<p>Hi folks. I've got a question for all you Northerners. :) I live waaayy down south, but one of my top college choices in just outside of Chicago. It doesn't seem like climate should be that much of a factor in the college decision, but I'm getting a bit worried. Right now the coldest day we've had was just over thirty degrees. That was really cold. The coldest I've ever experienced was seven degrees and about four inches of snow. Once. So my question is, can one live in Chicago and manage to wear enough clothing to escape the cold, or is it just something people bear? I know a graduate of the school I am considering who saw it reach thirty below. He says I'd basically have to love cold weather to love Chicago. True? I'm hoping not!</p>
<p>I'm from Buffalo where we just had a snowstorm in October. I have never been to Chicago in the winter, but even in March, it is not called the "windy city" for nothing! I don't think Chicago gets as much snow as Buffalo, but it certainly is cold (though thirty below seems a bit exaggerated unless it's wind chill). . . </p>
<p>I honestly think if you still need to visit to do so in the winter because that is a factor you will have to consider! Though if you love the school, you should be okay- just buy lots of clothes, and perhaps learn to ski or ice skate.</p>
<p>where in the south are you from?</p>
<p>Here on Long Island we've hit like 63 a couple of times last week but now its going back to normal of highs like 46</p>
<p>^ long island<33..yes its been more liek 70s off and on the last couple of weeks even @ r r***** convention this weekend in upstate ny we were warm the first day...(I have to bleep out what type of convention it was) Its a thing my school goes every yr we do the chacha slide in the middle of the hallway we stare at candy machines..we go all out and act like r*****s when some of us r not</p>
<p>WINDY was a term used to describe their politics, not their weather</p>
<p>It will get cold and windy in Chicago. It is not unusual for the weather to stay below freezing for weeks at a time. However, with the right clothing, it is not all that bad. There may be a few days where it is so cold that it is hard to breathe, but they are only a few. You don't HAVE to spend much time outside if you choose not to. Central heating is a great invention :) The cold will be shocking at first, but my guess is that you will get used to it and learn how to adapt.</p>
<p>I live near U of Michigan and personally I don't think it's cold at all. Then again, maybe it's cause I'm use to it now. I almost never wear a jacket, only wear sweatshirts lol</p>
<p>Chicago is cold. Chicago is windy. But it's still warmer than the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, so you've got that going for you. After a couple of years you'll get used to it.</p>
<p>Downtown is windy due to the buildings and the lake effect. The rest of town is breezy. Winter will have some very cold periods followwd by not so bad.</p>
<p>If you decide to attend school in the north, treat yourself to one of the warmest -rated down coats from a northern manufacturer like L.L.Bean. With warm boots, heavy gloves, a ski hat, and a scarf, you should be fine even below 0 F. Though you'll look something like the Michelin man.</p>
<p>heh thanks guys. Chu, I'm from Mississippi, just a bit north of the gulf coast. The school is actually 30-something-or-so miles west of Chicago itself, if that really makes a difference with the wind. Do people spend much time outdoors at all during the coldest months? I'm just so used to being outside, it would be really odd to be cooped indoors most of the time. Do kids, I dunno, frolic in the snow or talk walks or anything? :) Gah I'm so ignorant..</p>
<p>On some campuses, people build snow replicas of a certain notable component of the male anatomy...</p>
<p>When I lived there it was very, very cold. It also snowed boatloads. There were murders reported when somebody took a parking space that another guy had shoveled out.</p>
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There were murders reported when somebody took a parking space that another guy had shoveled out.
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</p>
<p>That's not murder. That's justifiable homicide. (I went to college in upstate New York.)</p>
<p>The weather here is not rediculously cold. Most of the winter it hovers around the twenties. It might go into single digits briefly, but negative temperatures are not common (though they are by no means impossible). It doesn't snow nearly as badly here as it will in a place like Buffalo, but we get a fair amount. We got a bit of snow a few weeks ago, but it melted before the day was out. Sometime soor we should get snow that sticks around for a while. I think what will be more worrisome for you is February and March, when it is almost always overcast and the temperatures hover around freezing, leading to what I call "slush season". </p>
<p>But the most important thing is that you get a heavy coat. What serves as a winter coat in the south is more of a fall jacket up here.</p>
<p>I know this may all sound discouraging, but you never know if you'll end up liking it. I would definitely visit and ask some students from your end of the country what they think of the weather. They'll be able to give you better insight than I can.</p>
<p>I've lived for years in/near Chicago, Detroit, and Boston. Chicago has by FAR the harshest climate of the 3--hotter in summer, colder in winter. The unfortunate thing is that most of the school year is in the cold part of the year. Dress really warm and it's manageable. Shoes that keep your feet warm and dry are essential.</p>
<p>UHHHHH...chicago on average is only 3-6 degrees colder than Boston, and 1-2 for Detroit, i would hardly call that a FAR harsher climate</p>
<p>"Average" temps can be deceiving. They mask the spikes of very hot and very cold weather. I was in Chicago 1995 when over 700 people died in a week from the heat. Nothing on that scale happens in Detroit or Boston.</p>
<p>For the original poster-</p>
<p>I can relate to you. A few years ago, I moved to just north of Syracuse, NY (snowiest city over 100,000 in the entire United States) from Germany. I had never seen much snow or cold before, and it was a shock. A couple of storms dropped over 8 feet, with one dropping 127" in a span of 3 or 4 days. That was a bit of a shock for a guy who had been raised in North Carolina and Europe for most of his life. </p>
<p>But, I got used to it. You will too. Just give it time, and buy a North Face!</p>
<p>I agree with Tourguide. I recently lived elsewhere in the midwest, and it was very reminiscent- unpleasant extremes in both directions. Don't go for the weather.</p>
<p>Having said that, though, I thought Chicago was a great city and I would live there again.</p>