If I Can Handle This 15 Degree Weather, Can I Do Chicago Winters?

[Isotope-C14]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

Please read the above paragraph multiple times! I don't give two flying leaps what the "average high" temperatures are.
Every year you will experience below zero temps.
Every year you will experience multiple days in a row where the temps never get higher than single digits.

Most winters you will experience the phenomenon where temps rise into comfortable territory, only to dump several inches of snow, after which the temps drop into the single digits and teens. Now you get the "pleasure"of snow clogging everything, but it's too cold to enjoy it. Enjoy digging out your car the next morning when it's ten degrees.

Finally, keep in mind that those born and raised in Chicagoland treat cold weather as a badge of honor. They will always downplay how cold and miserable their winters truly are.

That's cause what don't kill ya, makes you stronger...

I love the hard freeze. Makes it so we don't get those downstate giant slugs either so you can walk barefoot in the summertime.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by grapico

keep in mind what you experienced is more typical to the average temps...(i.e. lows around 17/18) Chicago at the same time was -15 with -30+ wind chills. 30 more degrees lower. On average, Chicago goes below 0 on average over 10 days a year. While -15 is not common 0 to -5 is quite common, it happens virtually every year. There has only been 8 total years when Chicago *didn't* go below 0. One of these was last winter. Or it could be like a few winters back, 2007 saw 6 consecutive days of below 0 weather.

You need to mention that these days below zero is counting at any time of the day, not as a high. It's rare for Chicago to have highs below 0. If you made a histogram of everything, the range with the most woulud probably be between 24 and 32 folllowed by 15-23.

You will experience below 0 temps every year, but it's not THAT often and when during the day matters. In the end, it could be a lot worse than around 10 days a year under 0 at any point during the day. There is a big difference between "High of -5" and "Temperatures tonight at 3am dipping down to -5." While you can be out at any point in the day, a lot less percentage of people are actually outside when a geography reaches a low at an average time versus the high.

[grapico]

Hmmm... I'd slightly beg to differ if you are a normal person that gets up in the morning around 6-7am to go in to work whether by car or waiting on a train platform. And Chicago and the metro has a *lot* of train platforms, not always with heat (Which tends to be crowded if approaching those temps even if there is one). That temp is going to be *at* or *Very* close to the overnight low during the early morning hours. During the day, no, it's not going to be that cold. The last 3 winters have been noticeably milder than usual with 2012 being the mildest since 1959 and top 4 mildest all time, the 3-4 before that were noticeably colder and snowier. This seems to be like one of the former, back to the old tricks and old man winters version of payback to get back to the averages. 2007 for instance saw 6 days in a row where temps were below 0. Even if only on average 10 or so days a year when temps drop below 10, Chicago drops in single digits 25 days a year, this only happens on average 1.~ day a year say, in New York, and I'm sure less than that if the guy is in Jersey or DC. But really there is no average... some january, the average high can be 35, others it can be 26. It's a crap shoot. And if one stays long enough, you'll experience some OK winters, then some nastier ones. You'll experience some great Aprils with highs in 70s and 80s throughout the month, or Aprils that is still snowing multiple times.