Do most of you have a winter wardrobe stashed away for visiting northern climates in the winter months, or do you just buy what need in the even you have to travel north during the winter?
Dumb question for Florida people
- Thread starter General Tso
- Start date
When I first moved to Tennessee from Florida, I ran into Target to by flip-flops in October. I asked a sales associate where the flops were located, and she said "I'm sorry, we don't carry those right now, they are a seasonal item." That blew my mind.
/CSB
/CSB
Yup. A closet full of jackets, hoodies and hats that get dusted off 2 weeks a year.
At least when I was growing up in Florida, nobody really knew about layers. We all had one winter jacket. Whether it was 60 or 35 (rare), that’s what we wore. Usually with a T-shirt underneath.
The last time I visited Seattle during Christmas, I borrowed a heavy (by Florida standards) coat from a friend after they insisted that my usual light jacket wouldn’t cut it and my old “heavy” coat (dating from the George W. Bush administration) no longer fit.
Even the “heavy” coat wasn’t warm enough for a afternoon spent on a scenic lookout where it was in the 20s and breezy. And Seattle isn’t even that cold.
Since then, I’ve stepped up and bought some new cold weather clothes. If I lived in Iowa, I’d probably invest in one of those expensive Mackinaw wool coats.
In Central and North Florida, there only a few days a year where it gets below freezing. And that’s usually just for a few hours in the early morning before sunrise.
Basically, unless you need to be outside at the asscrack of dawn in January, you don’t typically need a heavy coat in Florida.
In South Florida, of course, it almost never gets below freezing.
Basically, unless you need to be outside at the asscrack of dawn in January, you don’t typically need a heavy coat in Florida.
In South Florida, of course, it almost never gets below freezing.
Having lived (barely survived) in Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Jersey I learned what winter really is and so the guest room closet here at Casa Goldie is full of assorted sweaters, turtlenecks and wool pants which might get worn a few times during a cold “snap” here in NoFla. As you might imagine some of them are “vintage”.
When I grew up here in FL we thought a winter day was when we wore two sweaters over our blouses and knee socks. The nuns were happy since they finally were comfortable in those get ups they wore.
Once in the 8th grade it got down to 18 degrees and they canceled school.
It’s 56 right now and I’ve got on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Chilly!
When I grew up here in FL we thought a winter day was when we wore two sweaters over our blouses and knee socks. The nuns were happy since they finally were comfortable in those get ups they wore.
Once in the 8th grade it got down to 18 degrees and they canceled school.
It’s 56 right now and I’ve got on sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Chilly!
I will be up near the QC next week. I will be wearing my 1999 FSU National Champions pullover. By itself, it will keep me warm as low as the high 40s.
When I was growing up in the panhandle you had to have some light jackets or hoodies handy for even the hot school days because the a/c would crank in the classrooms and you’d end up freezing. It was the opposite in winter you’d wear shorts and a hoodie for the bus stop because if the heat was on at school you’d sweat to death in heavy clothes so you shed a layer when you got inside.
Seems to be the same at my kids school in Atlanta. She takes a hoodie to school on the hot days and just a t shirt and large coat when it’s regular cold and not freezing all day.
Seems to be the same at my kids school in Atlanta. She takes a hoodie to school on the hot days and just a t shirt and large coat when it’s regular cold and not freezing all day.
Yes and also in Tallahassee it can get rather cold at times during the winter.
The coldest winter I ever lived through was in Tallahassee. Worse than the two winters I spent in Virginia Beach!
In the panhandle we need both anyway....Wednesday we have a low of 34 degrees forcasted.
It gets fairly nippy at times. Last winter was pipe burst season.
Makes sense that your pipe would burst when things get nippy
People don’t get that all of NoFla can get truly cold. And it’s a damp chill since you’re near the water that goes right to your bones.
No doubt, when we traveled to PCB last year for Christmas/New Years it was damn cold the first couple days.
Outside temp gauge on my car didn't get to above zero til we reached the Arkansas border. Think it was in the 30s when we reached the condo. Got back to "normal" after that and still were able to boat around the bay a couple days.
Two years ago it was 75 every day with a low of about 70 - couldn't even discern the day and evening temps. Humid, but awesome. Hoping more like that this year!
Very true. We've already had a couple of frosts here. An average winter season will have around 20-25 freeze warnings. The western panhandle has seasons.
- Sep 13, 2002
- 99,163
- 208,015
- 113
Shoot me a DM and I'll take you to a west end dive bar.
/no homo
//well maybe a little
I went to my now wife's graduation from University of North Florida I saw people walking around with boots and winter jackets on.
It was in the 50's.
It's not the cold, it's the wind. If you live in the Midwest or on the Plains, you know.
- Sep 13, 2002
- 99,163
- 208,015
- 113
- Sep 13, 2002
- 99,163
- 208,015
- 113
Totally accurate.
Gimme a bright sunshine 10 degree day with 0 to 3 mph wind any frigging time over 35 cloudy and 10+ mph wind.
- Sep 13, 2002
- 99,163
- 208,015
- 113
The coldest football game I went to in 2009 was the Orange Bowl in Miami.
It was colder than the Nov. 21 game in Minneapolis.
That wet, cold wind carrying mist off the ocean gets down in your bones when it's under 40 degrees.
It was colder than the Nov. 21 game in Minneapolis.
That wet, cold wind carrying mist off the ocean gets down in your bones when it's under 40 degrees.
I'm pretty sure they all have winter gear in case it gets around 60°. We went to Cape Corral in January a few years ago and the temp never got above 65° the 4 days we were there. It was absolutely wild to us Iowans how people were dressed like it was 30°. Neighbors thought we were insane for laying by the pool and swimming every day.
Sometimes tourists are disappointed when they visit in the winter and discover that it can get cold in most of Florida.
I just point out that if it’s cold at Disney World, that means it’s probably even colder wherever they came from. And you don’t have to worry about snow and ice (most of the time).
I just point out that if it’s cold at Disney World, that means it’s probably even colder wherever they came from. And you don’t have to worry about snow and ice (most of the time).
I have a picture somewhere of a bank clock on Miami Beach with the temperature from that day. I seem to remember it being 34 degrees.
Yep, 34 degrees at 2 am
Last edited:
I went to college without a warm coat. Had to buy one real quick once winter hit. It can get chilly in Tallahassee. Especially compared to Key West.
You need a few coats and sweaters/sweat shirts in North Florida. I am in Kansas City right now and the temperature is the same as Tallahassee!
