you can easily live there without a car.

Gimme a break. Thanksgiving to May is maybe 6 months or so? It's not that bad. I was up there during Thanksgiving looking for houses and it did get as cold as 29 degrees, didn't bother me any. I put in an offer for a house in December, didn't bother me either. Then closed on the house in January when it was around 22 below (see my post above).

Some people can't stand the cold, some can't stand the heat. I'm one of the latter. I find it easier to layer and dress warmly to avoid freezing, but even after stripping to you civies in the Florida heat, the only times to escape it is just to run under the AC for cover (much like running for the heat in the winter). If you don't like where your at, just leave. Which is what I'm doing.

[ngrome]

Originally Posted by ngrome

I've only been in NC 1-2 times, but I can say that climate is pretty much the same throughout the southeast, maybe a little cooler once you reach the Virginias. You are exactly right, you can dress for the winter, you cannot escape the heat unless you stay indoors and have the AC cranked up. You don't even need the heat on too much in the winters up north, if you dress warmly as well. The only people who like the heat are the ones who kinda like to be scantily clad or are kind of horny because of it...sorry, kinda uncalled for, but made myself laugh, lol.

Originally Posted by Nea1

Dont apologize, made me laugh!!!!!! I hated NC summer, yuck, feeling sweaty and wet all the time, nope did not make me horny. Cold and snow does, gives me even more reason to cuddle up!!!!!

Works for some people, lol.

[NYrules]

Now Steve will like this. I will be the FIRST to admit there were a FEW days and nights mostly in December, where I took my dog out about 10 or 11 I would say, and walked down the bike path behind my house looking in at the Christmas trees in people's windows, while it was flurrying outside, there was little wind, it was very cold (15F), but the smell of burning wood filled the air and I have to admit, that was really nice I thought, hence the reason I said in previous posts that it's not the cold that bothers me about living here.

The days where it was 35-40F with howling winds and grey skies with drizzle, now that sucked, so for those wondering about how bad are our winters? Well, the cold and even the snow is not really what gets many people so down here, it the drab in the winter even if it does only do it some 50-60% of the time which I find hard to believe for November especially as most Novembers here are very depressing until the icy cold moves down from Canada and dries the air out by dropping the temps down to maybe 15F with very low humidity as the air is unable to hold much moisture.

All that said, don't let our winters scare you or anyone, they just have numerous days that are very depressing looking versus dangerous or horridly cold. If you don't mind lots of clouds during the winter and some days where it does get very windy and yes is cold, then you will be fine here.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by JoeyPants

Chicago winters are really getting to me. I'm considering on moving. I'd never move to Texas however, that would be hell on earth. I'd pick Alaska before Texas.

Phil Sheridan said if he owned Hell and Texas he'd live in Hell and rent out Texas.

[kingd]

The winters truly do suck here, rarely a mild day of say, 40 degrees or higher, and often weeks of not going over 20 and very often worse. I moved here from a much more moderate climate city twelve years ago and what gets me more than official winter months being so cold is that it continues through May and June. This May and June, we rarely got out of the 50s for a long stretch of the time. Today is July 17th and the high is 67. I just miss "real" spring and summers when you don't have to worry that July 4th or Memorial Day will be too frigid to be outside without a sweater as it was this year and many others that I can remember. Don't make the same mistake I did because now I'm sort of stuck here. I too hate cold weather and have never been able to reconcile the weather here against the good things the city has to offer. You will too often feel you can't get out of the house. And if you have kids, they will never have that Memorial Day weekend right of passage of jumping in a pool that all who grew up in warmer climes had--too chilly generally to ever warm up a pool without a heater.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by kingd

...This May and June, we rarely got out of the 50s for a long stretch of the time...

This is not true.

Originally Posted by kingd

...I just miss "real" spring and summers when you don't have to worry that July 4th or Memorial Day will be too frigid to be outside without a sweater as it was this year and many others that I can remember...

Although both days were below average in terms of normal temps this year I highly doubt most people would consider 67-70 (Which it was much of the day July 4th) sweater weather. Or 58-64 for much of the day on Memorial Day sweater weather.

http://weather.chicagotribune.com/au...q_statename=NA

Originally Posted by kingd

I moved here from a much more moderate climate city twelve years ago and what gets me more than official winter months being so cold is that it continues through May and June... Don't make the same mistake I did because now I'm sort of stuck here.

Wow you hate the weather so much you are still here twelve years later? What are you in Stateville Correctional Center? Next time when that voice in your head tells you to expose yourself in public to children and try to kidnap them try to resist it.

[kingd]

Sorry, This is true...I was so irritated by the chilly spring that I kept track...we had about four weeks from mid May to Mid June of mostly 50-55 degrees and even a few cooler, with the ever-present freezing NE winds blowing over the lake. Of course, I'm about seven blocks from the lake, but... I'm just saying from experience if you hate cold weather, don't move here because you most likely won't grow to ever like it and it will negate all the other great aspects of living here, which there are many. Too many people like me that I know have left after they get a feel for how depressing the long winters and zero spring are and it does a diservice to those who hate the cold but are contemplating moving here to tell them that it isn't that bad when in reality it is that bad. Natives don't get it because they weren't raised otherwise and 70 degree days in the summer and 40 degrees in late spring are just fine with them. This July 3rd, I ate outside and froze to death in 58 degree weather and I recall specifically at least two July 4ths that were equally as frigid. That's not what summer is to many of us. Summer is never having to wear anything but a short sleeve shirt May to September. In better climes, as where I grew up, you get a good sprinkling of 40s, 50s and even 60s regularly throughout the winter months.

[Avengerfire]

I wear short sleeve shirts when the temp is above 50. I wear shorts when the temp is above 58 or so.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by kingd

Sorry, This is true...I was so irritated by the chilly spring that I kept track...we had about four weeks from mid May to Mid June of mostly 50-55 degrees...

Pull up the weather records and post them.