How to survive winter in Rochester (Re-post)


Fall is upon us, though right now it still feels like summer, with temps in the 80s. Beautiful and sunny, but to be honest, I want fall to be fall. Love the crisp, cool weather, with the leaves turning. Thought this might be a good time to re-post my tips on how to survive winter in Rochester.

These are the necessities that I have learned help to make Rochester’s winters easier to bear and even enjoyable. These recommendations come from long experience of being a transplanted “hothouse” flower from the Southwestern United States. Despite my “hothouse” childhood and early adulthood you will often encounter me out and about, walking even in the midst of a blizzard, because I love to walk and hate walking indoors. (No mall walking for me, thank you very much!)

Rule to honor above all other rules: Forget fashion!

Staying warm and comfortable is far more important than looking good, especially since cold can kill at worst, and at best if not protected you can end up missing digits (and possibly feet or hands) from frostbite.

This is what you need:

1) Hooded jacket lined with Thinsulate, Gortex, or fur (fake or real -- personally I won't wear real fur). Down is good, too, if you are not allergic (I am!).

Specs for jacket:

a) Needs to be long enough to cover your rear end!

b) Sleeves should have either a knitted wrist cuff or elastic to hug your wrists and keep out the cold, especially in the wind. Some have cuffs you button. This is not good enough because they can’t be drawn tight enough.

c) Must have a hood. Even if you wear a hat, a hood is handy for those days you forget a hat. Also, on the coldest days, especially in the wind, you can pull your hood over your hat and be reasonably toasty even in subzero wind chills.

d) Zipper plaque (the part that covers the zipper to keep out the cold) should be wide and should have either snaps or buttons to close it tight on the coldest days to keep out the wind.

e) Neck – should have a stand-up section, zippable or buttonable, to cover the neck. This comes in handy for when you forget your scarf. Also handy even when you have your scarf, especially on the windiest days.

f) Waist – should have a way to secure the waist closer to your body on coldest, windiest days.

g) Pockets – should be deep enough to safely hold both your mittens and your lighter-weight gloves (see below). That way you are less likely to lose them.

2) Mittens, not gloves. These should be lined, either with fur (fake or real) or a material like Thinsulate. Gortex is good, too. Nice to have a pair that has a waterproof outer covering if you are going to be shoveling or otherwise in some way in contact with a lot of snow for a long period of time.

Whatever you do, don’t lose your mittens or gloves after the post-Christmas sales in January. You won’t be able to replace them because the stores will all have their spring merchandise!

To be safe, have several pair. Good idea to have several of the same style and color in case you lose one of a pair.

Note: Have some lightweight, stretchy gloves handy that will fit easily into pockets (in addition to your mittens) that you can pull out for use when it’s warmer and you just need a skin covering. When you leave the house it’s often hard to tell how warm it will be. Sunny doesn’t necessarily mean warm in Rochester in winter. In fact, sunny can be colder than overcast because the clouds serve as “insulation” and keep the heat closer to the land.

3) Scarf – should be long enough to wrap completely around your neck and still leave a long section at the end that you can tuck into your jacket at the neck. Better if you can wrap it twice. Also should be wide enough to thoroughly cover the lower part of your face (including nose). Tucking the end into your jacket keeps it from blowing off in the wind. You could also have a ski mask, but I haven’t found that necessary with a good scarf. I find knitted to be warmer than cloth, even wool cloth.

4) Solid waterproof, fur-lined (fake or real) snow boots. Should at least come 1/3 of the way up your calves to keep out the snow. When there’s a lot of shoveling to do in deep snow, tuck your pants legs inside the boots. If you have to wear dressy shoes at work, just carry them in a plastic bag (or keep them at the office) for changing later. Note for women: boots should have flat heels. Elevated heels in the snow and/or ice will have you end up with a broken ankle at one point or another!

A lot of people (myself included) require people to remove their shoes or boots on entry to their homes to protect hardwood floors and carpets from the salt and other chemicals in de-icers, as well as to protect from the water of melting snow. Good idea to bring slippers – I always forget and end up with chilly feet while visiting!

5) Heavy duty, warm hat – that is, if, unlike me, you don’t go for the hooded sweatshirt/sweater under your jacket or coat. Whatever you do, always have a good, warm head covering. I like the attached hoods because I can take them off my head when warm without fear I will lose them!

6) Wool socks. Others recommend these. I haven’t found the need for them as long as I wear my fur-lined, waterproof boots. Of course, they would also be handy when I forget to bring slippers!

7) Thermal underwear. I have a few pair but, after seven winters in Iowa where real temps are often subzero (coldest in my experience: 25 below zero…wind chill about 80 below), I have not found these to be necessary in Rochester, for the most part. Also they are a pain to be wearing when you come indoors from the cold, because most people keep their homes and businesses way too warm in the winter, so you end up having to take them off. But if you are going to be outdoors on a windy, bitterly cold day for more than, say, 15 minutes, you should probably be wearing them.

There are styles of thermal underwear that are made of very thin, lightweight material to fit more comfortably under your clothes but nonetheless keep you warm.

8) Lots of layers. I often wear a hooded sweatshirt under my jacket, on top of a long-sleeved turtleneck or other knitted shirt (knitted hugs the body). I’m always forgetting to wear a hat, and the hood serves very well (better, even, than a hat because you can tie it tightly around your face if it’s really cold).

Although it’s not very stylish, I prefer the sweatshirt because it is easier to find one with a hood. A hooded sweater would do as well but they are harder to find. Or if you are good at remembering and holding on to your hat, a regular sweater, of course, would also serve well.

9) Lots and lots and lots of long-sleeved jersey turtleneck shirts. These can also be worn under a regular shirt or sweater for extra warmth.

Have all of the above? You are ready for just about anything you might encounter in Rochester. Enjoy! That snow can be beautiful.

Posted: Thu - September 20, 2007 at 10:47 AM          

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