Difference between Winters in the North and South

Tequila Mocking Frost

Some say the world will end in ice.
Others say in salt.
If liquor’s quicker I shan’t bicker
if end’s quick mixed assault.

But if you come remember you will think you are just as cold here at 40 as you would be at 0 up there. Four layers in the morning. One short layer in the afternoon.

40-50 and high humidity is awful. Not nearly as life threatening, but bone chilling to the max.

@string said:
40-50 and high humidity is awful. Not nearly as life threatening, but bone chilling to the max.

True but the roads stay clear and it warms up in the afternoon… We had several days in the 30’s a few years ago… just brutal. It sucked the O2 out of the shallow water and created large fish kills.

@grayhawk said:

@string said:
40-50 and high humidity is awful. Not nearly as life threatening, but bone chilling to the max.

True but the roads stay clear and it warms up in the afternoon… We had several days in the 30’s a few years ago… just brutal. It sucked the O2 out of the shallow water and created large fish kills.

We have no bugs. That’s a positive.

We learn to live with the little blood suckers, sort of. Mosquitoes, no- see-ems, horseflies, deer flies, chiggers (red bugs) ticks, and a black fly that looks like a house fly.
I was bitten so many times as a kid ,skeeters hardly bother me.
No-see-ems come straight from hell.

Reports from last night’s meeting was the Everglades last week no skeeters.

We kayak with ice. … in the cooler.

Very little salt used here. Usually it’s too cold for salt to work on anything other than a margarita
Sand however. Agh. Sand everywhere. It comes in the house. I’d rather be in sand wheee it should be. On a beach

In Arizona, we only use salt for margaritas.
BUT, this weekend, I am doing 36 miles down the Colorado River living out of my kayak and plan to do it in shorts and t-shirt.
Maybe it will drop to 50 overnight, probably closer to 54. High 70’s day, no rain.

And yet, somehow, with weather like this, ALL the sporting goods stores put away anything related to watersports and unpack the winter clothes and skis!
Corporate decision by people who live 24/7/365 in Vermont!

Another aspect of the salt on roads is that cars driven on them rust out more frequently. This only happens at the coast in the Deep South. However, too many salted glass rims can also ruin a car being driven.

But as Overstreet noted ice in the cooler or in the glass is preferable to ice in the trees, and on the road.

As for skiing both North and South do it on water, the big difference here is the hardness of the water skied upon. In the North try not to hit a tree, and in the South avoid the gators!

I feel sure the witty folks on here can come up with some more interesting contrasts between the Regions!

@Rookie said:

We have no bugs. That’s a positive.

Snow Dune Buggies

In frosty-freeze of Great Lake breeze
a Yuper stoopers down,
into root cellar where dormant feller
in old box slumbers sound,

then opening box the Yuper shocks
and sought photos tumble down,
for in a blink winter really stinks
with stink bugs still around
(as cockroach scurries from yelled sound)

There are a lot of Canadian and Northeast license plates down heah.

A lot of Carolina plates here…

@grayhawk said:
A lot of Carolina plates here…

I wish mine was one of them.

After our artic plunge into the negative digits, 32 and sunny feels practically balmy…

We were snow and ice-covered in single digit temps and negative number wind chills last week here in Pittsburgh – today it’s in the 60’s, most snow is gone and people are out jogging in shorts and tee shirts. But we’ve got another snowstorm coming tomorrow evening. The only thing you can be assured of about weather in SW Pennsylvania is that you won’t see snow in July or August. Other than that, anything goes on a daily basis…

Sounds like parts of Texas.

Any support here for the 4 seasons? I enjoy the changes, if it snows, I hope for a big blizzard! Nice to see the spring come alive, summer’s balmy days are welcome as well, And fall colors are extraordinary to behold.

Yeah, I’ll second the four seasons preference. The problem in Wisconsin this year was a that there seemed to be a lack of “shoulder season”. It seemed to go from 40s and 50s directly to single digits and sub zero with no time to adjust. This probably isn’t unique to this state.

This time last month some friends did an over-nighter on the river which had very little, if any, ice at that time. On New Year’s Day our local club did our regular paddle (on a lake that serves as a cooling pond for a power plant so its always open) but it was too cold for me this time. (With age comes at least a smidgen of wisdom.) The hardiest among us went out in their dry suits and full winter regalia and lasted for about half an hour before retreating to a local bar for chili.
Then came a few balmy spring like days. This morning it was almost 50. Almost all the snow has melted. Kinda’ crazy for January. I went out to check the river. It was still frozen solid on Tuesday, water on top of the ice this (Thurs) morning but the channels still weren’t moving at all. About noon it started raining, which turned to sleet and now were back in the deep freeze. They didn’t spread salt this time because it would have washed off. Its dangerously slick out there now.

I believe those of us who go through this sort of thing for a few months develop a true appreciation of spring and especially of flowing waters. I’ve heard it said that hunger is the best sauce. Similarly, I think we four seasoners develop a bit deeper appreciation of liquid water after enduring a bit of stuff like this.