[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by E922

Hmm, ok...my week in WI was spent entirely in Milwaukee which is lakeside, so I guess I saw the worst of the worst then.

Ya, Milwaukee is the "mildest" part of Wisconsin during winter. Other region of the state are much colder, some colder than northern New England (Northwoods of Wisconsin getting honorable mention).

[E922]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Ya, Milwaukee is the "mildest" part of Wisconsin during winter. Other region of the state are much colder, some colder than northern New England (Northwoods of Wisconsin getting honorable mention).

So are you saying that Brattleboro would not be much different from Milwaukee??? OMG.

Well, OTOH I am slated to be doing an internship overseas between January 14 and March 1, so hopefully that means I would miss the absolute worst of it, knock on wood...

Of course that also means that when I return for the March 4 to May 24 spring term, I will get the full benefit of the "Mud Season," right? It sounds almost as bad as deepest winter...

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by E922

So are you saying that Brattleboro would not be much different from Milwaukee??? OMG.

Well, OTOH I am slated to be doing an internship overseas between January 14 and March 1, so hopefully that means I would miss the absolute worst of it, knock on wood...

Of course that also means that when I return for the March 4 to May 24 spring term, I will get the full benefit of the "Mud Season," right? It sounds almost as bad as deepest winter...

"Mud Season" is generally at its worst on dirt roads. If you avoid those and mainly stay on paved and well maintained gravel roads it isn't generally that bad. As mentioned before, every winter is different- particularly these days. There could be lots of snow and cold or it might be mild with not a lot of snow. Winters are getting warmer in New England just like nearly every other area of the US and beyond.

[jackmccullough]

I have lived in Montpelier for almost thirty years and I notice a significant difference between Montpelier and the Brattleboro area. It's a lot farther south, and we often see the snow that we have in Montpelier disappear by the time we get as far south as Brattleboro. When we watch the news on television Vernon frequently seems to be the warmest spot in the state in the winter, and although I like to joke that it's because of Vermont Yankee I think the real reason is how far south it is.

If you look at the records you will see that winters in Brattleboro are pretty mild:

Monthly Averages for Brattleboro, VT (05301) - weather.com

[pauldorell]

Originally Posted by joe moving

I find VT less depressing... since there are many more outdoor activities to do during the winter. The snow also reflects the sun more making it seem sunnier to me.

in the winter we pretty much dont take off top and bottom wool long underwear ever, but we keep it pretty cool in the house. outside you have to be more careful because with good exercise you can get drenched in sweat no matter how cold.

One other thing non-Vermonters might want to know about is the high cost of heating here. This is the only state I've lived in where the thermostats are often set at 60 degrees in the winter and everyone wears long underwear all day. It wasn't hard for us to make that adjustment though. Keeping a warm house is expensive.

[arctichomesteader]

WI is much worse than VT unless you're on top of our tallest mountains, or, in a cold year, some parts of the NEK can be brutally cold to people not used to it (I kind of like 30 below). Brattleboro has pretty mild weather IMHO. There can be 10 or more degrees difference in temperature between valleys and mountain areas. A place I like to go in Shrewsbury in the summer is often 10 degrees cooler than Rutland.

NJ is pretty tame as far as weather goes (probably what helped it get its Garden State nickname before it was paved over with so much development).

[LisaMc46]

Originally Posted by pauldorell

One other thing non-Vermonters might want to know about is the high cost of heating here. This is the only state I've lived in where the thermostats are often set at 60 degrees in the winter and everyone wears long underwear all day. It wasn't hard for us to make that adjustment though. Keeping a warm house is expensive.

True. I once met someone who heated with wood but wouldn't fire up the stove unless the indoor temperature dipped below 55 degrees. She and her family wore hats indoors.

We save money by having a thermostat on a timer so we're not heating the house above 60 when no one is home. But when we're home it's 65; I don't want to freeze in my own home, especially when I get out of the shower. When my youngest was a newborn my husband even cranked the heat up to 68.

[pauldorell]

Originally Posted by LisaMc46

True. I once met someone who heated with wood but wouldn't fire up the stove unless the indoor temperature dipped below 55 degrees. She and her family wore hats indoors.

We save money by having a thermostat on a timer so we're not heating the house above 60 when no one is home. But when we're home it's 65; I don't want to freeze in my own home, especially when I get out of the shower. When my youngest was a newborn my husband even cranked the heat up to 68.

Last winter I usually wore a hat indoors. Sometimes I wear gloves in bed so that my hands stay warm while I'm reading. But we're not exactly poor, so we may turn up the heat a little next winter; that was a trial run.

Real Vermonters don't seem to mind the cold. I have a neighbor kid who goes to school in January wearing shorts and no coat.

[Logs and Dogs]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

WI is much worse than VT unless you're on top of our tallest mountains, or, in a cold year, some parts of the NEK can be brutally cold to people not used to it (I kind of like 30 below). Brattleboro has pretty mild weather IMHO. There can be 10 or more degrees difference in temperature between valleys and mountain areas. A place I like to go in Shrewsbury in the summer is often 10 degrees cooler than Rutland.

NJ is pretty tame as far as weather goes (probably what helped it get its Garden State nickname before it was paved over with so much development).

x2

Love the 30 below mornings we have in the NEK. I would rather it be 30 below and covered in ice and snow than 30 and walking the line between rain and snow all winter (which is closer to NJ's version of winter).

Last year was a big old pusscake of a VT winter......cold yes, but no snow to speak of. Economy needs snow.

[harpoonalt]

Vermont winters can't be all that bad considering every winter weekend 75% of New Jersey heads this way.