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To me, it’s the cloud cover in the core winter months. Sure, nice days get mixed in, but a lot of times, most of November - March is mostly cloudy and damp.
To me, it’s the cloud cover in the core winter months. Sure, nice days get mixed in, but a lot of times, most of November - March is mostly cloudy and damp.
I think that is really dependent on past experience if you have lived elsewhere and perhaps even differences within the entire WNC area - based on the posters here we cover a significant area with different microclimates. The gloom Nov - March (and beyond) where I used to live in Chicago area is vastly different than what I've experienced here. Of course I've seen periods of cloudy days here but truly not as bad as what I used to live with. Perhaps that's because I'm in south Hendersonville/Flat Rock area, and maybe it's much worse in other areas. I do love the winter sun and Carolina blue skies here - it's like a gift.
What I personally find disappointing is the dichotomy between the love for the area expressed by some long time or native residents here and their actions that don't support that such as the already mentioned trash/littering. Zoning is a disappointment to me but I moved here understanding that at least to some degree.
I think that is really dependent on past experience if you have lived elsewhere and perhaps even differences within the entire WNC area - based on the posters here we cover a significant area with different microclimates. The gloom Nov - March (and beyond) where I used to live in Chicago area is vastly different than what I've experienced here. Of course I've seen periods of cloudy days here but truly not as bad as what I used to live with. Perhaps that's because I'm in south Hendersonville/Flat Rock area, and maybe it's much worse in other areas. I do love the winter sun and Carolina blue skies here - it's like a gift.
What I personally find disappointing is the dichotomy between the love for the area expressed by some long time or native residents here and their actions that don't support that such as the already mentioned trash/littering. Zoning is a disappointment to me but I moved here understanding that at least to some degree.
I agree with this. Having lived for many years in the South (except for FL) in places other than WNC, the winters were always cloudy and rainy. It just made you appreciate the sunny days even more.
To me, it’s the cloud cover in the core winter months. Sure, nice days get mixed in, but a lot of times, most of November - March is mostly cloudy and damp.
I had a real issue with the winter blues. Even if it wasn't overcast, the grays and browns from November until April wore heavily on me. I'd walk my dogs every mornings, weather permitting, and enjoyed the sunny days, but the biggest joy I'd get besides how happy my dogs were was when I'd come across some plant that had some color to it. Or birds that did. We had so many colorful birds, even in the winter!
There were many times in Central FL I’d be surfing around the Melbourne / Sebastian Inlet area on New Years Day in trunks, 70 degree water and 85 degree sunny weather, killing quarter sized mosquitos in the evenings year round and getting sunburned all winter long.
As good as that may seem, it’s really just as depressing to many having a lack of seasons as it is living with the gloomy and brown winters here in the mountains. To us the winters here are really not that bad.
Rather deal with the winter blues here and visit a warmer area like FL for a week or three during the season than the opposite, as warm and sunny winters get pretty old after a while too, hence why many full timers in FL last for just a few seasons / years before moving away.
Personally think the winters here are pretty tame to moderately exciting when we get a good snowfall of a foot or more. Love how the leaves drop, views open up and trails become less crowded.
Really don’t believe there’s much of a difference in the sunny versus gloomy days here in the winter either (versus other times of the year), but if there are I really don’t notice them that much anyway.
Most disappointing part of the winter here for us is seeing more visible trash, but there’s really not much you can do about that.
Last edited by VinceTheExplorer; 11-10-2020 at 04:45 PM..
I think that is really dependent on past experience if you have lived elsewhere and perhaps even differences within the entire WNC area - based on the posters here we cover a significant area with different microclimates. The gloom Nov - March (and beyond) where I used to live in Chicago area is vastly different than what I've experienced here. Of course I've seen periods of cloudy days here but truly not as bad as what I used to live with. Perhaps that's because I'm in south Hendersonville/Flat Rock area, and maybe it's much worse in other areas. I do love the winter sun and Carolina blue skies here - it's like a gift.
What I personally find disappointing is the dichotomy between the love for the area expressed by some long time or native residents here and their actions that don't support that such as the already mentioned trash/littering. Zoning is a disappointment to me but I moved here understanding that at least to some degree.
Compared to Chicago (and when I lived in Indy too), there is less winter gloom. Compared to the coasts, FL, CA, etc., it's much worse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goldenlove
I had a real issue with the winter blues. Even if it wasn't overcast, the grays and browns from November until April wore heavily on me. I'd walk my dogs every mornings, weather permitting, and enjoyed the sunny days, but the biggest joy I'd get besides how happy my dogs were was when I'd come across some plant that had some color to it. Or birds that did. We had so many colorful birds, even in the winter!
November is normally the start of "stick season." I've been amazed at how nice the weather has been this month compared to this time last year.
I think that is really dependent on past experience if you have lived elsewhere and perhaps even differences within the entire WNC area - based on the posters here we cover a significant area with different microclimates. The gloom Nov - March (and beyond) where I used to live in Chicago area is vastly different than what I've experienced here. Of course I've seen periods of cloudy days here but truly not as bad as what I used to live with. Perhaps that's because I'm in south Hendersonville/Flat Rock area, and maybe it's much worse in other areas. I do love the winter sun and Carolina blue skies here - it's like a gift.
I get this since I grew up in PA in the Poconos. There is literally no sun for 6 months straight and it's freezing for those 6 months. You wake up and it's cloudy and 20 degrees in dead winter and it stays that way all day. I had SAD every year when I lived there. I really don't get it here. Even if if you wake up and it's 20 degrees (not the norm), it at least warms up to 45 degrees and sunny most days. You even get 60 degree days sometimes. It can get rainy and damp some days too but at least the winter is much shorter here. I lived in Central FL too and we got plenty of sunshine there so I've been in both extremes, heat and cold. I have to say WNC is a happy medium. I do prefer how FL stays green year round. If I could, I'd like to be a snowbird in FL for 3 months during the winter but that's not possible. So, I'll keep dreaming.....
Everyone has their own feelings and tolerance. I moved to NC when I was 16, having lived in Ohio and Michigan before that. So I have been through ugly winters, thanks to having lived in the snowbelt. I've lived in the middle of NC for the past 37 years minus the 3 years I lived in WNC. We were at 4400 feet, the climate at that elevation can be completely different from the climate at 2500 feet, and waaayyyy different than the climate at 335 feet (the elevation in Wake County, NC). Even with the leaves off the trees, there are so many evergreens down here in the middle of the state that things aren't as gray and brown as they were where we lived.
Some people tolerate winters more than others. That doesn't make either one wrong.
The only disappointing thing about the WNC mountains for me is that I don't get to spend enough time in them!
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