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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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Which places seems to have a worse winter?
Just going on temps DC is clearly the colder of the two, averaging about -2 to 6C in the very warmest parts of the city, with lows below -5C in the coldest suburbs. London's temps are milder at about 2 to 6C but they tend to be gloomier with shorter lengths of day and less variability - in other words they don't get the freezing blasts of Arctic air or mild spells that Washington DC gets.
I think DC would get more interesting weather as well, with more snow than London (although I wouldn't call it a snowy city). For comfort London might just edge out, but overall DC's winters seem more interesting.
I've done 8 winters in London and never again. On many days around Dec/Jan, it is not uncommon for it to start getting dark around 3pm. Sometimes earlier if it is heavily overcast (which is quite often the case).
I was surprised it wasn't as cold as I expected, most likely moderated by the Gulf Stream.
However between the two I'd prefer DC due to it being lighter and brighter.
DC, easily. Winters are still mild by North American standards (though not by Western European/Southern Hemisphere standards). And heavy snowfall is actually rare in DC, evidenced by the fact that most residents are almost clueless about how to drive in it.
DC gets a LOT more sun (like 3x to 4x more per month) during winter. And the daylight hours are longer. 5C in the sun feels at least like 10C without sun.
DC for me, too! Even though I love 4 seasons, only weather that gets on my nerves is the "damps", overcast, fog for days on end. I'm always saying I'll take a cold day with sunshine over 40 and overcast any day!
I'd prefer a Washington DC winter to what we get here. I'd noticed from when they show the White House on TV in the winter it always seemed to be sunny or there'd be snow on the ground, but I didn't realise how mild it was until I saw the averages. December averages 4C and January 2C - in 2010 in London both those months were colder than that. There's not that big a difference in average temperatures to offset the extra gloom you get here.
Despite coming from somewhere where winters are colder/darker/damper/windier/wetter/gloomier/longer than here on average I couldn't wait for some spring sunshine this time, though this was an unusual winter (locally the dullest in 39 years) with an average of 1 1/4 hours of weak sunshine a day over three months, and several 5+ day spells seeing no sunshine. I'm sure Washington would get more disruptive snowfall (though the average of 15 inches is not that much) and the occasional severe cold spell we wouldn't get, but their winters are so much brighter. For example, on the shortest day there the day lasts nine hours and 26 minutes - we have three whole months darker than that, and our darkest day lasts only seven hours and 49 minutes. Their DJF sun averages are 133, 146 and 153. Our national record sunniest winter months (I can't find local records) are only 75, 76, 118, and that sunshine would be noticeably weaker than what you'd get in DC.
We've got the advantage of more stable, slightly milder temperatures, but for me that's not enough to offset the much gloomier, much darker (and presumably damper too?) months we get. Perhaps if you go to New York/Boston the winters get cold and snowy enough to make me prefer London, but DC is too far south for that.
Perhaps if you go to New York/Boston the winters get cold and snowy enough to make me prefer London, but DC is too far south for that.
Boston averages 1.5°C in December, -1.5°C in January. December averages 142 hours of sun, January 164 hours. New York 3°C in December and 0°C in January.
Would you still prefer Boston and NYC over London? I thought you preferred cloudy winters, though.
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