The worst winter in Massachusetts. Is the weather bothering you? (Boston: place to live, move)

[msRB311]

I hadn't really noticed the lack of sun. Fine by me.

[matrix5k]

By the way is there still a drought with all this rain and snow? I feel like it rains every 2 days. But every spring/summer there is a water ban.

[FlurryCat]

Originally Posted by justyouraveragetenant

No it's not too cold but the lack of sun is driving me nuts. Has the weather the past 3 weeks bothered you? I need the sun and am flying out of here to sunny Arizona.. I can't take it anymore going for a week .

I have never seen it like this with such lack of sun any winter. I'd rather freezing cold with sun then this warm dreary winter..

That's why I left the Boston area and moved to AZ. For me, it was the best decision ever. No more SAD, go for a walk in the sun anytime, no winter wardrobe, etc. However, this has been a strange winter, and it's been unusually cold and rainy with heavy overcast for most of the past month. Those "atmospheric river" rains that hit CA were big enough to hold together across the desert. We sorely need the water, but the persistent gloom and the damp, raw chill were seriously depressing. Too reminiscent of March and April in New England.

The pattern is breaking this week and the sun is out in all it's glory, but it's still abnormally cold (low 50's going down near freezing at night). Not supposed to get back to normal temps for another week, but if the sun is all you're after, you'll enjoy your trip.

[Remy11]

I can definitely see where the lack of sun can be really hard as I sometimes suffer from seasonal affective disorder as well. However, I’ve been trying to beat that with long walks and find that the mild winter is allowing me to do so. Sun would be nice but this weather is definitely better than frigid temps and tons of snow for those who like exercising outdoors.

Enjoy AZ tho! That sounds like a fab trip. Scottsdale or even Canyon Ranch in Tucson sounds lovely right about now.

[tovarisch]

No S.A.D. for me, and I have a history of facial skin cancer. This winter has been GREAT; especially for those of us with reduced lung capacity. I'm staying in New England!

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by justyouraveragetenant

No it's not too cold but the lack of sun is driving me nuts. Has the weather the past 3 weeks bothered you?

Has it been cloudier than normal? Seems pretty normal to me...

But I grew up in Michigan where it's grey for the entire winter (November through January average less than 110 hours of sunlight A MONTH, that's less than 40% i.e. 60+% of daylight hours are overcast), then I lived in Sacramento that isn't even 50% sunny for December and January (but over 92% sunny May through September). An average Boston winter is sunnier than Sacramento and much, much sunnier than Michigan.

The lack of snow has sucked though.

[brk330]

Lack of snow on the ground is what gets me. It makes up for the lack of sun.

[Lincolnian]

Originally Posted by justyouraveragetenant

I like the snow hate the rain.

I agree. If it's winter it needs to be winter and that means snow! Snow is a vital part of the ecological cycle of New England and helps to regulate the temperature of the Earth's surface. It also provides protection to plants and organisms over the winter and when it melts in the spring it slowly fills streams, rivers and lakes enriching the soil.

Like you, I found this winter to be intolerable with the turning point being around December 17th when the pattern changed and the snow and early season cool temperatures turned warmer. It ruined the skiing which started out as one of the best seasons in years. After 3 weeks of gray skies, rain and dreariness, I bailed on skiing and headed south to Florida where it has been sunny with nearly a cloud in the sky for the past 2 weeks. When the snow returns so will I.

[chicagoliz]

The big downside from lack of sunshine is that my solar panels don't produce much. For me the best part of winter is the coziness, and I can get coziness from dreary rain. I really hate the super-cold, and even though the solar panels might produce more, I need more energy to heat my house (and if there has been snow previously, even if it is sunny, if it is really cold, the solar panels might still be covered with snow or ice).

So, I'm content with this type of winter. I might like a little more sun, but I'm happy to trade it for staying in the 30s and 40s.

Funny thing is, I was in AZ from 12/28 to 1/2 and it was dreary, cloudy, and rainy the entire time.

[htfdcolt]

I've concluded that it's the short days that get to me. Saps the incentive for doing/planning evening activities.