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Sure, sometimes the snow here is heavy and wet (all the better for snowball fights with the kids), but often its rather light and just blows across the street rather than stick. And um, I was in Tucumcari and was experiencing ice pellets (the freezing ice that you say you dont get in NM ) and the road was quite nasty. Once I got to Amarillo it was a full-blown ice storm. And in the 30 years Ive lived here, I can count all the ice storms weve had on one hand. Please dont make it sound like its the norm, because thats a lie. Sure they can happen, but its pretty rare in my experiences.
I almost associate Tucumcari as the westernmost extension of the Great Plains, before terrain becomes noticable. Northeastern NM has a completely different winter than here in Las Cruces.
I almost associate Tucumcari as the westernmost extension of the Great Plains, before terrain becomes noticable. Northeastern NM has a completely different winter than here in Las Cruces.
Most definitely. But the snowfalls in northern NM are worse, IMO, than Chicago snowfalls. When it snows in NM, IT SNOWS. The good thing about that is you can go downhill skiing, thats the one thing I wished IL had. Ill just resort to snowmobiles instead.
Sure, sometimes the snow here is heavy and wet (all the better for snowball fights with the kids), but often its rather light and just blows across the street rather than stick. And um, I was in Tucumcari and was experiencing ice pellets (the freezing ice that you say you dont get in NM ) and the road was quite nasty. Once I got to Amarillo it was a full-blown ice storm. And in the 30 years Ive lived here, I can count all the ice storms weve had on one hand. Please dont make it sound like its the norm, because thats a lie. Sure they can happen, but its pretty rare in my experiences.
Steve-O,
Chicago is different than downstate Illinois. I grew up and lived in the western region of Illinois for 50 years, and some in Chicago. I know what ice is there. And when NM does have ice, but it melts quite quick and depending on the area of the state. Illinois has not had the snow that we used to get. Ask any farmer, they ground needs moisture in the winter, and Ill is not getting it.
> ... Once I got to Amarillo it was a full-blown ice storm.
> And in the 30 years Ive lived here, I can count all the ice storms
> weve had on one hand. Please dont make it sound like its the norm,
> because thats a lie. Sure they can happen, but its pretty rare ...
I grew up in Ohio and mostly saw wet snow and some powdery stuff
and almost no ice storms.
I lived in Huntsville, AL for a year and my sister lived there for many. In the TN area
South into northern MS, AL, GA those ice storms are a regular occurrence in the winter.
I seem to recall a lot of those in Amarillo, but that is mostly from seeing
the weather in Albuquerque and not from being there. I can see where
they would get some serious wind sweeping down from the North. The
city is pretty high altitude at over 3,000 ft.
mike0421 also added:
> I almost associate Tucumcari as the westernmost extension of the Great Plains, ...
Driving into NM from TX on I-40 is really neat. Almost as soon as you cross
the border, the land drops off the face of an escarpment and you start seeing
mesas. All across TX it is open plains - beautiful in its own way.
I grew up in Ohio and mostly saw wet snow and some powdery stuff
and almost no ice storms.
I lived in Huntsville, AL for a year and my sister lived there for many. In the TN area
South into northern MS, AL, GA those ice storms are a regular occurrence in the winter.
Thats because in the north, its colder, our precipitation falls in the form of snow instead of rain, like in the south. The reason why ice storms are much more frequent in the south is because rain is the norm in winter, and if a massive cold front comes through, voila! I can remember 4-5 times we've had ice storms in Chicago. And they werent even bad enough to lose power. The next morning the roads were simply wet and everyone went about their daily business like nothing happened. I do remember it looking like a dream though, that was pretty cool. haha
A 4 hour drive to southern IL is enough for the weekend to warm up. There have been times where they are over 20 degrees warmer than Chicagoland. I like to head down there and hike the hills in the Shawnee National Forest in winter, often wearing only a light coat.
Interesting to know about the Shawnee National Forest steve.....any town in particular as i look on the map....
Interesting to know about the Shawnee National Forest steve.....any town in particular as i look on the map....
No town per se, we camp (with space heaters of course lol) at the Pine Hills Campground, or something like that. I forget its exact name. Its in the LaRue/Pine Hills area of So. IL. Beautiful country and quiet as you can imagine.
A 4 hour drive to southern IL is enough for the weekend to warm up. There have been times where they are over 20 degrees warmer than Chicagoland. I like to head down there and hike the hills in the Shawnee National Forest in winter, often wearing only a light coat.
It's actually about a six hour drive from most areas of Chicago to most areas of the Shawnee National Forest.
I spent two winters in Carbondale at SIU and it seemed like typical winter weather was 40's cloudy and wet. Not as cold as Chicago, but still pretty miserable.
It's actually about a six hour drive from most areas of Chicago to most areas of the Shawnee National Forest.
I spent two winters in Carbondale at SIU and it seemed like typical winter weather was 40's cloudy and wet. Not as cold as Chicago, but still pretty miserable.
Thats normal weather, yes, but many times Ive seen it in the 60s and a few times in the 70s. In fact, last time I went down there we left 40s in Chicago and it was almost 70 down there. Come Sunday afternoon when we left, it was back in the 50s. But generally that area of the state is much warmer than Chicagoland, making a nice warmer getaway.
As for the travel time, shhhhh, I drive fast. Ive made it from Chicago to Clarksville, TN in 6.5 hours. lol
Steve-o...whats the temp up there in Illinoise .....Just got back from the gym as i left at 5.00 a.m. and had to where a LONG Sleeve Sweatshirt instead of my normal tank top as it is chilly out there. Yeap....big difference between us and Phoenix.....
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) and the road was quite nasty. Once I got to Amarillo it was a full-blown ice storm. And in the 30 years Ive lived here, I can count all the ice storms weve had on one hand. Please dont make it sound like its the norm, because thats a lie. Sure they can happen, but its pretty rare in my experiences. 
Ill just resort to snowmobiles instead. 
The next morning the roads were simply wet and everyone went about their daily business like nothing happened. I do remember it looking like a dream though, that was pretty cool. haha
Ive made it from Chicago to Clarksville, TN in 6.5 hours. lol
