Help! Scared of the weather... (Dallas, Plano: spring break, insurance, to buy)

[klove1228]

I need some serious info on the weather in the Dallas area. My husband has a job offer in Dallas and in Tacoma WA. I grew up in Mckinney until the age of 13 and have since been living in Northern CA and now Oregon. I have recently visited family in Plano TX in March and was a little taken back by the 3 days of 97 degree weather then all the sudden the rest of my trip was pleasantly in the 70's. I am a big weather wimp and have a hard time with really hot weather. My family there keep saying that this summer was unusally warm and that it doesn't feel as hot in Dallas when the temps are high because there is lower humidity than where I live. I need some unbiased info. My family wants us to live there so bad that I'm not sure they would give me the whole truth on the heat. If anyone could please give me the good the bad and the ugly straight up I would very much appreciate it.

[socketz]

Coming from Northern Cal and Oregon, Dallas is indeed hot....there's no getting around it.

Tacoma may be a better fit for you....not hot there, but nice and gloomy.

[momof2dfw]

Ah, that was that hot spell we had back in March. Will say that is not the norm for March. But March is one of those months that can go either way. Shorts and swimming for spring break or coats/gloves and going to ski for spring break. And of course everything in between. Our spring break in March and the kids will get mad if it is freezing cold and they can not swim or have a "real SPRING break". That is also a time when a lot of people in this area take ski trips. One year it started snowing on us that afternoon before we even left the house. That was also NOT the norm for March. Look on the Channel 8, wfaa website (wfaa.com) and you can look at weather patterns for just the Dallas area.

[GoPadge]

As a transplant from South Carolina, I will offer my opinion of Texas' weather.

Yes it's hot here. It can be quite hot. But even with the recent bout of 100+ temps the weather here is more bearable than anywhere along the southern Atlantic where I've lived. The temps here may be higher, but the low humidity makes it bearable. I'll take 110F and 50% humidity over 80F and 100% humitidy any day of the week. At least here sweating does cool you off....

[momof2dfw]

I'll agree. I've been to S. Florida, hot & humid. Key West - unbearably HOT & HUMID!!!! Mexico - Cancun, Cozumel, Cabo, Playa, etc. It is hotter and more humid in Cancun, Cozumel & Playa than it is here in Dallas. South America - still hotter and higher humidity. I've seen what my hair does in those places and I know how it is everyday here in Dallas. I'll take the weather here in Dallas anyday over any of those on a regular basis. At least in Dallas I don't feel the need to run and have my hair braided in corn rows and/or wear a hat to somehow keep it under control.

[needachange]

I am from the East and was wondering how the weather is in the winter

[GoPadge]

Well it does get cold here. (For a few days....) When I was in South Carolina I can remember looking forward to Dallas having an ice storm about every year to every other year. (Nothing makes your day better than watching idiots trying to drive on ice. ;-)

Like much of the South it's a relatively mild winter, there aren't week long snowstorms, but unlike the South Atlantic states, there's no buffer between you and the artic weather. So you tend to get waves of cold weather intermixed with milder temperatures.

[Texas Pat]

It does get very hot here. This has been a long, hot summer. We have to keep a dog inside during the dangerous high temps, just like some do during the very cold ones. We do get very cold now when we visit the colder climates in the winter. It can get cold here as well, but it is bearable and enjoyable. My husband plays a lot of golf in the winter months. We do get a lot of wind here, too.
Pat

[GoPadge]

Oh. I forgot the wind. You definately don't want a solid fence, unless you're in the city. Where I live, out in the sticks, we get 40+ mph winds at times and a solid fence won't survive.

We do have a wood privacy fence, but there are gaps in the slats and at the bottom to let the wind through, and I've filled the poles with concrete to stiffen them.

[momof2dfw]

Believe it or not Dallas is actually windier than Chicago (and he has nothing to do w/ our love of tex-mex ). An umbrella is worthless in most instances when it rains. Unless you want to be Mary Poppins . Even in "the city" (inside Dallas, suburbs, etc all count) it gets windy. If you have outdoor furniture like a patio table w/ an umbrella NEVER, I repeat NEVER LEAVE THE UMBRELLA OPEN!!! Now if you are wanting a new patio furniture set it can be a good way to need one. We get more damage from straight line winds in storms around here. There was one such storm yesterday around here. Not at my place, all we got were sprinkles for a few minutes. Just enough to dust up my car after getting it washed earlier in the day. When it does rain I have come to prefer a light raincoat w/ a hood over an umbrella as they usually get broken by the winds. I use my umbrellas more for shade at the kids sports games than I do for rain . A good fence w/ posts that are set in concrete, DEEP IN CONCRETE are a must. Unless you want the dog to runoff or are wanting a new fence .

As for winters. Mild. No need to buy your wife a mink coat if you live in Dallas. A light jacket will suffice unless you do a lot of walking in your daily routine. I do not like long coats and they only get in my way getting in and out of the car. My car is also always parked in the garage so I don't need a coat to get into my car when I leave the house. The walks from the parking lot to the front door at my kids schools, church, the store, the office, etc are short enough that a jacket or sweater will work. If it is HORRIBLY cold that is only a few days a year and then I will get out my lightweight ski jacket if need be. I go to the Stars Ice Hockey games and don't even need a coat most of the time to walk all the way in across the parking lot or in the games. A set of gloves and a light jacket or sweater is usually enough. We get more ice than snow. A lot of people move here from areas that get a lot of snow and stay cold all winter thinking that "these stupid people can't drive on snow". Yes, I can drive on snow. This is ICE YOU MORON!!! Go ahead and speed around me and I'll pass you in a lil bit when you are sitting in the ditch or crashed into someone. I'll be sure to wave, I don't want anyone to think we're not "friendly". There is also such a thing as "black ice" and you will hear this in the winter. The roads will look clear and dry but then there will be patches of very thin ice on the roads & bridges that you can not see until you are on top of them. If you do find you are in/on black ice whatever you do, DO NOT SLAM ON YOUR BRAKES!!!!!! Just let off the gas and coast along and you will be fine. If you slam on your brakes you are likely to spin and get into a nice little insurance conference w/ your neighbors on the road. You may get lucky and get past the ice but the people behind you that tried to avoid you when you slammed on your brakes may not be so lucky. Many newcomers also can not understand why the schools close on these occassions. For one they look at the routes the buses must take and if they are safe or not. If the majority are too hazardous for them to safely travel to p/u kids, no school. Then most school districts and some of the large energy use companies have agreements w/ the power plants that if it is going to be a HUGE USE day that they will voluntarily shut down.