Which states have mild winters and no tornadoes?

[C&G in FL]

We can’t forget the “Conch Republic,” when Key West proposed secession from the United States. That would have created a new country rather than a new state, but it was a tongue-in-cheek movement. They weren’t really serious.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Alex Adams

This is laughable whether proposed by the Left or the Right. Both parts of California (Liberal coast and Conservative inland) needs and would sink without the other. All of the water is inland and the lion's share of economic and tax dollars are on the coast...

You would think they would have learned that lesson after the Petoria fiasco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTetlDGaLkQ

[steve dunham]

This morning it is 27 deg F in Jacksonville Florida and it is 31 deg F in International Falls Minnesota.
God finally got it right .
According to our local weatherman this is an example of
a "Reverse Polar Vortex "

[John in Santa Cruz]

we lived right in the rupture zone that caused the Loma Prieta Quake that leveled highways and buildigns in San Francisco and Oakland, 50 miles away. The main San Andreas Fault Zone goes WEST of San Francisco, each time there's a major rupture, LA moves a little farther north. I'm on the ocean side here in Santa Cruz.

[Rzrbrn]

Copied from Wikipedia:
The State of Franklin (also the Free Republic of Franklin or the State of Frankland)was an unrecognized and autonomous territory located in what is today Eastern Tennessee, United States. Franklin was created in 1784 from part of the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains that had been offered by North Carolina as a cession to Congress to help pay off debts related to the American War for Independence. It was founded with the intent of becoming the fourteenth state of the new United States.

Franklin's first capital was Jonesborough. After the summer of 1785, the government of Franklin (which was by then based in Greeneville), ruled as a "parallel government" running alongside (but not harmoniously with) a re-established North Carolina bureaucracy. Franklin was never admitted into the union. The extra-legal state existed for only about four and a half years, ostensibly as a republic, after which North Carolina re-assumed full control of the area.

[sokhapkin]

Florida has very mild winters and almost no tornadoes. But very strong winds in summer-fall are possible :-)

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by sokhapkin

Florida has very mild winters and almost no tornadoes. But very strong winds in summer-fall are possible :-)

Not sure that Florida has almost no tornadoes. From the website ustornadoes.com:

“The top 10 states for tornadoes as of the most recent (1991-2015) average are as follows, in order from high to low: Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska, Illinois, Colorado, Iowa, Alabama, Missouri, and Mississippi.”

That would seem to indicate that Florida did not win, place, or show, but did come in at number 4. Granted, most of them are small and do not travel as far as those in Tornado Alley, but they are not rare. That being said, in my almost 33 years living in Florida I haven’t seen one, though I have experienced several tornado watches.

[floyd]

It seems like Florida's tornadoes are almost always associated with hurricanes.
I think that just makes them a part of the hurricanes.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by floyd

It seems like Florida's tornadoes are almost always associated with hurricanes.
I think that just makes them a part of the hurricanes.

Not true. Hurricanes can spawn tornadoes but the majority of Florida’s Tornadoes are a result of temperature inversions due to warm Gulf of Mexico water.

[Del Gue]

Originally Posted by CPW

So true. There is always something. I grew up in New England. At the age of 18 when I went in the army, I was sent to Ft. Polk, LA, for basic training. Prior to leaving, I was petrified of encountering a venemous snake, and just about every species of venomous snake indigenous to the US inhabits Louisiana. But after having “lived” with them, my inordinate fear turned to healthy respect. Now, living in Florida, I know they are out there but in my 33 years here I have seen a total of 3 eastern diamondback rattlesnakes (1 I killed because it was hanging around around in the back yard after 3 days), 2 coral snakes, and a bunch of water moccasins. The moccasins I see are typically during the cooler months and they are sluggish because they are trying to find someplace warm. The bottom line is that my original fear has proven to be unjustified.
Statistically, the west coast of Florida has the second most number of tornadoes after Tornado Alley. Typically, they are small and short lived. A couple of carport may get ripped down in a mobile home park so the authorities will label it as the “result of a tornado.” Yes, tornadoes can be spawned by hurricanes. While I have a healthy respect for ‘canes, do I fear tornadoes? In 33 years on Florida’s west coast, I have never seen or even been close to one. And in those 33 years I only recall 11 tornado deaths, all when a small tornado struck an apartment complex in Orlando in the middle of the night. No, I don’t worry about tornadoes here where tornado frequency comes in second place (a lot of them are water spouts that never make it on shore).....not even a little bit. Perhaps if I lived in Tornado Alley, I would be more concerned. However, millions live along that path. I think FDR summed it up best when he said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Seriously, one cannot (or should not) allow fear to rule one’s life. And I agree, driving on the highways is far more deadly than any weather event.

I've lived in Fl most of my life. I was born here. I've seen many rattlesnakes, some up to 6', mostly while camping or hunting. Pygmy rattlers, too. Seen a moccasin or two. Fl is plumb awash in alligators, so you enter fresh water at your own risk. We usually get a few stories each year about somebody losing a dog or a hand or a small child to them. They are holdovers from the dinosaur era with big teeth, small brains, and a skewed concept of their place on the food chain. If you want to see alligators, go to Myakka River State Park. They have tons of them. We have pythons here now, too, mostly in south FL.

Yes, Fl has tornadoes. A year or two ago one came through my county in the middle of the night, killed a few folks, injured others. In addition to tornadoes, we have lightning. Lots, and LOTS of lightning. If you're a golfer, best pay attention to it. Waving a long piece of metal in the air can have consequences.

Hurricanes. They are hit or miss most years, but if one hits, pucker up and stand by. I had to boogie back from Yellowstone last year when we got a near miss. My brother and a lady I work with were without power for 8 days. I had to work through it. The day after looked like a disaster movie...traffic lights dark, wires down all over, trees down blocking roads all over. I live on the west coast. If we ever took a direct hit from a cat 3 or better, there would be fatalities, maybe a lot of them. One year we had 3 near misses. Someday our number will come up.

Summers are not only hot, they are stinkin humid, too. I get up at 0430 to start getting ready for work, and in the middle of the summer I come back inside after walking the Bone Daddy sweating.

Crime is problematic, depending on where you live. My county has a lot of crime. In a 7 day period last year, we had 5 murders...two double murders and a single. One of the doubles was the night desk clerk and night security dude at a beach resort. A few years ago we had a triple murder. Doubles are not uncommon. Lots of O/D's, too. Heroin is rampant. Earlier this month three guys tried to carjack a little old lady at the Wal-Mart less than 1/2 mile from my residence. After failing with her, they tried to 'jack somebody else. You get the picture.

In coastal areas, and Orlando, roads and restaurants are clogged from around Nov 1 until Easter.

If you have medical issues, we do have a plenitude of doctors, hospitals, and specialists.

If you don't like tornadoes, I'd stay shy of Oklahoma. The severe storm prediction center is in Norman, OK, for a reason. It's in the tornado belt. Texas gets them, too. But then, I've also seen snow in Houston, so Texas gets a lot of stuff. Fredericksburg is frequently listed as a good place to retire. I dunno about that...only places I lived in Texas was in Rosenberg, in Ft. Bend county, and on the outskirts of Houston.

I've told you what I know. Good luck with your endeavor.

P.S. We get plenty of tornadoes that are NOT associated with hurricanes. We had a tornado watch earlier today when some bad weather came through from the Gulf. Just sayin'...

You can get apps for your phone that alert you to tornado watches/warnings, lightning, etc. You can usually customize the alerts to alert you regarding what you want. A weather radio also will alert you, usually with a siren of some sort. You might wanna consider one or both. On my desktop I have links to a real-time lightning map and also intellicast, which shows storm vectors and shows if hail has been detected or Doppler has detected a tornadic vortex signature.

[steve dunham]

I've read several articles & studies that link higher violent crime rates with high temperatures and humidity . Some of these studies are based on statistics and not necessarily on cause and effect.
In our region certain crimes seem to diminish during colder weather. Population densities also seem to affect crime rates and types of crime.

Thanks Del for your post , it was very interesting and informative.

[Nor Cal Mike]

Originally Posted by TomK

We may soon have a 51st state to consider, according to the news. There is a rapidly growing movement to split California into 2 states, basically along political lines. There will be a Coastal Cali that runs along the coast from LA up to SF and roughly 1/3 of the current state wide. "New California" would be formed from the rest of the state.

Reasons given sound very similar to the ones given when plans for the northern part of the State talk of breaking away to form "Jefferson State". I won't go into them here, but it stems from people who don't feel well represented by their government. We'll have to wait and see how this all shakes out.

In my opinion, when considering a move to a new state; the political profile would be weighed more heavily than climate. KC summed it up nicely with the question she posed, "In other words what is it that really makes you feel like you would want to hang around someplace place longer than just a few weeks."

My intent isn't to stir up a firestorm on the forum. I realize this could do that, resulting in passionate arguments, hurt feelings , etc., etc. I'm not taking sides either. I respect the wishes of the moderators who want to keep this forum about fiberglass trailers and how we use and maintain them. I just wanted to remind the OP there are many things to consider when contemplating a move.

Tom

As a lifelong resident of California, I can tell you that is utter nonsense. There is no "rapidly growing movement" to split California. My recollection is that this has been going on most of my 65 years. Whenever their party is out of power it rears up again. Over the decades, they have campaigned to split the state from north to south, or east to west. Different decade, different map.

Just this past week I read an article about their latest utopian fantasy, the State of Jefferson. Their Jeffersonian map included my county of Mendocino in NW Cali even though Mendonesians voted 2:1 in favor of Bernie Sanders in the primaries and resoundingly rejected Trump in the general election. We have voted consistently in favor of the environment, gay rights etc. over and over again. The county consistently votes with the most liberal ticket in the state. Does that sound like a county that is pining to go full tilt Teabag? I think not.

As to the original OP's question, my reply would be the southwest; Arizona and So Cal specifically. The low elevation desert has a mild climate in the winter. If you stay away from the tall structures in the urban areas of So Cal, away from the risk of falling debris, I am sure the dexter axle in your little fiberglass trailer is well equipped to absorb any shock the "big one" might send your way.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by rbryan

I beg to differ. New Braunfels is a smaller town northeast of San Antonio. It was settled by german immigrants, and has a rich german culinary history. Some of the best brats you will ever eat come from New Braunfels. Check out Wurstfest every October.

There's also Fredericksburg, a small town in the Texas Hill Country, maybe an hour northwest of us. Also a town settled by german immigrants, and it also has outstanding brats, dogs and sausage. I've been all over Germany, and their sausage wasn't any better.

Or maybe south Texas doesn't qualify as the southern US?

Lets get back on track to the question being asked in the subject that started this thread.

Just like there is a hurricane season there is also a tornado season. Tornadoes are more common at certain times of year so do put that factor into your research of where you want to spend the winter. It might be really bad for tornadoes in the summer spring or fall but have few of them in the area during the winter months. So don't just rule out places because they get some tornadoes during the season, do a little deeper research into the weather patterns and see it there are reports of them during the months you plan to be there.

One way to tell where it is very warm in winter is took look at maps of the plant hardiness zones. Check for the zones where you can grow plants that can't handle frost. The temperature ranges are show by color with a list on the right hand side defining what the temperature range is for the different colors. http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

There are maps showing the tornado zones, also by color. You could do an overlay of the maps to rule out where you don't want to go.

Both New Braunfels and Fredericksburg are in the Tornado Belt area for that section of Texas. I know that for a fact because I grew up there so I saw those weather maps and zones. We had tornado drills at school where everyone had to get under their desk.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by whoot

I will probably move from the North East to somewhere else. I'm mostly a creature of the East Coast, but could go West. I work in IT, so it helps if there are companies around.

Hillsboro, Oregon, home of the "silicon forest". The near-constant rain keeps the climate very mild. You'll also find plenty of company in the Seattle area, along with the traffic that brings. Oh, you said companies.

Now, I'll have to read all the other replies in this thread and see if I repeated or three-peated here.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Hillsboro, Oregon, home of the "silicon forest". The near-constant rain keeps the climate very mild. You'll also find plenty of company in the Seattle area, along with the traffic that brings. Oh, you said companies.

Now, I'll have to read all the other replies in this thread and see if I repeated or three-peated here.

Seattle is rated as mild winters but it is still cold enough that you need to have some heat to be comfortable. In fact you would want heat pretty much every month of the year except for a few weeks. As to tech jobs they are here. As to RV parks, there are none of them in the city and very few trailer parks. The rent prices and house prices are now some of the highest in the nation and the traffic some of the worst. There are lots of people living on the street in their RVs but in general they are not particularly a group of people you would want as your neighbors. You have to keep your trailer hitched to the vehicle if it is parked on a public street. That means you could not leave the trailer behind and use your car for commuting. We don't have much in the way of high speed mass transit that goes near the tech companies. The workers have to rely on carpools.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Civilguy

Now, I'll have to read all the other replies in this thread and see if I repeated or three-peated here.

Well, as usual, this thread covered some ground! I'll add a nod here for the fried Oysters at Character's Corner, a friendly and homey little neighborhood tavern located west of Olympia off of Highway 101.

And, KC pointed out something that I had missed; I had not realized the goal was a place to park a Casita.

I used to spend a lot of time trawling the Internet to find a place with my "perfect" climate. One site I ran across was the Camelot Climate Index, as linked below:

Camelot Climate Index

CAMELOT
It's true! It's true!
The crown has made it clear:
The climate must be perfect all the year.

[mary and bob]

If you all recall, the original poster Whoot (William) had a couple other threads going about how he was nervous about towing, finding gas stations, and couldn't get his trailer out of the park he was at in New Jersey because of ice. At that time he was heading to Texas to start a new job. So looks like he figured out where to go. Hope he made it OK and everything has worked out for him as I haven't seen any recent post from him.

[Iowa Dave]

I remember there was a time when Michigan considered selling the UP
to Wisconsin. Southern Iowa is more like Missouri than the rest of the state. They call it Dunlap. Iowa done lapped over into Missouri. The Missouri River channel changed years ago and now Carter Lake Iowa is on the other side of the river in Nebraska. Man there’s a crisis every minute.
Rimshot please.
Iowa Dave

[honda03842]

Central Florida.
Orange groves and cattle ranches, warm temperatures, "where shorts are always in season", traffic is light, roads are great, close to the best beaches, where taxes are geared to visitors, (no income tax, no estate taxes), close enough for city amenities and crime virtually non-existence, more attractions and entertainment than you can do, reasonable food prices, (year round fresh everything).

We actually tripped into central FLorida at our Escapee park, recognizing it's qualities after a week here.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by honda03842

....and crime virtually non-existant [sic]

"Central Florida" covers alot of territory. Some parts are way better than others. Orlando for example has some of the highest crime rates in the country, while other parts of CF have low crime. Sometimes it changes dramatically within just a couple miles.