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Hello. Hoping you all can help me. It might be a challenge, but I'm looking for places in the US that fit the following climate desires:
1.) Fall - cool, crisp, colorful, quintessential autumn. Ideally, temps dropping and trees starting to change late September, definitely by October. Average temperatures no higher than 70 degrees for most of October (better still if average temps are in the 50s/60s).
2.) Winter - short (would love if winter weather started to ease up by February, no later than early March max), mild, little or no snow, plenty of sunny days. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder and cannot handle tons of gray, overcast, foggy days. Here and there, obviously, but not for weeks or months on end. I'd take snowy, sunny days over snowless, dreary days, if it comes to that.
3.) Spring - starting in February would be ideal, but no later than March. Quintessential spring, flowers, trees blooming by March.
4.) Summer - mild, sunny, and cool would be ideal, but I know I'd be asking too much, so if I have to have some leeway for a season not being ideal, I'd go with summer. I can handle dry heat. Not so much humidity, but I could hypothetically handle a really hot, humid summer as long as it's really only for the months of July, August, and some of September, and the other seasons match my desires.
For reference, I grew up in San Diego and found the weather to be too much the same all year (and too warm year round), and I do prefer some variety in the seasons, especially fall and spring.
However, I've been living in Nashville the past two years and while I think most people consider it to have pretty good weather, the winters here have been depressing for me. I know they are nowhere near as bad as many places, but we get so many days of rain, storms, overcast throughout the year (and especially in winter), that my SAD really affected me.
I know this will be a challenge and the place might not exist, but thank you in advance for any suggestions!
If you want colorful fall and short winters and a relatively middle summer, you eliminate much of the country.
If you are bothered by the rain in Nashville, you probably still will be in VA or NC but that is where I'd look. Foothills.
Roanoke VA has 15% less rain than Nashville and 5% more sunny days. Not that much difference but it would probably be hard to do better.
Highlands may be pretty good on some of the criteria but it gets 85 inches of precipitation per year.
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That’s a good point. It’s just got a very unusual climate for the east coast with cool summers and relatively mild winters, but the rain may be too much of a downside.
These "seasons' don't seem realistic to any one region of the country, although it likely sounds ideal to many people. You are asking for the most tame aspects of all 4 seasons, without any of the worst aspects. I'm afraid Mother Nature doesn't deliver such a climate to anyone. I will say that I admire your longing for 4 distinct seasons, as we are on the same page there. One thing about winter: don't pay any attention to those commenters who incessantly moan that an honest winter is months and months of darkness, brutal temps, wind-driven snow, ice, and calamity with people dying ALL OVER THE PLACE from slipping on ice, freezing to death when taking the trash to the curb, getting into car accidents on slick roads, and committing suicide because the sun didn't shine for 2 days. Those people are ridiculous and should be ridiculed.
These "seasons' don't seem realistic to any one region of the country, although it likely sounds ideal to many people. You are asking for the most tame aspects of all 4 seasons, without any of the worst aspects. I'm afraid Mother Nature doesn't deliver such a climate to anyone. I will say that I admire your longing for 4 distinct seasons, as we are on the same page there. One thing about winter: don't pay any attention to those commenters who incessantly moan that an honest winter is months and months of darkness, brutal temps, wind-driven snow, ice, and calamity with people dying ALL OVER THE PLACE from slipping on ice, freezing to death when taking the trash to the curb, getting into car accidents on slick roads, and committing suicide because the sun didn't shine for 2 days. Those people are ridiculous and should be ridiculed.
This is the first time I've heard of something this elaborate about winter.
Growing up in San Diego = perfect weather not found anywhere else much on the globe
Anywhere in the eastern half of the country will have mostly dreary, cloudy winters with snow, hail, sleet or rain.
Think western US. A place like Denver, Santa Fe, Flagstaff. Lots of sunshine, even in the winter.
People need to stop suggesting Flagstaff. That city by no means has a mild winter. It snows there twice as much as Minneapolis. Yes, more than the Twin Cities and Chicago. Flagstaff is sunnier sure but that doesn’t mean it’s winter is a cakewalk. They wanted winter that let’s up in February… Flagstaff snows until May. Of course anytime I see Flagstaff being suggested it’s from someone who’s never been there and thinks because it’s in Arizona it’s gotta be mild. No it isn’t. Arizona is a state of extremes.
Also any western city except the Northwest and Northern Mountain West is gonna be horrible on fall colors. Too many evergreens.
OP might like the Atlanta or Birmingham areas. Like Nashville but warmer. Yes in all seasons but Atlanta is further east and not in a mountain shadow from the ocean so a bit more stable in temps. Atlanta being the highest elevation city in the Eastern US also helps keep it cooler than its coastal brethren in this part of the country. And also, less humid, because it’s further from the sea and up high.
Any other option besides Atlanta and maybe Charlotte (not even Raleigh since Raleigh is on the coastal plain) and you’re looking at a dying Appalachian town. Atlanta is the closest major city to this climate preference.
I know this because this was the climate I wanted and dug around for it. Except for rain, I wanted lots of rain. Atlanta I wish was a tad more mild but all in all I felt a good trade off. Of course if the OP is willing to be an expat there is Mexico City that’s an even better fit.
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