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I've spent most of my life in the south, and heat and humidity simply don't bother me much. I live in Texas and we have tons of lakes and rivers around here and water sports in the summer are very popular. For most people who are natives, the weather isn't oppressive till July and August, and even then it's not like we have to stay indoors all the time - it's just that the afternoons can get uncomfortable.
And our winters are usually very mild and pleasant. So the term "cabin fever" really doesn't apply to the southern states' summers in my opinion. To each his own.
We do get some fantastic thunderstorms occasionally and I really love those. When I lived overseas in Germany, I really missed those big, dramatic thunderstorms.
In TN I think it matters a lot where you are. I hated Memphis weather, summers so hot and humid and the winters were wet and bone chilling. OTOH the area of TN I'm in now is great, winters can get some cold temps, but hey at least some of that turns into snow instead of just an icy cold damp drizzle and the summers aren't nearly as sweaty. There are a usually only few weeks of 'cabin fever' weather in August and another few weeks in February IMO, the rest of the time is generally enjoyable, with long stretches in the spring and fall when I don't even bother with heating and cooling, other than to open my windows to the breeze.
The only places in the USA with "cabin fever" are places with severe winter like the midwest, parts of the northeast, alaska, and other areas.
The south gets hot, it gets uncomfortable, but it never gets to the point of being "cabin fever." Rather, the heat becomes monotonous, but there is never one day you say to yourself you will remain indoors due to the heat. Phoenix pushes that boundary though.
Syracuse gets multiple big storms a year of anywhere from 6"-12" not including lake effect or Nor'easters. It averages ~120" of snow a year. Syracuse gets more in a single month than most places get in a year. The fact that you omit Nor'easters even boggles my mind.
As far as cold, it averages lows in the teens. This past year set a record for cold. Many places in the US did, so you can imagine how much colder it was in Syracuse. Many days were below 0. The average February high was 9, which was the coldest on record. Climates are slowly changing so I wouldn't bother using data from years ago either. What matters is the recent trends ~5-10 years.
Nor'easters affect you guys that badly up there? They're coastal storms.
The only places in the USA with "cabin fever" are places with severe winter like the midwest, parts of the northeast, alaska, and other areas.
The south gets hot, it gets uncomfortable, but it never gets to the point of being "cabin fever." Rather, the heat becomes monotonous, but there is never one day you say to yourself you will remain indoors due to the heat. Phoenix pushes that boundary though.
Speaking for yourself of course. Plenty of places in the south kept me indoors during the summer. I find nothing at all enjoyable about walking around covered in a sheen of sweat on an August day in Houston or New Orleans. Afternoon siesta anyone?
Syracuse gets multiple big storms a year of anywhere from 6"-12" not including lake effect or Nor'easters. It averages ~120" of snow a year. Syracuse gets more in a single month than most places get in a year. The fact that you omit Nor'easters even boggles my mind.
As far as cold, it averages lows in the teens. This past year set a record for cold. Many places in the US did, so you can imagine how much colder it was in Syracuse. Many days were below 0. The average February high was 9, which was the coldest on record. Climates are slowly changing so I wouldn't bother using data from years ago either. What matters is the recent trends ~5-10 years.
6"-12" isn't that big of deal, and that only happens a handful of times a year. Syracuse rarely gets the crippling blizzards that hit Downstate.
The average temperature (not the average high temperature) in Syracuse this February was 9, this factors in the low temperatures too. This winter was unusual. The average high in Syracuse in February is 34, which is not that big of a deal.
People who live in cold places love to exaggerate how bad it is. In reality, a Syracuse winter is not a problem to deal with in the slightest. It's the gloom that gets to me there, not the snow or the cold.
I've spent most of my life in the south, and heat and humidity simply don't bother me much. I live in Texas and we have tons of lakes and rivers around here and water sports in the summer are very popular. For most people who are natives, the weather isn't oppressive till July and August, and even then it's not like we have to stay indoors all the time - it's just that the afternoons can get uncomfortable.
And our winters are usually very mild and pleasant. So the term "cabin fever" really doesn't apply to the southern states' summers in my opinion. To each his own.
We do get some fantastic thunderstorms occasionally and I really love those. When I lived overseas in Germany, I really missed those big, dramatic thunderstorms.
I agree with you fully, In Houston even in the months of July and August one can get up early and between 6am and 10 am one can go the park and jog without having absolutely any problem.The temperature generally ranges between 65 and 75 degrees and it's an optimal weather for most sports like jogging, biking, swimming, Tennis or whatever makes you happy. However after 10:30am it begins to get hot all the way until 7:30pm. At 8pm one can again do some swimming, tennis or whatever sport. Thunderstorms are an additional blessing, one can be swimming and have buckets-full of water falling from above. What more can you ask for? Parks and lakes are packed with people during those hours and then some. So I do not think there is any cabin fever happening here.
I seriously doubt that most people would be willing to do those activities in subfreezing temperatures. In addition I have read posts that mention that just by having extra clothing or layers one will solve the freezing issue, unfortunately we humans have to breathe, It is very painful having to inhale 5 degree air into your lungs. Lots of clothes nor no amount of layers will help alleviate that small inconvenience.
The south during the summer sucks big time. The gulf coast gets random thunderstorms that pop up out of nowhere that can be pretty dangerous if you get caught in em. They pop up on days with 10% chance of thunderstorms - those 10% chance of thunderstorms are like every day of the summer lol.
My aunt and uncle who lived in Houston for years decided to retire to Phoenix, but couldn't stand the heat there and moved back to Houston! lol!! They actually said they like the summer storms because it cools things off.
After living in both Arizona and Minnesota, I feel like the heat keeps you in far more often than the cold. When it's below 0, you just put on an extra layer and go on with your life. When it's 110, there just aren't any more layers to take off.
But I really think urban layout and geography matter more than weather. I feel like people who live in walkable urban areas and in smaller cities and towns near nature get out a lot more than people who live in car-dependent cities and sprawling suburbs.
This would be my ideal! I grew up and still live in the megalopolis known as So. Cal.
Although, there are nice areas to get out and about and the geography is quite nice, but still the traffic you have to slog through to get there...
Louisiana keeps 867 prisoners indoors, per 100,000 -- that's 25% higher than any other state, and six times as many as Maine or Minnesota.
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