Winter: Love It or Hate It

winter

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Whether you love it or loathe it, winter is big part of life in Central New York. According to U.S. Climate Data, the average high temperature for the months of December through March in Syracuse is 36.5 degrees F. The average low is 21 for the same time period. In Oswego, that dips to 34.75 degrees F for the high and 22.5 for the low.

Of course with that cold comes plenty of snow. The website Accuweather.com, which lists the snowiest cities for the winter of 2018-2019, includes three Upstate cities and total snow accumulation: Buffalo had 94.3 inches; Syracuse, 74.9 inches; and Rochester, 63.5. These cities each ranked much higher in snowfall than Nome, Alaska (35.6 inches).

Whether you hunker down and endure it or run outside to embrace it, winter is here.

Here’s what a few locals have to say about winter in Upstate New York:

“I personally like the seasonal change. It gives opportunity to do a variety of activities not available without the change of season. I like the aesthetics of the change and having the variety of seasons available to us.”

Jason Pratt, Oswego

“I enjoy the season. I have to admit moving to CNY from Philadelphia since 1989, I’m not a huge fan of all the snow. There are days I wish we had less snow. It interferes with my running and makes it more challenging. I have to run in the daylight as the sides of the roads aren’t always plowed. But winters are good. It looks beautiful. I didn’t even have snow boots when I moved up here.”

Carol Sames, Syracuse

“I love winter. I can go snowshoeing, skiing and I do occasional winter camping. You’ve got to get out in it. That’s what I always tell people when they complain about winter. They need to get out of the house and find something fun to go enjoy.”

Jake Mulcahey, Oswego

“It’s OK.  It can be pretty, but it’s cold.”

Cindy Smith, Syracuse

“I tolerate the cold. I’ve been here all my life. I’m 79 now. I tolerate it — that’s the only way I can put it. I’d still rather live here than other places with their fires and floods. We have a great crew here in the city keeping us cleaned out. I’m looking forward to spring already.”

Donna Lupien, Oswego

“I deal with it. I find activities to do to make the winter go by. If people hate it so much they should do something about their situation here. I try not to complain about it as it’s inevitable and I made the conscious decision to live in Syracuse.”

Neal Purcell, Syracuse

“There are many aspects of winter I love, like fresh fallen snow and crisp, cool air. Certainly as lifelong resident of Central New York, I’ve learned to embrace many aspects of it. I prefer the minor inconvenience of a snowfall than the larger natural disasters that happen many areas of the country.”

Amy Lear, Oswego

“I can’t stand the cold anymore. I’m getting too old for the cold. When I was a kid, we tobogganed all the time. Now, I wouldn’t mind if we didn’t have snow or cold at all.”

Eva Hancock, Jamesville