LadyButterfly she/her
pelespiritIt depends on where you are. Seattle summers are amazing (shhhh, don’t tell anyone).
Ms. ArmoredThirteenMe in Seattle right now: it’s too hot, it’s too bright, there are too many tourists, I want the cold and rain back
Today or this week?
I’m in Seattle too. Bite your tongue, today is perfect!
It truly is! On the way to Capitol Hill pride as I comment. Loving the weather for my outfit!
Same. I’m in the Seattle area and summer is incredible…skies are clear temps are mostly super comfortable except for like 2 weeks when I need a fan.
People only say summer is good because we used to get 2 months off during it
This absolutely. Also summer didn’t use to feel like an inner circle of hell 30 years ago.
I prefer fall, it is cloudy, dreary, cold, damp, no pollen, just overall my vibe.
Yesssss hard agreeeee
MyDarkestTimeline01Very much agree.
Depends on where you are. Miserable in hotter places I’m sure, but in Sweden it’s quite honestly glorious. Sun up from 03:30 to 22 in Stockholm, and it never quite gets dark. Does wonders for your mood.
Winter, however, is a cold, dark and wet mess. Truly depressive.
Spring and autumn are alright, but suffer from just a little bit too much rain.
Naturally, the climate crisis is making things slightly too warm for comfort now, and we’re going to have to retrofit all homes to withstand heat better before too long.
huppakeeWinter, however, is a cold, dark and wet mess. Truly depressive.
Anyone saying summer ‘only has good pr’ doesn’t have winters like that.
We’re winters do suck. Snowy winters are my jam though, even with the lack of day light, the snow and quiet make up for it.
Hot humid summers, and especially mosquitoes, can fuck right off. The extra daylight is nice though
mercYeah, exactly. Winters in LA or LA might be different. But, winters in places with months and months of snow are awful. You can’t do much outside because it’s too cold. You can’t have your windows open to get some fresh air because it’s too cold. You can dress properly to do outdoor activities, but it often requires so many layers that it’s really uncomfortable. Plus, you can’t have any gaps. Your neck, wrists, ankles are often places where the cold can get in, or worse they can get wet and being cold and wet is awful.
In addition, the world is just miserable in winter. There’s almost nothing alive outside other than other humans. No grass, many trees lose all their leaves, birds migrate away, everything is shades of grey or brown. Christmas can be fun, and it’s no coincidence that it’s celebrated almost exactly on the darkest day of the year. That’s when we need a lot of pretty lights and cheer. But, Christmas is just the beginning of winter. What follows is months of gloomy grey cold.
And, while there are outdoor winter sports, you need special footwear for all of them because of the snow and ice. You can’t even walk across a field or a park without extra effort because of all the snow. Even key winter sports like skating or hockey, if played outside, require that you at a minimum spend a lot of time shovelling all the snow off the ice surface. For a good experience you also have to flood and smooth the ice periodically. So, it’s a lot of work.
Having said all that, if I had to choose between -30 and +40, I’d probably choose -30, because at least you can put on appropriate gear for that and spend some time outside doing something fun. It may be dark and it may be grey, but it’s possible to dress for the weather. When it’s too hot, you really can’t spend any time outside, without risking your life, and it certainly isn’t possible to do anything active. But if the choice is between -30 and +30, give me the +30 any day.
Winters in LA or LA
You… I like you.
Also, you’re sliiiightly overstating how little you can do in the summer hot times. It’s not a “risking your life” scenario every time… Recreation just switches to an early morning or post-sundown schedule. I usually still get 3-4 hours of sports activities on a saturday or sunday. Plus you get fun things like all the animals that are crepuscular being out and about, so you’ll have ospreys flying over your heads with a fish, or squirrels doing races around the fencetops.
You… I like you.
You’d really have liked it if I started talking about how the winters in Ontario, CA are much more pleasant than the ones in Ontario, CA.
Recreation just switches to an early morning or post-sundown schedule.
Ah, right. I hadn’t considered that. It’s interesting that the places with the most brutal heat are the ones with a relatively early sunset. In 2023 Oslo hit 32 degrees, not that hot by international standards, but combine that with the fact it happened on June 15th and the sun never fully sets at that time of year, and it’s hard to find relief.
I usually still get 3-4 hours of sports activities on a saturday or sunday.
Do you live somewhere where the mid-day heat is 35+C? 40+C? To me, those are the only ones where it’s truly brutal and I might prefer long, harsh winters. OTOH, human culture hasn’t really found a great way to deal with brutally cold winters. There are winter solstice celebrations, but no adjustment of the schedule of life to avoid the worst of the cold. But, in places with really hot summers there’s often a tradition of mid-day naps, and I could really get on board with that lifestyle.
Uh… off the top of my head calculations, 40C is equivalent to 104F? I think my summer days get to just below that, on average. Hottest recorded ever was 109F, but that was at an airport, so lots of concrete and very high amounts of heat producing engines may have ticked that up a degree or two.
I think my rowing activities average about 30C when we start, and the courtside fun a hair or two higher. We try to stop by the time it gets close to 39C. Even with a breeze you can’t really sustain activity by then. That’s when we go to get lunch and then, yep, sleep.
Ouch. Good to know it’s possible though.
KSP AtlasI see summer as a nice relief from the depressing winter
Counterpoint: I lived in Sweden and I miss that winter’s gloom. Sure, it’s dark before the snow falls but it gives you something to look forward to.
I honestly love the solitude that harsh winters bring. And all the heavy clothing I get to wear, the much longer nights, going through my stockpile of canned and preserved goods. There have been winters where I was snowed in for weeks, and they were glorious
It’s true, the brain and body need extra care to prevent depression during winter, but I’m much more depressed during the long, blistering hot summer months
Winter is quite nice when there is snow. We don’t get that in Stockholm, for the most part.
Yeah that winter sounds fun.
Try 7 months of dark at 3pm and grey overcast and mild drizzle everyday.
Where do I sign up?
Cumbernauld
Yes please
ByteJunk“Climate crisis is making things slightly too warm for comfort”
Oh my. How bothersome.
I know you didn’t mean it that way, just the understatement had me cackling.
Well, it begins with too warm for comfort here, and then it gets progressively worse.
Yep summer in Scotland just means it rains slightly less and doesn’t get dark at 3pm
I’ve been told it’s positively Mediterranean this year though, is that right?
We had the driest period in 100 years a month or two ago, didn’t rain for 5 weeks or something. Back to 18-20C and only raining half the time so better than usual I guess aye
20C is like the most you’re gonna get out of a scottish summer with some exceptions lol
In Alaska all of the seasons have their charm, except Spring. Spring is a bad time.
The thick ice on the roads starts to melt and you have wet ice for an unacceptably long time. All of the soft fluffy white snow on the sides of the road hardens and gets covered in dirt being spread to make roads drivable. Every time you leave the house it’s a harrowing experience, and everyone’s so used to the danger of driving they just shrug and go ”yeah, it’s bad out there huh?” Randomly you get a cold snap without snow just to make you suffer a bit before it goes back to thawing.
Exactly. In Seattle, summer is the best. High of 75 most days and because of the water surround the city, it only gets down to high 50’s at night. And our winters aren’t too bad. 45F/40F averages, just wet with the light rain.
But don’t tell anyone because we don’t want more people moving here!
But don’t tell anyone because we don’t want more people moving here!
You need to build more housing so that more people can enjoy it, but more significantly so that the people already there can afford it.
100%. The current city density plan will not cut it with the current growth projections. We’re trying our damnedest by being active in many advocacy groups!
I know there’s been a campaign for years about seasonal depression, but lack of sleep causes depression too and if it’s only dark for 5.5 hours I’m probably getting about that much sleep and I’m probably waking a few times during it to sigh and turn over. Unless there’s AC and the light is 100% blacked out (not a speck peeking over or around the curtain).
Blackout curtains are mandatory equipment for any Swedish bedroom, in my opinion. There’s no way to get enough sleep without them. Sleep masks also help if you’re particularly sensitive to light.
AC is generally speaking not required, as nights are cool and letting in air can provide adequate cooling for all but the hottest days of the year. This is of course a problem for people like me who are allergic to grass pollen, which is active during summer, but I’ve been able to get by mostly with a fan these days.
Venus_ZiegenfalleThe forest is beautiful this time of year if you can avoid getting eaten alive by mosquitos and ticks.
illiI suffer in these summers, but I still prefer this suffering to the winter. Winter is too depressing. Christmas is about all that is nice about Winter.
Counter arguement:
Have a Good Summer. Guaranteed.
Really depends on location. Summer in my area is brutal and the heat lasts close to 5 months, so yes I agree it’s the worst season. Spring is next simply because of all the hailstorms. Fall is ok but still too warm for actual fall standards. The upside is our winters are mild, so it’s the best season.
Poland. It’s not that summer is amazing - it just sucks the least.
It’s hot and everything wants to eat you, but it’s colorful and sunny and summer nights are ahhhhhh…
Autumns tend to be pretty. And rainy as hell. Meh.
Winter was pretty when I was a kid. Nowadays it’s autumn, minus pretty and plus balls freezin off. No snow, fuck you.
Spring is wet and green, but also cold. Good contender against summer, barely loses IMO.
I will always rather step outside into 35C instead of -10C.
Everytime.
Fuck. The. Cold.
Plus everything is dead and depressing. Do you people just not like plants and Wildlife?
“The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent Was a Summer in San Francisco”
This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, but he isn’t known to have said it. Could be based on a similar statement about Paris by an English actor named James Quin in the 1700s.
Winter too cold: Oh no, I guess I’ll put on some fuzzy socks and drink some chamomile tea
Summer too hot: Guess I’ll go to the fuckin ER for heat stroke
So very true.
Dressing for cold is so much easier than heat it’s mindboggling to read some of these summer fan comments. Like, do you guys actually live on the same planet as I do? Cause this one sucks the minute temperatures go past 20c.
Some folks just tolerate extreme temps differently. I am nearly impervious to heat, but begin hating life below 10C.
It really depends on the climate you’re used to living in, the winters here are in the -20c range and yesterday it was 41c. I’m basically happy as long as it doesn’t get within 10c of the extremes.
Tell med you live far away from the coast without telling me
Also i sympathize
Sounds like Canada anywhere not near the ocean. I’m in that same boat, and I’ll happily trade the stupidly hot summers for two extra months of winter.
I miss the moderate summers of Scandinavia in that regard. Sure, it rained a lot, but at least you could go outside without roasting to a crisp in minutes during summer.
Random info dump.
Being naked makes it worse cause now sun is going directly at your body.
You need to wear something that allows wind to circulate in your clothes while blocking the sun that is a deadly laser.
Which is why you often see Arab men walking in desert with bunch of clothing.
Tho just “don’t go outside before 8 pm unless you really have to” is honestly the best option still.
It’s pretty easily explained and you can find reasons and anecdotes on YouTube, etc! Garments can do an effective job of keeping solar radiation off of you and regulate temperature! Obviously, culture and religion play a part as well
Yeah I was hinting at that lmao. “Getting naked isn’t the only or the best option for summer.”
orcaI fucking hate summer. It’s terrible in Florida. Not as intolerable on the west coast.
🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮 Not as intolerable on the west coast.
On the actual coast, sure. Come to the Central Valley of California, tho. Shit’s basically the same as Florida except that it’s not guaranteed to rain every day around 5pm. 90-100+ heat with 90-100% humidity. 😵💫
And then there’s the very visible smog layer you can see from the Sierra Nevadas. You can actually taste the air after stepping out of the Fresno Yosemite airport in August after having been elsewhere with cleaner air. I remember it being a very dry heat most of the time.
ZorsithWinter you can add layers.
Summer, there’s only so many layers you can remove before somebody calls the cops