Columbus, Ohio

[Gord_on_snow]

Hello.

Monday next week, (the 6th), me and my wife wil be leaving England for our new home over in Columbus, Ohio.

Basically, what can we expect from the weather when we get there? Is it going to be better than our topsy turvy British summer we've just had? And what can we expect as we go into Autumn (or Fall) in Ohio?

My only experience so far of the USA was 4 days in New York last April...and the weather then over there was hot.

Looking forward to reporting and sharing information once I'm there by the way.

[Miss Mary]

Welcome to Ohio! I was born and raised in Cincinnati, which is located in the most south-western tip of Ohio. Along the Ohio River. As you already know, Columbus is located in the middle of our state and is our state capital. I would have to say Spring/Summer/Fall are probably the same for Cincinnati and Columbus. However, I've heard Columbus receives more snowfall than Cincinnati. And I'm jealous! LOL Winters have been mild though for years now. We had some real severe winters, 1977 and 1978, to be specific. I would imagine that after you move in, if you ask your neighbors what to expect this winter, they'll likely bring up those two winters. We've had snowy outbreaks since but those two back-to-back winters were hard to forget! Who knows what this winter will bring. We have a winter forum here so watch for seasonal forecasts as we get closer. Columbus is situated on more flat ground if I remember correctly (I've driven thru there many times) than Cincinnati (which is in a valley, with many hills). So snowstorms can really get going and slam into Columbus.

Wish I could give you more educated answers. Polarbear, a member here from Cincinnati also, has many useful wx links. I'll PM him to see if he has more info for you.

I think you will like Columbus - shopping is much better there than here I've heard. Good restaurants too.

I looked up local wx for Columbus, OH for you:
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/fin ... mbus%2C+oh

Mary

[Miss Mary]

Here are a few more links I could dig up:

http://ci.columbus.oh.us/

http://www.usacitiesonline.com/ohcountycolumbus.htm

This excerpt from the above link:
Climate & Weather

The climate for Columbus is moderate with four distinct seasons
The weather in Columbus is enjoyable. There is an annual average snowfall in Columbus of 28 inches. The first freeze of the year is usually in Mid-October and the last freeze of the year is usually in Mid-April.
Columbus average annual rainfall is 37 inches per year
Columbus average annual snowfall is 28 inches per year.
Columbus average temperature is 54 degrees F.
The average low temperature is 38 degrees F.
The average high temperature is 73 degrees F.

Hope that helps some!

Mary

[Gord_on_snow]

Thank you very very much, thats fantastic information.

Looks like I'll see a lot more snow and colder temps than i've seen in England anyhow. We get excited over an inch of snow over the winter here.

The weather looks good right now there as well. It's not really getting above the high 60's here, though does feel pleasant in the sun. And it has been a pathetic summer overall here. Ive not recorded anything higher than the low 80's all summer here.

I was expecting more thunderstorms in Ohio than here...but then last week i saw a big storm every day for 7 days...which is unusual for here in England, maybe getting me ready for the spring/summer seasons in Ohio!

Really excited about etting there and setting up a new life there. Even if this winter's snow amounts do turn out to be dissapointing for you, it'll still be a lot more than i am used to!

Thank you again.

[Miss Mary]

When you see snow removal supplies for sale, buy a shovel! When a big storm is predicted, shovels seem to fly right off the shelves! Not sure if Columbus folks panic at the thought of a big storm or not, this could be a Cincinnati thing. But invest in a good shovel - there are several types, some you push across your driveway, like a plow and then lift the snow off the side. Some have a handle designed to be easy on your back. We need a good simple shovel this winter. I inherited my dad's old small snow blower which is great for a big storm, but for smaller systems, an inch or two, a push type shovel does the job quickly. Our old shovel is shot! Last year I began looking for a new one in January and couldn't find a decent one. Didn't want to settle on the ones that are poorly made. Also, depending upon if you'll be in a house or not, go easy on salt. Our home was brand new 15 years ago when we moved in. The first two winters we put down salt on the porch/sidewalk/driveway. Now all 3 are crumbling and will need to be completely replaced one of these years. We wish we hadn't used salt. Our concrete was poured in the winter we found out, so that's another problem - it wasn't cured properly. But the salt made it worse! Now we use simple garden fertilizer (not the weed & feed, just straight feed). Heard this tip on the radio once and it does melt ice! Doesn't erode concrete and it's good for the environment/pets too. I always keep a bag in the garage just for ice and snow.

You will have more snow than you get in England. Driving is tricky in it too, if you haven't had much experience with it. For the first big snow you have up there, I suggest practicing in an empty parking lot. We're going to do that with our 17 year old daughter this winter. She's had little experience driving in snow too. Main thing is to slow down, take turns slower, more carefully. Brake slowly too. If you own a 5 speed when you get here, that really helps! That's what we own - two 5 speeds. Going up hills in second gear is great, or coming down a steep hill in a low gear is much safer than trying to brake all the time.

If I think of more or find more links, I'll post them.

Mary

[polarbear]

There can be quite a wide range of temperatures from winter to summer in Ohio. Winter lows average in the teens in the coolest parts of the state with summer highs averaging in the middle 80s in the warmest areas. Winter temperatures do occasionally drop below zero during Arctic outbreaks, with really cold -20s coming less frequently (Jan 1994, Dec 1989 and Jan 1977 most recently). In summer, highs can range from the 70s (like we've had during parts of this summer) to the 90s when strong upper level ridges build from the southwest. Occasionally, high temperatures in the summer can exceed 100, but this usually only occurs during drought (July 1999 and the summer of 1988 featured many 100°+ days).

Severe thunderstorms can occur year-round in the state with peak activity from April through July. The greatest risk of tornadoes is from April through June, but have occured in every month of the year. There is usually a second peak to severe weather in the fall when the jet stream begins to move southward and becomes stronger. The Columbus area averages a tornado every few years, with the last occurance in 1997.

In the winter, snow averages heaviest in the northeast part of the state, largely from lake effect snow. Lake effect bands can extend southeast from Lake Michigan or southward from Lake Erie to the southern part of Ohio, but amounts at that distance are usually light (2 inches at most). Most snows in the state come from winter storm systems that travel west to east or southwest to northeast, often to the east of the state. The last major snow storms occured in 2003 and 1998, where amounts exceeded one foot in parts of central and southern Ohio. Icestorms are another winter storm that occurs. The last was in January 1999.

At least minor flooding occurs on Ohio's rivers every year, with major flooding occuring every few decades. The last severe flood on the Ohio River and some of it's tributaries was in March 1997.

Ohio is currently covered by five National Weather Service offices: Wilmington in the southwest and central, North Webster, Indiana in the northwest, Cleveland in the northeast, Pittsburgh in the east-central and Charleston, West Virginia in the far southeast. The Wilmington office covers the Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton areas and is equipped with a WSR-88D Doppler weather radar. This office is co-located with the Ohio River Forecast Center.

[Gord_on_snow]

Thank you for all the advice. Fantastic stuff. Tomorrow is my last day in the UK, then off on Monday. Getting nervous and trying to learn all the different ways you say and do things to us Brits over there.

And as far as the weather goes, looks like my first week in the US is going to be interesting. And the UK have just dried up and warmed up as well!

[breeze]

More words of wisdom... you're going to see
more blue skies here than you've ever seen
before!

[TazzyD]

I know this has nothing to do with weather, but once you're all settled be sure to check out the Hocking Hills area of Ohio. It should be absolutely beautiful this autumn when the leaves change colors.

[Miss Mary]

TazzyD!!! Hocking Hills? Oh I just love it there. Small world huh....my husband is an OU grad, our daughter who's a senior in HS is hoping to be accepted into their Journalism School (but IU is a possibility!). So he has taken me to HH so many times now I couldn't even count them. I've even hiked while 7 months pregnant - that's how much I love this area. When life becomes too stressful, I'm known to say - Hocking Hills here I come.... Yes Fall is a splendid time to visit, you will encounter more crowds then Gord but it's worth the drive. If you do want to visit this area, here are a few links:
http://www.hockinghills.com/
http://www.hockinghillsguide.com/business_links.html
(we've stayed at Cabins at Cedar Grove and highly recommend them)
http://www.hockinghills.com/cedargrove/

I was able to see HH in January once. The waterfalls freeze but you can still hear a small trickle inside the ice. Hiking up the huge Cedar Falls one is really neat. The trails are deserted then and everything is so quiet. I decided winter was my favorite time there, unfortunately with 2 school aged kids, we could never get away in winter.

Mary

PS - the Hocking Hills/Athens, OH area is where I'd love to retire someday!

[TazzyD]

TazzyD!!! Hocking Hills? Oh I just love it there. Small world huh....

Mary

PS - the Hocking Hills/Athens, OH area is where I'd love to retire someday!

Two springs ago I spent a week in Hocking Hills with one of my dogs (left the DH at home to tend to the rest of the dogs) and rented a cabin and went hiking in Hocking Hills. I would love to go back again in the near future, esp. in the fall. What I saw was beautiful and there was still so much more to be seen.

[Miss Mary]

TazzyD - HH has a lot to offer. So many parks, several within hiking distance. Old Man's Cave and Cedar Falls you can hike to/from. That's a 6 mile hike I think....3 each way? We've been to Conkle's Hollow also, both the upper and lower rims. Upper rim is to be avoided if you had kids younger than say 12 with you. One step too close to the hollow and you're a goner. The lower rim is a playland to kids - huge rocks you have to walk around. Adults of course stay on the trail, but it is tricky if you have trouble with a rough course. Kids however choose the rocks - jumping from one to the other. Conkle's Hollow has a feel unlike all the other parks. Old Man's Cave is the one everyone knows if they've been to HH before. We still like it but I prefer Cedar Falls. Ash Cave is better than OMC I think. I hope you can get back to this region. I always think as we drive to and from these various parks, all within the main HH park system, what surprises would you find on private property. You just know someone has to 'own' their own waterfall or mini-gorge!

HH is near Zaleski State Forest. Within this forest is an Ohio State Park called Lake Hope. LH has a wonderful lodge (no rooms in it though). Excellent restaurant there, forget the name but the chef was snatched away from some upscale restaurant years ago. The cabins have all been renovated at LH but still offer no TV or phone. Which sometimes is what a person needs. I can remember staying in one of their wood cabins when our girls were little, hiking all day, feeling somewhat grungy and tired, sitting down at the restaurant for dinner and doing a whoa! My husband I weren't prepared for such wonderful cuisine - we thought we'd get frozen or canned vegetables, ha. We thought we'd get simple meatloaf, ha. I remember the butter coming freshly whipped and placed in a bowl, mounded into a ball. My girls took one look at that and said - ice cream! LOL We still to this day talk about that one dinner out. Imagine that. Restaurant is still there if you ever get over that way.....

What is nice about the entire HH region is there is an option for every budget - hotels, B & B, cabins, camping, primitive camping, camping in a teepee, camping in a simple cabin with wooden bunks, fancy restaurants like the one that's well known at the Inn at Cedar Falls, or simple Amish style cooking. HH has something for everyone. Here's the Lake Hope link, if you're ever interested.
http://www.lakehopestatepark.com/

Mary

[Coldfront]

Gord_on_Snow,

Welcome to Columbus! Hope you'll enjoy your move here!

A bit of info about the area:

Many locals have an Ohioan accent: pronouncing Columbus, Ohio as "Klumbus, Ahia". If you hear folks talking like that, you'll know that they're natives, and not folks from out of state.

Summers average in the mid 80's, with somewhat high humidity (lots of trees) and a bit of rain. (Not as foggy as say Seattle or London, but a bit more precip than say, Virginia, the Carolinas or the Southwest.)

Summers consist of "skeeters" (Mosquitos) and humidity. It sounds bad, but it's nothing like the bayous of Louisiana. If folks tell you we have skeeters the size of horses, they're telling a white lie - they're actually only the size of bowling balls.

Winters are usually in the mid 20's, with an average of about 6"+ of snow, usually. The biggest months for snow are late January through early March. Two years ago come this February, we had a blizzard that dropped 17" in three days. That's pretty out of the ordinary for us though, at least for the past 10 years.

We're usually prone to either small amounts of snow (or a little sleet or glare ice) during the winter, or else one BIG honking storm usually in February or late March. (Take your pick, I guess...)

Once you do move in, please do buy a *plastic* shovel and a decent amount of de-icer or salt for your sidewalks. Lifting heavy (not powder) damp snow with a steel shovel will give you a heart attack.


The main roads in Columbus are:

I-71 (North and South, connects Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati)

I-70 (East and West, connects Columbus with Pennsylvania and Indiana)

Rt. 315 (Parallels I-71 on the west side)

I-270 [Also known as "The Outerbelt"] (Encircles Columbus and suburbs)

Rt. 33 (Goes from South to Northwest)

Rt. 23 (Goes from Southeast to North Northwest)


Traffic construction is a fact of life in Columbus, particularly during high summer season. We call it "Orange Barrel Season". Population has boomed over here in the past 10 years, and the infrastructure has to be brought up to speed.

There are NO public trains in Columbus. There's been talk of it, but nothing yet. We do have public buses though, called "COTA", but they are SLOW.

If you are moving into the outer section of Columbus, areas what we call the "Suburbs", buses won't cut it - it will be difficult to access stores. Plan to get a car. Gas is middle-of-the-road prices, definitely cheaper than California. (About $1.75/gallon here right now.)

Housing is cheaper than California and parts of the East Coast, but is MUCH more expensive than it used to be here. In the past 10 years, housing prices have nearly tripled. Land is now going for approx. 60,000/acre here. Do research before buying to make sure you're not buying in at the high end of the market. Some of the housing developments are not high quality and have VERY small lots. Just look around and compare.

The nicer areas of town are Upper Arlington, Worthington, Westerville, Dublin, and New Albany. Parts of Bexley are also nice, but it's a half-and-half situation.

Steer clear of Columbus City Schools - they are NOT good, according to some of my friends who have school aged children. If your kids do end up at CCS, prepare to work extra with them after school to keep their education up to snuff. The suburbs have their own schools, so if you can, have your children attend one of them instead, or attend a church or private school, if possible.


Things to do:

Fall is a great time around here - wonderful color as the leaves turn, many small-town festivals (called "County Fairs" or "[Insert crop name] Festival"). There's also the big Granddaddy fair "The Ohio State Fair" that usually runs the first two weeks of August.

As for the Hocking Hills, agreed, it's a *beautiful* place to hike and have picnics. Also, we have a NEW national park!! It's called "Cuyahoga Valley National Park" and is due south of Cleveland, in the northern part of Ohio. It's about 2 hours from Columbus on I-71 northbound.

There's also Amish country which is in the East Central and Eastern part of the state. It's usually packed on the weekends (Friday and Saturday), so if you'd like to visit, you might want to try during the middle of the week.

Columbus is home to the Ohio State University main campus (70,000+ students, the last I'd heard years ago.) and is BIG on American football - it's a mania over here. We have a BIG long-standing rivalry with a football team from Michigan, and the game is held right around Thanksgiving Day (late November). You'll hear about it non-stop.

You might be invited to the game (tickets are difficult to obtain), but you might be able to get tickets easier for one of the earlier games.

Ohio is big on Native American burial mounds, particularly in southern Ohio and over in East Central Ohio at the citis of Newark, Ohio and Chillicothe, Ohio.

Columbus is known as a "Cow-town", so there's not much in the way of opera, ballet or (to my chagrin) museums, but we do have quite a few historical theatre productions offered in the summer in Chillicothe, Xenia/Springfield, and Gnadahutten.

Columbus does offer many different book stores, movie theaters, arts classes (pottery, glass, workworking, weaving, etc...), and various restaurants (from four-star to your average McDonalds), as well as some large shopping malls: Tuttle Crossing, Polaris and Easton are the three currently operating and are quite nice. (Easton is an all-outdoors mall though, so expect to get wet during rainy weather.) There is also a fourth mall, the downtown "City Center" mall is on its last legs and is rumored to be closing soon.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Hope that it is useful to you. Please let me know if you need more information.

[dawgpound]

Welcome to Ohio!!

You know you're from Ohio if:

You've never met any celebrities.

Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.

"Vacation" means driving through Hocking Hills or going to King's Island.

You've seen all the biggest bands ten years after they were popular.

You measure distance in minutes.

Down south to you means Kentucky.

You know several people who have hit a deer.

Your school classes were canceled because of cold.

Your school classes were canceled because of heat.

You've ridden the school bus for an hour each way.

You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July.

Stores don't have bags; they have sacks.

You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.

You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it no matter what time of the year.

You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example:"Where's my coat at?"

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, or grain.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows.

You carry jumper cables in your car.

You only own 3 spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.

The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires 6 pages for sports.

You think that deer season is a national holiday.

You know which leaves make good toilet paper.

You find -20 degrees F "a little chilly".

You know all 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction.

You know what a real buckeye is, and have a recipe for candy ones.

You know if another Ohioian is from southern, middle or northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouth.

You can spell words like Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas, Olentangy and Wapakoneta.

You know that Serpent Mound was not made by snakes.

You actually get these jokes and forward them to all your Ohio friends.

Isn't it sad? You just said "yup" and "uh-huh" or aint that the truth" to most of these!!!

[Miss Mary]

Welcome to Ohio!!

You know you're from Ohio if:

You've never met any celebrities.

Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.

"Vacation" means driving through Hocking Hills or going to King's Island.

You've seen all the biggest bands ten years after they were popular.

You measure distance in minutes.

Down south to you means Kentucky.

You know several people who have hit a deer.

Your school classes were canceled because of cold.

Your school classes were canceled because of heat.

You've ridden the school bus for an hour each way.

You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July.

Stores don't have bags; they have sacks.

You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.

You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it no matter what time of the year.

You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example:"Where's my coat at?"

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, or grain.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows.

You carry jumper cables in your car.

You only own 3 spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.

The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires 6 pages for sports.

You think that deer season is a national holiday.

You know which leaves make good toilet paper.

You find -20 degrees F "a little chilly".

You know all 4 seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction.

You know what a real buckeye is, and have a recipe for candy ones.

You know if another Ohioian is from southern, middle or northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouth.

You can spell words like Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas, Olentangy and Wapakoneta.

You know that Serpent Mound was not made by snakes.

You actually get these jokes and forward them to all your Ohio friends.

Isn't it sad? You just said "yup" and "uh-huh" or aint that the truth" to most of these!!!

Dawgpound - hilarious list! I've dressed my kids warmly for Halloween many times. Heck one Halloween we had 7 inches of snow on the ground. While this list was very funny, it's clearly written from a Northern Ohio point of view.....he he I don't know how to pronounce/spell Cuyahoga w/o looking! Hey quick, spell my city, close your eyes, no cheating.....

Gord is now shaking his head wondering what the heck he's gotten himself into.

Cyclone/Graham - quick now, please post and welcome Gord to the US! Cyclone grew up in England too Gord and I'm hoping he responds soon. He lives in Tennessee.

Mary

[Gord_on_snow]

Thank you everyone for your advice.

that list is very funny. I've only been here a week and i understand over half of it already!

I've found Columbus so far to be quite warm, except last wednesday, when it was quite wet instead. I know it gets warmer, but coming from England, this is very hot!!!

No trains to Columbus at all, not even to other US cities? Not sure I like that...my little town on the coast of east england could manage half hourly trains!

Apart from that, i like it here so far, i find the people freindly. Last Saturday the place just seemed to go totally mad and lose its marbles.

My wife is at OSU studying, the reason why we are here..and the international student school is being very helpful to us finding our feet here.

My only real problem so far is the price of fresh food, i dont want to eat ready meals! But maybe i haven't found any good stores yet.

and they're not called Buckeyes, we call them conkers...but "The Conkers" doesn't sound so good for a football team i suppose!

Looking forward to autumn or the fall as you call it, and the winter...whatver amount of snow falls, it'll still be more than i am used to in England!

[Miss Mary]

Conkers huh? Well, I never knew they had another name before....LOL I can't make them though, our daughter has a severe peanut allergy.

Gord - so you finally made it to Ohio! Welcome! I did laugh at your high temps comment. This has been a rather unusual cool summer for Cincinnati. And I think for Columbus also. We often have stretches of high temps combined with very high humidity down here - you go outside and start sweating immediately. When it's like this, you don't even want to think about cutting your lawn until 7 or 8 p.m.! So I'd say you moved here during a good summer. What about winter you ask? Well, we have a winter forum here so watch for long ranch forecasts to come out in the next few months. It's somewhat early to say for certain if this will be a cold and snowy one, but down here we're long overdue for one. So if I were you, I'd be prepared - long johns and a good winter coat, with several pairs of gloves and a good hat (I tend to leave behind gloves so I prefer to keep 2 to 3 pairs on hand, my teen daughters do the same thing, a pair in this coat's pockets, a pair in the car, etc.). A scarf isn't a bad idea if the wind whips up. Not trying to scare ya! I can get thru anything winter dishes out if I'm dressed properly from the time I get up each morning. But then again I'm a freeze cat AND love winter - such a contrast! You'd think I'd love warmer, southern climates but I don't.

Check out COSI when you have time, my daughters have been there seveal times on school field trips and as a family we went once (it's a really cool science museum):
http://www.cosi.org/index.asp

Also, there's a newer mall in the Columbus area that is unlike any other mall I've heard of - it's built in a streetscape design, it has a small town feel I've heard but high-end, unusual stores are located there. I wish I knew the name of this mall! But I'm sure you'll hear about it. People from Cincinnati have gone up just to shop at this mall!

Well, again welcome to Ohio!

Mary

[Coldfront]

Gord,

Welcome to Ohio!

Agreeing with Mary - this hasn't even really been a very warm summer yet. We've had a few summers where it's in the mid to high 90's for 2+ weeks straight. Fortunately, you do acclimatize, though it can take up to a year or so for it.

Trains: Unfortunately, there are no public transport trains in Columbus. The only trains you will see in Central Ohio are for transporting coal, cars and other commercial products. If you're looking for public train transport to other cities/states, the nearest Amtrak terminal is up in Lima, Ohio (northwest part of the state.)

Malls: The mall Mary is speaking about is probably Easton mall (outside "village" look and feel) or else Polaris mall (all under one roof, the largest in all of Ohio). Both are high-end and expensive,
but have good restaurants.

Fresh food: There's a farmer's market down on High Street in the "Short North" area of Columbus. They can be a little pricey though. If you have a car, or have a friend drive you, there are many small farm markets out in the countryside. It might be a good idea to bring cash, as some of those country farm markets may not accept personal checks.

If that's out of the picture, try shopping at a Kroger's or Meijer's store - they have very good fresh veggies and fruit. Meijer's has the best selection of meats. Krogers and Wal-Mart's meat selection is very poor, so I would stay away from them.

[Skywatch_NC]

Gord,

WELCOME TO OHIO, WXBUDDY!! Hope that you'll enjoy Columbus!

I grew up in Cincinnati, OH!

Eric