Erie, PA: how close to the lake to avoid snow (Pittsburgh: house, buying)

[namdeguerre]

I am a newbie here, just going to start a job at GE in Erie. Buddy in college told me that if you are on the lake, you get no snow till January because of the warmth of the lake.

I visited here a couple of times and have looked at places in Millcreek and Summit - between I-90 and the 38th st, both west and east of I79.

Do I have to be closer to the lake to avoid snow?

Thanks

[Hopes]

Your buddy is crazy. Most of our snow in Western PA starts in January (except for mountains) anyways.

Sometimes it comes sooner but on and off through November and December.

Erie gets serious snow. You can't avoid it. Trust me, when it starts snowing, it's big time snow.

If you're afraid of driving in snow, the best you can do is find a place where you're driving level ground as possible.

But even then, you'll have to contend with whiteouts in Erie. Whiteouts are when the snow blows so much you can't see a few feet in front of you.

[Hopes]

Maybe this will help you. As you can see, it doesn't matter when the snow starts, you're going to have a lot of snow.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by namdeguerre

I am a newbie here, just going to start a job at GE in Erie. Buddy in college told me that if you are on the lake, you get no snow till January because of the warmth of the lake.

I visited here a couple of times and have looked at places in Millcreek and Summit - between I-90 and the 38th st, both west and east of I79.

Do I have to be closer to the lake to avoid snow?

Thanks

Having grown up on the Great Lakes...they aren't warm at all, especially during the winter.

They are more characterized by their very cold winds that come off of them. The Great Lakes in particular, generally are quite frozen enough, that at least up on the Michigan side and close to the shore, people regularly put shanties out on the Great Lakes, drive their big trucks out there, and go ice fishing all day. Probably the same in Erie.

[namdeguerre]

Hey Hopes,
Thanks a lot for the answer. I searched online and found an elevation map and it seems that the elevation rapidly increases from the lake. Around I-90 it hits a high plateau and then increases again.
So, I am guessing somewhere between the lake and I-90 is the best bet, and saying 1000 ft or less?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by namdeguerre

Hey Hopes,
Thanks a lot for the answer. I searched online and found an elevation map and it seems that the elevation rapidly increases from the lake. Around I-90 it hits a high plateau and then increases again.
So, I am guessing somewhere between the lake and I-90 is the best bet, and saying 1000 ft or less?

Where are you moving from? Do you have any experience driving in the snow?

Not sure where your GE office/plant is located but I meant level driving from your house to your work.

It really doesn't matter what elevation as long as the drive is relatively level, as opposed to the extremely steep hills in the Pittsburgh area.

IMO, you could live anywhere alone I79 and your commute would be relatively level.

You certainly don't need to stay within such a narrow area as I90 and the lake.

[Hopes]

If you fear driving in the snow, I think buying as close to work as possible is the best solution.

[Tiger Beer]

The snow is nothing to fear about in 'the North'.

I've regularly noticed that more southerners have a fear of it, as their respective cities don't know how to effectively deal with. Case in point, when I lived in Portland Oregon, they had snow come in, and people were just abandoning cars on major freeways left and right, and simply excasserbating (sp?) the problem. Plus the city doesn't have the equipment melt the snow with ice or gravel - in Portland, it was gravel.

But in 'snow country', where you get regular snow all the time. The respective city or county governments constantly plow and salt the highways and roads. So, you end up driving around all the time despite having snow all around you all the time. The roads were be quite clear. (Of course, when it's actively snowing, it's like rain, you just have to slow down! But, the trucks clearing it are everywhere as well, so not much to worry about).

[Hopes]

That's not necessarily true of Erie, Tiger Beer. The highways will definitely be maintained but the town of Erie won't necessarily be. Granted, I haven't been up there in years, but there was a time when Erie only put down cinders on top of packed snow, never plowing nor salting. Not sure if it's still like that but I just google-newsed "erie pa snow removal cinders" and found that cinders are still used in Erie. So while they do plow and salt there, they don't always. And even when the roads are cleared, those squalls blow snow drifts right back into the roads. It's really impossible to keep the roads 100% clear up there like other northern cities do.

[ditchdigger]

Buddy in college told me that if you are on the lake, you get no snow till January because of the warmth of the lake.

I don't know whether it's true or not, but I'd once heard the same thing. The thing is, for the purposes of the discussion, "on the lake" pretty much means "on the beach". A hundred yards in from the water, it's still Erie, and Erie gets hammered all winter long.