Originally Posted by chinnybloke

So winter has only just started and we've not had -30 or -40 with the wind chill yet here in NB this winter but so far so good. I've got to say we were expecting the weather to be torture - some neighbours become depressed (seriously, they turn into grumps and know how many days it is until spring!!). I don't find down to -20 cold unless its windy. The wind makes a huge difference and my daughter doesn't like that much.

So far we've had quite a few -20 days, colder with wind chill and in the last 10 days about 3ft of snow but nothing bad at all. The only things I have noticed are:

1...Batteries seem to give up in really cold temperatures. I use a torch to walk my dogs at night but they gradually fade and go out within a couple of minutes of being outside. Once the torch is inside it works fine again

2...4wd vehicles with snow tyres (X Ice - someone told me they were best) still slide so GO SLOW

3...Lorries - huge ones, still seem to tank along at 100+ even when there is a couple of inches of snow on the road and its coming down heavily - pretty scary when they come up fast behind you and you cant even see the lane markings so you dont know if you're over enough for them to pass

4...Its amazing how much wood you go through quickly with a wood burning stove but the heat they give off is great

5...I've got a 4wd ATV with plough for clearing snow. Great if there is less than 30cm. Over that forget it, you need a blower or a neighbour with a tractor and a 6ft wide one (what a star, he does it without us even asking)

6...For anyone who is looking to move here and hasn't bought a house yet forget a house that has garage doors which open outwards. Digging the snow to be able to open the doors will drive you crazy. A neighbour had his for one winter then switched to an up and over.

7...Dont touch metal when its really cold - yes thicky here did it today and it hurts when you rip your stuck hand free!

All in all we're still loving it. The snow and cold is actually nice, proper seasons, ok maybe there isn't much of a spring but there is certainly a cracking summer, fall and winter.