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Iowa gets WAY colder than we do in Kansas City, maybe just a few 100 miles north but brrrrr!!!!!!!
Iowa is very prone to having much stronger winds as well as low temperatures because of the lack of trees in many areas of the corn belt. Iowa is in the Midwest core and commonly as sub-zero temperatures during the winter. Elkader, Iowa got as cold as -40F back in 1996. Iowa is also located between 40-43N latitude so the differential in the length of daylight between the summer and winter seasons is much more dramatic than areas much further south like Kansas City. KC is located at 38.7N latitude. It would be nice if KC got a few frigid days of lower than -10F in the winter to kill off some of the invasive plants and trees that seem to be migrating even farther north.
Actually Maine isn't as cold as you think. The average temps for Portland, Maine are:
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Hi 32 34 41 53 64 73 80 78 70 60 48 35
Lo12 12 22 32 42 51 57 55 47 37 29 16
So I guess Maine would really be in your mild catagory.
I usually break it down into five tiers. Zone 1: Frigid winters. Snow frequent. Subzero temperatures common. Zone 2: Harsh winters. Snow frequent. Subzero temperatures occasionally. Zone 3: Mild winters. Snow infrequent or rare. Subfreezing temperatures common. Zone 4: Very light winters. Snow rare. Subfreezing temperatures occasionally. Zone 5: No winter. Snow impossible. Subfreezing temperatures almost impossible.
Everything is spot on with that map, minus the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys in California being considered harsh, they are in Zone 4 (according to that map) in reality.
A mild winter here is one in which we get a decent amount of days in the 50s, maybe 10 days that don't fall below freezing, about as much rain as snow, and lows usually in the 20s.
On average, our highs in January range from 25-45, our lows from 10-30, and snow is common (about 40-70 inches per year). The January of 2003 was ridiculously mild, with a couple of days in the 60s, very few days below 20, and only a trace of snow (with quite a bit of rain). Streaks in which days remain below freezing about 3-5 days in a row occur most winters. However, nights below 0 are uncommon. Days with highs below freezing are common but not the norm. We'd fall in zone 2 on that map.
By the way, on that map, most of Wyoming should be in zone 1. And the San Joquain and Sacramento valleys should be in zone 4. You should also take into account the Rocky Mountains, which should all be zone 1. Northern Arizona and parts of northern New Mexico should be zone 2. The lower Colorado River Valley and the immediate southern California coast should be zone 5.
Correction. I meant not just three to four times in my whole life. I meant three to four times every winter.
I've lived here for 12 years and I've only ever had 1 day called off from school due to weather. And that was due to 2 feet of snow! It frequently gets cold here, too. They even made us go to school when the power was off once (due to snow).
Yes, I know what you mean. I experienced it myself and hopefully never again. When I lived near Pittsburgh for two years the winters were not as cold as Upstate NY, but were much more humid. The cold, damp, rainy winters in Pittsburgh go right through your bones. The dry cold is much easier to deal with in Upstate NY.
Need_affordable_home, you're definition of a mild winter is off base. Where I live in Upstate NY, January, the coldest month of the year, has an average low temperature of 14 degrees and an average high of 31 degrees. February’s average is 15 for a low and 33 for a high. This part of Upstate NY gets an average of 100 to 120 inches of snow each winter. I don't consider this weather mild.
In caribou maine, one january we didn't have a day higher than 0.
Actually Maine isn't as cold as you think. The average temps for Portland, Maine are:
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
Hi 32 34 41 53 64 73 80 78 70 60 48 35
Lo12 12 22 32 42 51 57 55 47 37 29 16
So I guess Maine would really be in your mild catagory.
I usually break it down into five tiers. Zone 1: Frigid winters. Snow frequent. Subzero temperatures common. Zone 2: Harsh winters. Snow frequent. Subzero temperatures occasionally. Zone 3: Mild winters. Snow infrequent or rare. Subfreezing temperatures common. Zone 4: Very light winters. Snow rare. Subfreezing temperatures occasionally. Zone 5: No winter. Snow impossible. Subfreezing temperatures almost impossible.
I have always loved those types of maps that break everything down so neatly.
If such a zone existed I would like to live in one that's somewhere between the conditions of zones 2 and 3. I think that would be a good mix for me.
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I've lived here for 12 years and I've only ever had 1 day called off from school due to weather. And that was due to 2 feet of snow! It frequently gets cold here, too. They even made us go to school when the power was off once (due to snow).
