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I ski. My definition is going to be different from a non skier. I’ve skied Beech Mountain in North Carolina. I’d go at least that far south in the Appalachians. I’ve skied Ski Santa Fe. I’d go at least that far south in New Mexico. I did a work team building thing at Big Bear in California. That has skiing. There’s skiing a bit west of Las Vegas.
This obsession with defining "winter" as sub-freezing temps and snowcover that last for weeks on end is laughable.
I grew up in the Triangle, back when there you could count on snow sticking every year. And for me, winter isn't winter without snow.
Snow is a feast for the senses; it's not just something beautiful to look at, not just its icy feel (especially if you fall!), but it deadens the city's sounds and cleanses its smell. A winter without snow might look different from fall, but the transition for every sense is so gradual as to be unnoticeable -- it doesn't hit the same way.
All of the other seasons have their sensual moments: spring has announced itself this week here, with a blaze of flowers and chorus of birds. Summer's stickiness pervades everywhere, the greenness of the landscape is overwhelming, the air conditioners hum away into the long evenings. Fall is crisp and colorful. And winter has snow!
I grew up in the Triangle, back when there you could count on snow sticking every year. And for me, winter isn't winter without snow.
Snow is a feast for the senses; it's not just something beautiful to look at, not just its icy feel (especially if you fall!), but it deadens the city's sounds and cleanses its smell. A winter without snow might look different from fall, but the transition for every sense is so gradual as to be unnoticeable -- it doesn't hit the same way.
All of the other seasons have their sensual moments: spring has announced itself this week here, with a blaze of flowers and chorus of birds. Summer's stickiness pervades everywhere, the greenness of the landscape is overwhelming, the air conditioners hum away into the long evenings. Fall is crisp and colorful. And winter has snow!
This area basically had no snow cover this winter at all, yet a winter it was nevertheless.
The association of winter with snow is cultural, and as difficult as it might be to accept for people wedded to their cultural frame of reference, it's highly subjective and might not be valid in other cultures.
I grew up in the Triangle, back when there you could count on snow sticking every year. And for me, winter isn't winter without snow.
Snow is a feast for the senses; it's not just something beautiful to look at, not just its icy feel (especially if you fall!), but it deadens the city's sounds and cleanses its smell. A winter without snow might look different from fall, but the transition for every sense is so gradual as to be unnoticeable -- it doesn't hit the same way.
All of the other seasons have their sensual moments: spring has announced itself this week here, with a blaze of flowers and chorus of birds. Summer's stickiness pervades everywhere, the greenness of the landscape is overwhelming, the air conditioners hum away into the long evenings. Fall is crisp and colorful. And winter has snow!
It looks like you are in DC area now. The climate in DC is far more similar to the climate of The Triangle than it is to the climate of New England, the upper Midwest, or the Rocky Mountain west where weeks-to-months long periods of snowcover are common and thus deemed "the only true 4 season" climates by some here....
I don't know when you last lived in the Triangle; but this is the first winter I can remember without any measurable snowfall (incidentally; we did have a dusting last week.....in mid-March!) Most winters we still get one or two decent accumulations. And yes I agree that creates a special "snowday" environment of stillness. Probably more-so here (and in DC) than in areas with much more frequesnt snowfall/snowcover. DC appears to average 8 days of measurable snowfall per year. Not exactly 3 months worth of "winter weather" if snowfall/snow-cover is ones definition of such.
Last edited by TarHeelNick; 03-22-2023 at 07:03 PM..
I grew up in the Triangle, back when there you could count on snow sticking every year. And for me, winter isn't winter without snow.
Snow is a feast for the senses; it's not just something beautiful to look at, not just its icy feel (especially if you fall!), but it deadens the city's sounds and cleanses its smell. A winter without snow might look different from fall, but the transition for every sense is so gradual as to be unnoticeable -- it doesn't hit the same way.
All of the other seasons have their sensual moments: spring has announced itself this week here, with a blaze of flowers and chorus of birds. Summer's stickiness pervades everywhere, the greenness of the landscape is overwhelming, the air conditioners hum away into the long evenings. Fall is crisp and colorful. And winter has snow!
It looks like you are in DC area now. The climate in DC is far more similar to the climate of The Triangle
Yes, it's now the same USDA Zone 7 that I grew up in. I don't need months of snowcover to say it's been winter; heck, even Chicago rarely managed that, since it would melt and refreeze multiple times. However, a winter without any snowcover (like 2022-2023) just doesn't feel complete to me.
Yes, it's now the same USDA Zone 7 that I grew up in. I don't need months of snowcover to say it's been winter; heck, even Chicago rarely managed that, since it would melt and refreeze multiple times. However, a winter without any snowcover (like 2022-2023) just doesn't feel complete to me.
I agree completely. Hence this argument of "if there isn't snow on the ground 3 months solid then it isn't a real 4 season climate" is...again...very silly.
I-80 is a good demarcation line for four distinct seasons. The seasonal change in daylight between summer and winter is a bit more of a factor as well. The US is a very southern oriented country, and most people have little idea what a large impact the sun angle can have as well at various times of the year.
I-40 and above: Definite four seasons
I-40 down to I-20: Four season with short Winters
I-20 down to I-10: Four seasons with minimal Winter
I-10 and below: Warm most of the year with minimal cold weather events
Going through Florida there is a difference even in the 200-300 miles between Miami and say Jacksonville. Even Tampa/Gainesville. There’s a 4 degree difference in highs between Tampa and Gainesville in December.
Like last week I was in Gainesville staying for the night and it was warm enough that the hotel pool was crowded with people at 8pm along with the jacuzzi.
But go just a couple hundred miles north to Savannah or Charleston and most pools are still too cold to swim in.
Once you go above I-40 in NC, except the southeastern part closer to Wilmington, you do see winter every year.
This winter was so warm there was almost no snow anywhere in the SE part of the country, but even in a warm winter you have ice events and frequent freezes.
The weather forecast is showing highs in the upper 70’s here in southeast Michigan next week. It was a snowy March but seems like it’s gonna be a warm April
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