Buffalo (WNY) vs. "Fair Weather" Areas

[Fadingpain]

Buffalo summers are indeed lovely.  But consider that Florida winters are twice as long and feature identical weather! 

 

Then you get to the "bad" time of year (like right now) and have to endure sunshine, green grass, flowers, warmth, and many trips to the beach.   

 

You'll never have to shovel or snow blow heat out of your driveway at 6:00am so you can drive to work and every aspect of society down here is air conditioned, unlike much of Europe for example.

 

I do miss nice, warm autumn days in WNY.  But not that badly!  If I did, I could fly up there and visit friends and family, and honestly, I don't do that as much as I should anymore.

 

 

[Punching Bag]

5 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

I feel like you are going to be surprised by the replies.  Most guys on the message boards(especially the ones that post in the Off the Wall section) no longer live in the WNY area and they usually don't have any problem admitting they have no desire to move back lol.  

 

I have lived outside the area since 1985 since graduating from college and got a job in Northern Virginia and would move back if I'd find a job but I am at the tail end of my career now.  I applied for a number of them and only responses I got other than generic rejection letters were letters which stated they only hire local candidates including one which went to trouble to see my address listed on resume was not one I was living in currently but relatives in WNY.  I have worked in Florida, Northern and Southern California as well as other places but only wanted to work their TDY.

 

Have spoken to my wife about post retirement and hope we have enough money post retirement to be snowbirds living in WNY during nicer weather and living in Hong Kong (where my wife is from) during colder season. 

[Gray Beard]

9 minutes ago, Fadingpain said:

Buffalo summers are indeed lovely.  But consider that Florida winters are twice as long and feature identical weather! 

 

Then you get to the "bad" time of year (like right now) and have to endure sunshine, green grass, flowers, warmth, and many trips to the beach.   

 

You'll never have to shovel or snow blow heat out of your driveway at 6:00am so you can drive to work and every aspect of society down here is air conditioned, unlike much of Europe for example.

 

I do miss nice, warm autumn days in WNY.  But not that badly!  If I did, I could fly up there and visit friends and family, and honestly, I don't do that as much as I should anymore.

 

 

My parents retired to Florida. They said that the most uncomfortable hot weather that they had to endure was when they visited relatives up north in the summer. Houses up north weren’t all air conditioned, so summer nights could be too hot to sleep. 

[Augie]

31 minutes ago, Bandito said:

Nice! I live in Atlanta too

 

Lots of Atlanta folks here! 

[Gray Beard]

44 minutes ago, Shotgunner said:

 

That's what I hear often from winter-haters, that it's the commute (or just driving in snow in general) that they hate the most.

 

When I was a teenager I had cars and admittedly did not like it as much. Now I have had a 4x4 pickup ever since and as long as you have good tires, it makes driving in snow a non-issue. I actually love driving in it, since so many people just stay in their houses the roads are more vacant. 

Good snow tires make a big difference, but lake effect snow can go on for several days at a time, and the fifty mile commute in the snow and dark just wears me out. You’re probably one of those people that pass me and make me wonder how you can do it as if there was nothing wrong. I once had my blood pressure taken shortly after arriving at work on one of those tough days. It was 20 points higher than normal. I’m sure that I’m more nervous than I should be, but at this point I doubt that I will ever stop being nervous about it. 

[Bad Things]

To each their own.

 

Just be happy with where you are.  If you're not... move!

[May Day 10]

For me, i'd take buffalo over florida (and the southeast, texas, etc)

 

I really do like all the seasons and the variability.  I also live in the northtowns so we avoid the obsurd snowfall.  

 

The Summer is near perfect.  Rarely too hot to go outside.  Fall is amazing too.  Its like someone flipped on the AC.  Lots of activities start up and farm stands in full swing.

Spring time is also great.  The best day of the year is the first day the warm really hits and everyone is outside.  

I dont mind winter so much.  Dont need to pull weeds or cut the grass obsessively.  It prevents us from having scary bugs and snakes that will kill you or are the size of a house pet.  

 

We also avoid hurricanes and tornadoes which im happy about.  

 

The winter does get long though.  My main complaint would be that.  I wish we could take March and stick it between june and july.  

Edited July 30, 2018 by May Day 10

[PromoTheRobot]

18 hours ago, BillsPride12 said:

I feel like you are going to be surprised by the replies.  Most guys on the message boards(especially the ones that post in the Off the Wall section) no longer live in the WNY area and they usually don't have any problem admitting they have no desire to move back lol.  

 

It's not just Buffalo. It's the entire north. I live in NH, and while summers are glorious, pool weather rarely lasts 8 weeks. Meanwhile brutal winter weather goes 4 months, and spring is usually wet and muddy and infested with black flies. I ask myself why I stay? Oh right, it's the chance to earn a living.

[Heavy Kevi]

3 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

For me, i'd take buffalo over florida (and the southeast, texas, etc)

 

I really do like all the seasons and the variability.  I also live in the northtowns so we avoid the obsurd snowfall.  

 

The Summer is near perfect.  Rarely too hot to go outside.  Fall is amazing too.  Its like someone flipped on the AC.  Lots of activities start up and farm stands in full swing.

Spring time is also great.  The best day of the year is the first day the warm really hits and everyone is outside.  

I dont mind winter so much.  Dont need to pull weeds or cut the grass obsessively.  It prevents us from having scary bugs and snakes that will kill you or are the size of a house pet.  

 

We also avoid hurricanes and tornadoes which im happy about.  

 

The winter does get long though.  My main complaint would be that.  I wish we could take March and stick it between june and july.  

 

I agree with this...

 

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

It's not just Buffalo. It's the entire north. I live in NH, and while summers are glorious, pool weather rarely lasts 8 weeks. Meanwhile brutal winter weather goes 4 months, and spring is usually wet and muddy and infested with black flies. I ask myself why I stay? Oh right, it's the chance to earn a living.

 

But this seems to be a thin majority- fair weather just overtook Buffalo in the poll...

 

But what you call 'pool weather', I call brutal heat. But to quote Chan Gailey "that's why Baskin Robbins has 31 different flavors"

 

Still shows love for Buffalo, can you imagine what the poll would look like if we polled Californians? 

[Gordio]

2 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

It's not just Buffalo. It's the entire north. I live in NH, and while summers are glorious, pool weather rarely lasts 8 weeks. Meanwhile brutal winter weather goes 4 months, and spring is usually wet and muddy and infested with black flies. I ask myself why I stay? Oh right, it's the chance to earn a living.

 

 

I have a pool, I usually open it the first week of May & close it the first week of October.  The kids swim in it.  I do have a heater though. 

 

My boss went over memorial day to visit his son in Dallas this year.  He said it was brutally hot.  Said you either had to be inside or be in water if your outside.  No in between.  He even said he sat out for 15 minutes on the patio one evening, had to go in because he was drenched in sweat.  His daughter in law said she gets really depressed this time of year because the heat is so unbearable.  She said it will be like this to after labor day. 

 

November & December in Buffalo get a bad rap around here.  There are often times you could still see the grass until New Years.  November is usually in the high 40's & 50's & December the temp is still usually pushing 40.  We do get the occasional Lake effect snow storm in those months since the Lake is never frozen by then.  The 2 months that piss me off the most around here are March & April.  I often see Philly/NYC/Boston & even sometimes Pitts temps are in the 50/60s & we are still stuck in the high 30s.  My son a few years ago had a tournament in Hershey for baseball.  It was like the 2nd week of April.  We drove there & it was weird, everything was brown, no leaves on the trees, no flowers blooming, & then we got by Williamsport Pa & it was like we entered a different workd, everything was green & 75% bloom on the flowers.  it was really weird but just goes to show you that I think there is a major frost line & unfortunately WNY is on the wrong side of it. 

[row_33]

My 100s of college and pro football games have all been in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and the occasional other northern Big Ten state

 

I don't know what football is like to watch in sunshine two weeks in a row

 

 

 

the Dome in Toronto is a great thing for the inclement weather that must play a part in at least 1/3 of the home games for the Jays.

 

 

Edited July 30, 2018 by row_33

[TheElectricCompany]

A few 

22 hours ago, Shotgunner said:

You always hear about how terrible it is in Buffalo (or WNY) with all the snow and cold. We are treated like an leper tundra community by players/fans/media from the so-called "nicer" parts of the country, most commonly the south and west coasts (usual suspects being Florida and California)

 

You would never expect it would be 80's and brutal 90's for most of our summer, but that's beside my point.

 

What is better, cold and snowy for 4 to 5 months a year, or "fair weather" most of the time with natural disasters and dangerous creatures?

 

I contend WNY is better. I am partial because I LOVE the winter. But besides that, the northeast woodlands are generally insulated from destructive forces. No hurricanes, monsoons, tornados, earthquakes, wildfires, poison snakes and spiders, and our apex predator (bears) are the easiest to deal with in an encounter (compared to other apex predators).

 

I also like that I could build a house, and feel reasonably certain it will still be standing when I'm dead.

 

I imagine most will agree with me since this is a Buffalo-based forum, but am curious to what you guys think.

 

What say you?

 

California is not a "one size fits all" for weather. You cannot compare San Diego to San Francisco, or Indio to Truckee. 

What dangerous creatures do people live in fear with? The odds of getting killed by a gator, wolf, grizzly or lion are minuscule. 

Natural disasters, sure, I guess that's reasonable, but it's not like CA is falling into the ocean, and you need a direct strike to lose everything in a hurricane.

Buffalo weather is pretty mediocre, outside of fall. 

[sullim4]

Being an upstate native, and having lived in the Pacific Northwest for the last 12+ years...

 

I would say I really don't miss the weather aspect.  We have mountains that get feet of snow on a regular basis during the winter just an hour's drive away.  Our summers are the best in the entire country, never really getting hotter than 95 or so with next to no humidity.

 

The number of overcast days here is actually comparable to Syracuse or Binghamton... I'd say we likely get more sunny days than either of those two cities.  In terms of inches, we get less rain than NYC; most of our "rain" is a mist or just an on again/off again drizzle.

 

I've also lost 70 pounds and maintaining a normal weight since I moved out here 12 years ago, largely because I'm not cooped up in a house all day during the winter and not avoiding outdoor activity due to excessive humidity in the summer.  I honestly think the climate plays a huge part in that.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

I think that few, if any, expatriates on this board think of WNY weather as being "bad" or being the reason they moved away.

 

Most of us moved away for the better economic opportunities that other places offer.

 

I have lived in Buffalo, Montreal, NYC and Dallas and each of them have their share of "bad" weather.

 

[billsfan5121]

I live about 50 miles south of DC right off interstate 95.  The winters are better here I imagine.  The summers are better in buffalo.  It’s 90 degrees with ridiculous humidity every day from June to early September.  However, I’ll take Fall here over Buffalo, as it’s 70 degrees in the afternoon and drops to the 50s for most of mid-September through first week in November or so (sometimes late October).  Spring is probably better here as well because it gets here sooner.  By mid March, we get a couple days each week in the 60s to 70s.  

 

Ill say this though.  The one thing buffalo has in the winter over Virginia is they get snow, while we get snow, sleet, freezing rain, or just plain rain while it’s 35 degrees.  It’s a mess.  2 inches of snow and we are shut down.  My brother is in Fort Drum and he sent a picture of a snow pile from the plow that must have been 15 feet tall, and his kids were playing on it while waiting for the school bus.  We are a bunch of wimps down here.

[PromoTheRobot]

3 hours ago, Gordio said:

 

 

I have a pool, I usually open it the first week of May & close it the first week of October.  The kids swim in it.  I do have a heater though. 

. 

 

Makes all the difference. I don't have one. Too much $$$ to have one installed for an above-ground pool.

Edited July 30, 2018 by PromoTheRobot

[RochesterRob]

7 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

For me, i'd take buffalo over florida (and the southeast, texas, etc)

 

I really do like all the seasons and the variability.  I also live in the northtowns so we avoid the obsurd snowfall.  

 

The Summer is near perfect.  Rarely too hot to go outside.  Fall is amazing too.  Its like someone flipped on the AC.  Lots of activities start up and farm stands in full swing.

Spring time is also great.  The best day of the year is the first day the warm really hits and everyone is outside.  

I dont mind winter so much.  Dont need to pull weeds or cut the grass obsessively.  It prevents us from having scary bugs and snakes that will kill you or are the size of a house pet.  

 

We also avoid hurricanes and tornadoes which im happy about.  

 

The winter does get long though.  My main complaint would be that.  I wish we could take March and stick it between june and july.  

  Winters are not that bad in WNY.  I would have to think back to the 1970's to think of a winter that held on like the one of 2017-18.  The years I lived in Ithaca during the 1980's the worst driving conditions were going up or down Rte 96 or Rte 13.  There was one white knuckle drive from Syracuse back home back in 2007.

[Soda Popinski]

Have not lived in Buffalo since I was very young but the idea that FL is some kind of fair weather paradise is laughable.    It has rained for more than 60 days straight here in central FL.  Honestly since Memorial day weekend it has rained more this year than any other of the 35 years I've spent living here.  

 

When it hasn't been raining, the temperature is around 95 degrees.  People spend all winter in the house up north, well we spend all summer inside because of the rain and the heat.  NO different really.  Miserably cold and miserably hot are both still miserable.   

 

I like FL, like fishing, scalloping, there are some outdoor activities here, but the hunting sucks, it's hot all the time, Mosquitos are the state bird, and if you go outside without sunscreen, you are going to fry like bacon.  

 

fair weather.   not in my neighborhood. 

 

 

[Misterbluesky]

14 minutes ago, Soda Popinski said:

Have not lived in Buffalo since I was very young but the idea that FL is some kind of fair weather paradise is laughable.    It has rained for more than 60 days straight here in central FL.  Honestly since Memorial day weekend it has rained more this year than any other of the 35 years I've spent living here.  

 

When it hasn't been raining, the temperature is around 95 degrees.  People spend all winter in the house up north, well we spend all summer inside because of the rain and the heat.  NO different really.  Miserably cold and miserably hot are both still miserable.   

 

I like FL, like fishing, scalloping, there are some outdoor activities here, but the hunting sucks, it's hot all the time, Mosquitos are the state bird, and if you go outside without sunscreen, you are going to fry like bacon.  

 

fair weather.   not in my neighborhood. 

 

 

A cute girl I went to school with moved down there about 20 plus years ago..she always liked the sun and the beach,she would get bronzed every summer as a teenager. She still.does the same thing down there...God  as my witness,she looks about 70 instead of 55. I worry about my bride,on her days off she'll have a friend(s) over and lay on a pool float all afternoon.I told her many times how doing that will catch up to her one day..meaning skin cancer. She doesn't listen..and she uses tanning oil and did the indoor tanning before.Women seem to like the sun more than men do...jmho.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Ut oh... We are losing in the Poll people... Come on Buffalonians... Defend the WNY climate!!!