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As a native Midwestern (northern Ohio), winter is by far my least favorite time of year. I researched the numbers and seen places like New York and Philly are about 10 degrees warmer on average during the winter but do you actually notice it living there full time? I'm asking because New York and Chicago are on my list of 5 cities to consider moving to and they're the only cold weather ones, I'd drop Chicago if New York feels that much better
Believe it or not, in many areas of the Northeast, especially New England and Upstate New York, the average annual snowfall is greater than it is many areas of the Midwest.
However, winter in the Northeast, especially in coastal areas (e.g., Long Island), is much sunnier than the eastern Midwest, which seems to be perpetually cloudy and overcast for almost all of late autumn and winter.
In addition to more hours of sunlight during the winter months, the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean moderates temperatures in the Northeast, especially along the coast. So, 0-5 degrees in New York City, Philadelphia and even Boston is a fairly uncommon occurrence, even in the dead of winter.
Philadelphia in particular has a noticeably longer warm season than places further north, including New York City. In fact, there is recently published City-Data thread about this natural phenomenon.
Years and years ago, on a 59-degree day in March in Providence, RI, I called my brother in Philadelphia, and he told me it was 76 degrees there.
Yeah the eastern warm times in winter are becasue of sea breezes usually, from the east. the ocean is warmer than the land at that time, so if the air flow is going east to west the coastal cities will be warmer. but it's very subjective and changes all the time, so if the air mass is going west to east in that area, it will be just as cold as the midwest. it just depends on the jet stream and localized air flows. NYC can be either very cold or very mild in winter week by week, and it always fluctuates. Same with Philly
10 degrees is a lot. When I moved from Boston to DC, really noticed the difference in late winter and spring because DC warms up much more quickly. The leaves come out about 3 weeks earlier.
I once drove from Chicago to DC, with an overnight stay in Cleveland in early April. Left Chicago where there was patchy snow still on the ground, and trees were bare almost the entire trip to just west of Frederick, MD, where it was like driving straight into spring with budding trees and blossoming flowers.
Philadelphia in particular has a noticeably longer warm season than places further north, including New York City. In fact, there is recently published City-Data thread about this natural phenomenon.
Years and years ago, on a 59-degree day in March in Providence, RI, I called my brother in Philadelphia, and he told me it was 76 degrees there.
Wait, really? Whenever I check New York City temps, Philadelphia is usually no more than five degrees warmer, with plenty of days where we have identical temps.
Philadelphia surely has a completely different climate than where I grew up in Upstate NY. I actually miss the snowier winters (winter is so much prettier up there than here). However, I absolutely love springtime in Philadelphia. In Upstate NY, it is just mud season until May.
If I am not mistaken, low elevation and close proximity to saltwater of the Atlantic Coastal Plain are what give areas such as southern New Jersey and Long Island much milder winters than nearby areas that are located further inland at similar latitude.
NE is warmer but snowier.
Midwest is colder but less snowy.
THis sums is up pretty well. Northern New England ( VT/NH/ME) can get very cold, just like parts of WI/MN, but on average the Northeast, including NYC and Philly, is a little warmer than the Midwest, on the whole. The snowfall amounts in upstate NY (stretching from Buffalo all the way to Albany) are definitely the highest, though...
I'll put the cold temps in order, from coldest to less-cold:
Wisconsin/Minnesota>northern New England/upstate NY>central Midwest>Atlantic Seaboard
Having skied a couple of hours this morning, I declare northeast snowfall inadequate.
Winter is only awful if you don’t have a winter sport to get you outside. There’s plenty of technology to keep you warm. That’s the advantage of the northeast as long as you’re not in MASH. (Mid-Atlantic Ski Hell)
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