Snowbirding in South Carolina

We're driving back in my Jeep.

I spent my life in the aerospace business, if I never set foot on another airplane it will be too soon! :E

... Eric

Yeah I know, we're in it right now. We came home for Christmas and we're heading back to MB on Saturday (Jan 4), can't wait!

....hang in there Eric! Just 1.5 days to go till departure :B

Man, they have even closed down several chair lifts here in Bromont! Jeesh, can't even ski here any more when its a bit below the norm :B

I hope you're driving? Or, flying back on a private plane? Most of our friends have gotten nasty illnesses (but no flu, interestingly) flying here and there this holiday.

silversand wrote:

Much better than the snow and sub-zero in Montreal.

PB: -41F windchill in Montreal now :B T'will get MUCH colder tomorrow!

.........

Yeah I know, we're in it right now. We came home for Christmas and we're heading back to MB on Saturday (Jan 4), can't wait! :C

I suppose that snowbirding from Myrtle Beach to St Augustine would offer the advantage of being a far less crowded winter destination?

You're are correct, it's a lot less crowded in MB throughout the winter months. The restaurants, malls and most attractions are a lot quieter. We also spend the winter in shorts and a sweatshirts for long walks on the beach without bumping into anyone.

... Eric

Much better than the snow and sub-zero in Montreal.

PB: -41F windchill in Montreal now :B T'will get MUCH colder tomorrow!

Camping in ANY locale above 0 F would feel balmy in comparison!

The only down-side to camping directly on the SC coast (for me; YMMV), would be: more persistent rains in December/January (ie. long periods of rain without sun because this region is the transition zone between arctic fronts and warm humid air from the deep south during winter) and high humidity = uncomfortable without persistent heating going on in camper.

I find personally that high humidity when temperatures are from ~~25F to ~~55F make camping very uncomfortable (humidity leaks into camper like a sieve). I would prefer camping in either temperatures between 20F and 24F and dry (humidity below 50% RH), or regions where snowbirding temperatures are always above 56F (to the mid 60sF up to low 70sF on occasion) with humidity anywhere from 50s% to ~80% RH (Savannah, GA south to St Augustine, FL in winter).

I suppose that snowbirding from Myrtle Beach to St Augustine would offer the advantage of being a far less crowded winter destination?

We spent Feb, March, and April 2011 as hosts at FS OHV site just north of Charleston SC pleasant weather except for a tornado and then there were forest fires. None of which affected us.

Have lived in MB for a decade and the coolest months are January and February. It is unusual for temps to fall to freezing (32') even at night. There have been a few times, however, when "cold snaps" actually bring temps down into the high 20's at night. Not every winter, not even every other winter. I do not own a winter coat and almost never wear more than a sweatshirt. Rarely wear shoes, almost always flip flops. It is warmer along the coast than inland, as has been stated before. Charleston is a few degrees warmer as the norm. Agree with others that Hilton Head area is the warmest part of SC - near Savannah.

My two years living MB and traveling daily in six NE counties SC, three SW counties in NC, getting up to 60 miles inland, colder winter months will be usually 40-50 at peak of day, 30-40 at night, with occasional cooler days, and sometimes, but rarely, sport-coat warm days. It was ususually 10 degrees cooler 10-20 miles inland. I wouldn't mind winters there again, but then I'm also OK with Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, East Texas and Gulf Coast state winters. A lot of people look for warmer, but all of these areas are snowbitd destinatons, particularly NE Arkansas.

I would expect Charleston, down inthe old city, to be slightly warmer than MB. We visited Charleston only on nice winter days, It will be cooler inland, and most of the places you might seasonally RV around Charleston are inland, up the river from the coast.

Coastal Virginia, out on the peninsula, might be about as warm as Charleston or MB, because the Gulf Stream gets pretty close there during winter.

None of it is as consistentl warm as South Florida, which can also have near-freezing days, a couple weeks at a time sporadically.

We, too love Hunting Island and if we were able to snowbird, that is probably where we would go. I'm not all that into Florida and I do like it to get cool, but not cold. We went on a cruise out of Charleston last January and it was in the mid-60s. Hope for the same weather in 2 weeks - we're leaving on another cruise.

We like to stop a couple of nights at Hunting Island State Park on the ocean near Beaufort, SC. It's further south than Charleston, about halfway toward Savannah.

Trails, lighthouse, beach to walk on, and it can be very sunny and pleasant on winter days. (Or not, but same is true in N. Florida.)

Last year, we noticed they have a monthly winter rate for snowbirds, and we met a few folks staying there.

hitchup wrote:
There are quite a few Myrtle Beach snowbirds. Near the ocean the weather is usually milder. But instead of snow, you might find more rain. Just depends on the weather patterns.

Yeah, that's what we are, we spend the winters in Myrtle Beach Travel Park. We're right along the ocean and convenient to restaurants & shopping. Weather is usually pretty good with daytime temps from 50's to 60's with a few low 70's. Much better than the snow and sub-zero in Montreal.