For people who have moved from the south to Chicago, How brutal are the winters really? (Dakota: best cities, 2014)

[lepoisson]

I'm originally from NC and now live in Chicago. Winters here aren't as bad as people say, but I still hate it and completely understand why so many people leave for places down south. The temperatures really aren't bad, but it's the length that bothers me. By the time late March/early April rolls around down south, it's spring. But here in Chicago it can still be 30-50 until late May.

Also, the gloomy grey skies are really depressing. You at least get a little bit of sun down south.

[jfre81]

When the urban heat island effect is taken into consideration, there's probably not a warmer spot (such as it is) on the Great Lakes than Chicago, simply because of the sheer size of the "island." The other factor in Chicago is the infrastructure exists for you to reliably get around without driving. As a native of the Gulf Coast where we went all year without freezing sometimes, but who has done winter life in the Midwest as well - most of my gripes about winter relate in some way or another to driving a car in ice, frequently washing the car to ward off salt-induced rust etc.

The lakes in general are also a moderating factor for air temperature. Cedar Rapids, Iowa is on a similar latitude but further away from Lake Michigan. It'll average about five degrees colder in winter than in Chicago.

The real killer is wind chill. They don't call it the Windy City for nothing. I'd complain about 38F with a heavy wind (in Chicago or in Houston, where that still happens sometimes) before I complained about a calm 18F.

[frimpter928]

I have found biggest way to get around winter is to plan two trips per winter. Every winter I do a weekend getaway in January to Florida for a break and then 1-2 week trip somewhere longer and warmer like Brazil, Costa Rica, etc in February or March. You get a nice break from it all.

[BigLake]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

I'm originally from NC and now live in Chicago. Winters here aren't as bad as people say, but I still hate it and completely understand why so many people leave for places down south. The temperatures really aren't bad, but it's the length that bothers me. By the time late March/early April rolls around down south, it's spring. But here in Chicago it can still be 30-50 until late May.

Also, the gloomy grey skies are really depressing. You at least get a little bit of sun down south.

Agree generally but the "...30-50 until late May..." is a bit over the top. By May, while one would expect temps to be in the 70s (and they often are), we rarely if ever touch 30, even at night. By end of April and into May, you're getting bona fide springtime weather of 60-70s, even 80s on occasion by late May.


I also agree winter takes a bit long on getting its ass out of here, but Chicagoans power on and think, "hhhh... let's see, I can be in a world class city like Chicago and its 50 in March, or I can be in Atlanta where it's 70. Nuff said, I'll deal with the cold for another month."

[Kmanshouse]

If I could live in a warmer climate for the months of February and March, I'd love the weather here. Nice variety. It's really that last half of winter and early spring that suck.

[paytonc]

Actual frostbite is rare. I moved from North Carolina, and survived for several years. After all, you can always add another layer of clothing... but you can't remove all your layers, and expect to keep most jobs.

Originally Posted by frimpter928

I have found biggest way to get around winter is to plan two trips per winter.

Yes, indeed! MLK weekend in mid-January is a great opportunity to take a breather right when winter is statistically at its coldest. And another trip in late winter / early spring is a chance to relieve the boredom of waiting for summer -- which, as others have mentioned, is truly the most painful part of the winter.

[RamenAddict]

Originally Posted by BigLake

Agree generally but the "...30-50 until late May..." is a bit over the top. By May, while one would expect temps to be in the 70s (and they often are), we rarely if ever touch 30, even at night. By end of April and into May, you're getting bona fide springtime weather of 60-70s, even 80s on occasion by late May.


I also agree winter takes a bit long on getting its ass out of here, but Chicagoans power on and think, "hhhh... let's see, I can be in a world class city like Chicago and its 50 in March, or I can be in Atlanta where it's 70. Nuff said, I'll deal with the cold for another month."

I think we had 96 this Memorial Day weekend, so it can go beyond “even 80s on occasion” up to the mid-90s, but coming from a place where you literally start sweating within 30 seconds outside for about 2-3 months out of the year because it is just that humid, I will take the winter. I really like to have 4 seasons. Plus, I think it is less gloomy when you actually have snow than when you don’t.

I lived in London for a year and found it to be miserable. It is not that cold, but it gets dark so early in winter and is so gloomy. I have never gotten as depressed when I’ve lived in places that had snow.

[FalstaffBlues]

Chicago is a cold as Syracuse and Rochester except with howling wind.

Conditioning yourself to think its "not that bad" is the healthiest thing you can do.

Its average daily low in January is about 18.5 degrees. That's similar to St. Petersburg russia. About 3 degree colder than Toronto.

Thats colder than Oslo, Helsinki or Stockholm.

That's colder than Seoul and Sapporo.

In short could it be worse? Yeah, but only in Canada and the steppe of central Asia.

So to answer your question, "How brutal are the winters really?" The truth is, just shy of coldest metropolitan weather on earth.

Hope that helps

[ipkl07]

I've got frost bitten in Chicago back in the 1990's on the edge of my finger and it hurt really bad. I cut the dead skin off myself and yeah lots of pain. It's odd because I lived 4 hours north of Chicago in a colder climate and never got frost bitten for over a decade. After I cut the dead skin it grew back, but it was very painful. Listen to these guys when they tell you to dress for the conditions! I've got over heated when I lived in Florida, so pick your poison! Yes, winters can be brutal, but summers can be brutal too down south. Really depends what you like, or prefer, or can stand and not stand to be honest.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by FalstaffBlues

Chicago is a cold as Syracuse and Rochester except with howling wind.

Conditioning yourself to think its "not that bad" is the healthiest thing you can do.

Its average daily low in January is about 18.5 degrees. That's similar to St. Petersburg russia. About 3 degree colder than Toronto.

Thats colder than Oslo, Helsinki or Stockholm.

That's colder than Seoul and Sapporo.

In short could it be worse? Yeah, but only in Canada and the steppe of central Asia.

So to answer your question, "How brutal are the winters really?" The truth is, just shy of coldest metropolitan weather on earth.

Hope that helps

The hyperbole never stops...

Lot of places , just in the US , are colder than Chicago. Northern New England is colder than Chicago. The Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are colder, as are most parts of Michigan and much of upstate NY. Throw in Cleveland, too, and Boston is in the ballpark (albeit slightly warmer, but snowier). The snowfall in Chicago isn't all that great, either, as huge storms are rare.

All of this information is readily available on the Internet, anyway. Why does this thread need to be repeated over and over, ad nauseum??