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Whoa... this makes me nervous. How are drivers in general in the area?
I was hoping to get away from predatory driving when I move from the area I'm in now. Personally, I couldn't care less if someone wants to endanger themselves, but the problem is (and it's a big problem in my area) that it usually ends up killing or injuring others when statistics and the laws of physics play out. And it jacks up insurance rates for everyone because of the elevated risk of driving in the area. So everyone pays in one way or another.
If ND gives a slap on the hand and a pat on the back for poor driving habits, what does that do to insurance rates in the area? How are the ND traffic statistics? I pay about $28 a month here for car insurance (I've never had a ticket, crash, or filed an insurance claim in my life). I'm told by the friendly insurance lady that it's only high because of the area I live in and that it would be cheaper in many other less populated areas. Am I being fed a line of BS?
Insurance rates would of course depend on vehicle and coverage/deductible. We have full coverage for two vehicles with 500 deductible and 2007 Honday Odyssey runs about 55/mo while a 1999 Honday CR-V runs closer to 40/mo.
I live in Minot and it was a good even -30 for most of the winter. Yuck.
Not to belabor a point but most of us who live here know it isnt -30 for most of the winter.... but someone who might be thinking of moving here doesnt. Heck the media makes us think we live in igloo's probably..... But here is the daily temp in Minot for Dec 1 09 to Mar 1 2010 and the lowest was one morning when it got to -25F on Jan 8 with two days when the high reached 40 and higher in mid January.... overall there were about 40 days in the 3 month period when temp was below zero at night....overall the winter turned out pretty average or just a hair above avg temp wise. Now this winter....promises to bring a much colder regime... Now for me....that is what I like.... I am from Kentucky and would never in a zillions years move back as it was way to hot for me.
I might get harassed for this but the drivers are TERRIBLE here. And I'm not just saying that because I hate it here, I really mean they are quite awful here. I agree it has to be with limited reinforcements for actually driving safely. $20 for speeding? big deal. People also cannot park here at all! I went to Minnesota and Texas and checked the parking lots for bad parkers and there were a couple, sure. Then I counted ones in Minot when we got back and there were 8 just parked around my car! People pull out way too far when they are turning, they don't check lanes before they pull over, they either drive too slow or are on your tail and I have never seen so many cars run the redlights! Yes, this happens everywhere but this happens EVERYDAY to me! It's scary. I will say I have had several people come up and say these things to me, so it's not just my opinion! Also, I think most people learn to drive on a farm, which is quite different than driving in town
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Originally Posted by DaninEGF
Agree....At work we have had many people up from Twin Cities and they all say the folks dont know how to drive. I agree that many did learn in small towns/rural roads with much less traffic. Not used to the differences needed in spacing between vehicles and lane changes when in a larger town/city or interstate. And it was too funny when my now 5 yr old when he was younger was telling about the traffic lights...green means go, red means stop, and yellow means speed up. He has since been corrected...
Oh no! I was hoping to leave this sort of thing behind in the desert dust when I leave this area...
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaninEGF
Not to belabor a point but most of us who live here know it isnt -30 for most of the winter.... but someone who might be thinking of moving here doesnt. Heck the media makes us think we live in igloo's probably..... But here is the daily temp in Minot for Dec 1 09 to Mar 1 2010 and the lowest was one morning when it got to -25F on Jan 8 with two days when the high reached 40 and higher in mid January.... overall there were about 40 days in the 3 month period when temp was below zero at night....overall the winter turned out pretty average or just a hair above avg temp wise. Now this winter....promises to bring a much colder regime... Now for me....that is what I like.... I am from Kentucky and would never in a zillions years move back as it was way to hot for me.
So it sounds like your winter temps are quite variable, too (as they are in the summer)? Going from single digits for highs up to 40 is quite a shift in January! It's a bit like that around my area as well--just not quite as wild of shifts. We can go from 20s for highs to 40s for highs during the winter within just a few days, though. Of course... I'd rather them just stay in the 20s or lower ALL winter. But that's just me.
I remember December to January being quite chilly. Every once in awhile it might have hit 30 degrees, but most of the time it was below that. We were the coldest city in the nation at one point. It's bearable if you are going to run to your car and run inside somewhere but it's not hey let's go play in the snow all winter weather. And it snows in May and June! Seriously? MAY AND JUNE. I would rather a nice 30 degrees all winter long and then an actual summer. I've been here for a year and it went like this: October-November, slightly chilly. December-March, very chilly and gray pretty much every day. March-may, surprisingly, it snowed in May. June and July had bad storms and tornado warnings all the time. August was probably the best month. Now, it's September and temps in the morning are already at 40 degrees. So.......yeah, weather here is variable but pretty much chilly all the time.
I remember December to January being quite chilly. Every once in awhile it might have hit 30 degrees, but most of the time it was below that. We were the coldest city in the nation at one point. It's bearable if you are going to run to your car and run inside somewhere but it's not hey let's go play in the snow all winter weather. And it snows in May and June! Seriously? MAY AND JUNE. I would rather a nice 30 degrees all winter long and then an actual summer. I've been here for a year and it went like this: October-November, slightly chilly. December-March, very chilly and gray pretty much every day. March-may, surprisingly, it snowed in May. June and July had bad storms and tornado warnings all the time. August was probably the best month. Now, it's September and temps in the morning are already at 40 degrees. So.......yeah, weather here is variable but pretty much chilly all the time.
Unfortunately this is as mis-informative as saying Dallas is hot year round...which of course is not the case. I just want folks to know that it doesnt snow in June in Minot...and very rarely in early May. My son's birthday is April 26th and in the past 5 years of his life....4 out of 5 have seen green grass and leaves budding out on the trees at that time and it was warm enough to be outdoors, even. Who would have thunk?\
But getting back to Happy's point about moving....yes it is normal to feel anxious about any move as it nears. Change is nice from afar but up close it can be scary, even if it is for good reasons.
I'm glad to know the weather conditions aren't snow in May and June.
April and May are rapidly changing months weather-wise and can go from cool and wet to warm and dry very quickly and go back and forth. Typically the main snowmelt flood season is late March into early April...it varies any given year....but usually falls within a March 25 to April 10th period most years. April I think is the ugliest month as once the snow melts it leaves behind lots of brown grass...mud...and the winters garbage. The first week of May is the Grand Forks-EGF cleanup week and that is when things really start greening up and usually have nearly trees with leaves by Mother's Day. Though for flower planing....it is safe to hold off til after Memorial Day as you can have freezing temps into early to mid May....but also days with temps in the 70s and low 80s. Also waiting is better to allow the soil temps to warm up. Last year was an early spring and the farmers got into the fields in mid to late April which is a few weeks early. Our springs (like our falls) are brief and rapid transition seasons.
I did look back and for Grand Forks it did snow one half inch in early June 1905 and that is the last time snow in June has been recorded. A light dusting or a few flakes in early May is not un-heard of but would be on a frequency of once every 10 yrs.
These sorts of rare weather events happen, but can't be taken as being the norm. This year there was a snowstorm here on May 24 (that gave measurable accumulation on the valley floors in areas). Now that's not a big deal in the mountains, but it's basically a once in a lifetime event that late in the spring in the valley. I can't really say that it's cold and snowy during May in Utah because of that one year in a hundred. On the other hand, I can say it's too hot in the Summer! That happens every year. It's supposed to be 95 today. Now that stinks.
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Actually, I agree!
