I want to experience a cold and snowy winter

[stfoskey12]

Where I live in North Carolina average winter high temperatures are in the low 50s F and average winter low temperatures are in the low 30s F. However, temperatures on a given day can vary 20 degrees F either direction. Snow is infrequent, usually accumulating only once or twice a year and rarely more than 2". It also rarely sticks around for more than two days. I would like to experience a major snowstorm (at least 8", which hasn't happened where I live since 2002, when I was 3), that sticks around for over a week. I'd also like to experience snow falling on snow that fell days before. That's only happened once (twice if you count small patches) in my memory. I'm going to college next year, and I got accepted to some schools up north, but out-of-state tuition is expensive, and seeing significant snow is not worth going into debt over. I did get a good scholarship to a school in Oklahoma, and while it doesn't get more snow than NC State, I wonder if going somewhere far away would give me experience of moving and make it easier for me to move to some place like Pennsylvania in the future. I could travel some place cold and snowy, but I want to experience a significant winter storm, not just snow already on the ground. Also, I don't want anything more than 3', because I don't want to be trapped inside. I already know which places in the world get significant snow; Do you have thoughts on how to get there?

 

[Kyriakos]

Winter is coming...

 

[Ajidica]

You could always go to Minnesota. We have a lot of colleges up here and the main University of Minnesota campus is pretty well regarded.
Last winter was pretty crappy but we have had some good ones recently along with the odd Polar Vortex (in which parts of Minnesota were colder than the surface of Mars).

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Do you want to live in a place that gets a significant amount of snowfall, or just visit the snowstorm, as it were?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I spent three winters in Idaho Falls, Idaho, which is a place that has no redeeming values. This taught me a lot about appreciating good weather. I also spent one winter near Chicago, but the benefits offset the weather there so the lesson really didn't take. Good luck in your quest.

 

[warpus]

Non-Canadian problems

 

[Bootstoots]

In NC you can just go to the mountains. Boone, NC averages 35 inches per year, the same as Des Moines and more than Indianapolis, Columbus, or Pittsburgh. It even has a university (Appalachian State). Not sure if that's the sort of place you'd want to go, but it would fit your criteria while not even requiring you to leave the state.

 

[emzie]

In NC you can just go to the mountains. Boone, NC averages 35 inches per year, the same as Des Moines and more than Indianapolis, Columbus, or Pittsburgh. It even has a university (Appalachian State). Not sure if that's the sort of place you'd want to go, but it would fit your criteria while not even requiring you to leave the state.

Being from Columbus, Columbus is not wintery.

 

[Bootstoots]

Certainly not compared to places north. If he wants lots and lots of snow then somewhere by the Great Lakes that gets lake-effect snow would be your best bet. But it sounds like he just wants sort of a "normal" northern winter, based on the fact that he listed Pennsylvania as an option. Also he mentioned in-state tuition being desirable, which he'd get at Appalachian State. Not that I know anything else about it - it might be a really crappy school or not have what he's interested in or something - but Boone's location at 3300 feet gives it winters that are typical of the central Midwest or Pennsylvania rather than the rest of NC, and also cooler summers than most of the Midwest as well (to say nothing of the lowland South).

 

[Camikaze]

I was looking forward to a proper winter when I went to live in Munich for a year. Was disappointed. It snowed briefly like three times over a five month period, and only enough for it to quickly turn to slush. Only got down to -10 a few times, as well.

 

[emzie]

Certainly not compared to places north. If he wants lots and lots of snow then somewhere by the Great Lakes that gets lake-effect snow would be your best bet. But it sounds like he just wants sort of a "normal" northern winter, based on the fact that he listed Pennsylvania as an option. Also he mentioned in-state tuition being desirable, which he'd get at Appalachian State. Not that I know anything else about it - it might be a really crappy school or not have what he's interested in or something - but Boone's location at 3300 feet gives it winters that are typical of the central Midwest or Pennsylvania rather than the rest of NC, and also cooler summers than most of the Midwest as well (to say nothing of the lowland South).

Yeah, but my post wasn't about helping the OP. As part of our National Defense policy, we're obligated to make sure Americans understand how the Totem Pole of Winter Misery works.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Non-Canadian problems

Hey, I'm all for helping people experience snow if they want to. After all, why should we have all the fun?

It's actually snowing here right now (bit of rain mixed with it). Not sure if this is a casual thing or if we're going for one of those insane spring blizzards that happen after an El Nino winter that gave us hardly any snow, but so far it's melting as soon as it touches the ground.

Considering that the fire season opened a couple of months ago and the farmers have been worried about the lack of moisture in the soil, this is a very welcome sight.


But honestly, the skiing is still open in Banff, and Baffin Island got a rather noticeable dump of snow not long ago. There's no university there, though.

 

[Lillefix]

I live in Norway and I also want to experience a cold and snowy winter.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

The snow is getting a bit more serious now; it's not melting when it falls on the roofs across the parking lot.

I find it beautiful to look at, but it won't be pleasant for drivers when it turns to ice.

 

[Bootstoots]

Yeah, but my post wasn't about helping the OP. As part of our National Defense policy, we're obligated to make sure Americans understand how the Totem Pole of Winter Misery works.

Yeah, when you live in Canada's proboscis-like appendage jutting into the Great Lakes, you do tend to end up with lots of lake-effect winter misery. Although Wiki claims that Toronto only gets 47 inches of snow a year, on par with Minneapolis and much warmer than it in the winter. I assume the parts of the proboscis facing Lake Huron probably get vastly more snow than that though.

 

[W|M]

I haven't seen snow in over four years

 

[emzie]

Yeah, when you live in Canada's proboscis-like appendage jutting into the Great Lakes, you do tend to end up with lots of lake-effect winter misery. Although Wiki claims that Toronto only gets 47 inches of snow a year, on par with Minneapolis and much warmer than it in the winter. I assume the parts of the proboscis facing Lake Huron probably get vastly more snow than that though.

Toronto's a bunch of... word I can't say here without you being forced to censure me. The rest of Canada has to pick of the slack in convincing Americans this isn't a place worth invading. We work really hard to hide our utopia from you.

 

[stfoskey12]

Do you want to live in a place that gets a significant amount of snowfall, or just visit the snowstorm, as it were?

I'd prefer to live in a place that gets a significant amount of snowfall, but if that weren't possible, I'd be willing to visit.

In NC you can just go to the mountains. Boone, NC averages 35 inches per year, the same as Des Moines and more than Indianapolis, Columbus, or Pittsburgh. It even has a university (Appalachian State). Not sure if that's the sort of place you'd want to go, but it would fit your criteria while not even requiring you to leave the state.

Appalachian State doesn't have the majors I'm looking for. I do think the mountains have a nice climate, but outside of Boone and Asheville, I don't think the economy's very strong.

Certainly not compared to places north. If he wants lots and lots of snow then somewhere by the Great Lakes that gets lake-effect snow would be your best bet. But it sounds like he just wants sort of a "normal" northern winter, based on the fact that he listed Pennsylvania as an option. Also he mentioned in-state tuition being desirable, which he'd get at Appalachian State. Not that I know anything else about it - it might be a really crappy school or not have what he's interested in or something - but Boone's location at 3300 feet gives it winters that are typical of the central Midwest or Pennsylvania rather than the rest of NC, and also cooler summers than most of the Midwest as well (to say nothing of the lowland South).

Yeah I think I'd prefer a normal northern winter long term, but places with major lake effect snow could be fun to visit or live in for a couple months.

 

[whyidie]

I'm digging Colorado weather.

Winters in the lowlands (5,000+ ft) are relatively mild. We get two or three 16-24" falls a year where the snow will stick around for a couple of weeks. Most snow fall is usually gone within 2-3 days, at least on the roads. Averages are about 50" a year.

The mountains are an entirely different story. Ski area I have a season pass to is at 354", which is slightly below the 400" average. We got 2ft last weekend and I'm hoping for another storm before May 8th closing.

Best colleges are in the lower elevations which would put you about an hours drive from powder packed conditions during the winter. There are a couple of low cost colleges in the higher elevations, just don't think they have a ton of offerings.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I'd prefer to live in a place that gets a significant amount of snowfall, but if that weren't possible, I'd be willing to visit.

Well, it looks like the rain/snow we had earlier has become a definite snowfall. It's still melting on the asphalt, but the roofs, trees, grass, and vehicles are getting covered. This will mean that the people who thought it was safe to start gardening will be upset, as some of their plants will basically be toast (as in the cold kind).

Some people will be screaming about the snow, the climate-change deniers will trot out their snarkiest material, but I'm just chalking it up to the new normal that started back in the '80s. We had a very mild winter, and we're paying for it now. Whether it turns into a blizzard remains to be seen; right now it's just a nice, peaceful snowfall. It's not even really cold out, just -3C.

Yeah I think I'd prefer a normal northern winter long term, but places with major lake effect snow could be fun to visit or live in for a couple months.

I've been hearing about that sort of thing from one of the members here who lives in that region (on the Canadian side). We email quite a bit and it's been snowstorm this, shoveling that, car won't start, it's freezing, no electricity, etc.

I'm not making fun of her, as we get our share of this in Western Canada too... but at least where I am we don't have any "lake effect" as the only lakes we have are two very small ones that are part of a wildlife sanctuary and used to be part of the river.