New England Culture: The Weather

As you may have noticed, a lot of my pictures have contained cloudy skies and images of people in long pants and sweatshirts. It's a cool June around here and I've unluckily chosen two very rainy weeks to visit New England. As I've traveled around and seen family and old friends and told them about this trip, they've gotten worried. "This is terrible!" they've cried. "Your students are going to think it's always cold and horrible up here!"

Of course, it isn't always cold here, and it's rarely if ever horrible. True, New England doesn't have 90-degree days from May through October, but it does have some very warm days in the 80s and 90s in June, July, and August. The winters here can be cold, but it's really the wind that does you in; the coldest days I've known in Boston have had temperatures in the 20s or 10s with much colder wind chills. While that makes January and February pretty cold, it's not a place known for slate-grey skies throughout the winter or even constant snow on the ground. The weather changes frequently, so there will be big snows followed by crisp, bright-blue days throughout the winter.

What really makes New England weather spectacular is the springs and the autumns. Fall up here is legendary: the trees burst into reds and oranges and yellows like nothing we've seen in Texas, and apple-picking excursions and scenic drives to Maine and Vermont become the best way to spend the time. My favorite season around here, though, is spring. I have never seen trees explode into flower like I have in April and May after the long New England winter. It's breathtaking, and it somehow makes the chilly weather worth it. Really.