Weather in Quantico?

[top_gun]

What's the weather like down there? Snow? Rain? Wind? I'm heading to OCS in January and I am guessing it will be pretty cold. I am specifically interested in hearing from anyone who lives in the northeast. I'm from western Mass and it gets damn cold here so I feel confident that the weather won't be a problem but I am still interested to know.

Hope everyone has a good Christmas.

 

[NosniboR80]

I spent one really cold day up in Williamstown, MA, and 4 years in CT, and I would have to say that Williamstown was way colder, but CT was about the same as the winter I spent in DC. So, for just walking around I expect you'll be fine. However, I bet you didn't grow up rising at 0430 and standing around outside holding onto absolutely freezing cold rifles. Nor did you probably hop in anything like a Quigly day or night in the winter up there.

I'm not trying to put any kind of fear into y'all motivated 188 candidates, but I've got some serious respect for anyone that finishes OCS in the winter. BTW, Captain Evans who will be staff there again for 188 went through in the winter. So, at least he'll know what it's like.

 

[perchul]

One of the platoon commanders when I was at OCS told us about when he went through TBS in the winter at quantico that he'd never experienced cold like that anywhere else and he did all that mountain and alaska training; another candidate who was formerly force recon confirmed that the area has an uncanny ability to be blistering cold despite the fact it isn't really high or very far north. Weather there sucks by the way

 

[skidkid]

Ok, Im from Maine and though I was a summer company at OCS I was a winter company (Fox-the worst) at TBS.
I went down there with the attitude Im from Maine how cold can it be in Virginia.
Well the answer is very and here is why. 31 degrees and raining is much worse than 22 and snowing. Being cold and wet sucks. Quantico was the coldest I have ever been in my life. The gear has gotten a little better, we still had the big cotton/wool sleeping bags that were worthless when wet. At least now they are getting the modular sleep system.
Enjoy the cold I feel for you.

 

[DCLegal]

I live in Alexandria, Virginia about 30 minutes north of Quantico. Just to give you an idea...today was 23 degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like 8. The low this morning was absolutely frigid...13 degrees (without wind chill). The wind today has been gusting up to 30mph. Quantico lies at the base of hills and deep in the woods so, I am sure it was way colder out there today. I went to school in Boston; today felt like Boston. It does snow, but not that often. We are supposed to have a bad winter this year so, it may snow more then it did last year. Quantico is out far enough that it will definitely get snow accumulation this year if it is a bad winter.

 

[wildflyin69]

eh, NYC was 9 degrees with a windchill in the negatives this morning...but I bet you anything it's gonna be raining in Quantico...makes for a fun rifle range time with us TBS guys...oh well...it ain't trainin' if it ain't rainin'...or something like that.

 

[top_gun]

Thank you

Thanks for the info everybody.

Whoever the Mainiac was who posted...I was getting a little too confident that it was colder here than there. Wet and cold is WAY worse, I hadn't thought about that.

I keep the Quantico weather on my computer so I can compare and it has been 10 - 15 degrees warmer than here. This morning it was 2 here and 15 at Quantico.

I really appreciate the responces. I guess I could spray myself with a hose and then go run but I really don't want to do that...hahaha.

Hey, at least I'm not from California!

 

[Taxman2A]

I'm originally from Cleveland, but winter in Quantico still sucked.
The biggest reason: In Cleveland, we slept INSIDE.

 

[muc1]

I lived for a while in Canada (in a place that routinely went below 0 F and not uncommonly below -30 F) and kind of got used to dealing with the cold...

I had heard before that you can help condition your body (esp. hands and feet) if you subject your hands and feet to ice therapy for at least two weeks. Simply get a small pail big enough to stick your hands in up to you elbows and another for your feet up to your calves. Fill with water and add ice. Start with 30 seconds twice a day and increase by 30 seconds every day for 2 weeks (that gives about 7 minutes).

It takes about two weeks for your body to adapt physiologically. The first two weeks or so, your body will shunt blood away from the cold areas to maintain body temp (this will hurt like hell). After two weeks, you body will adapt by pumping more blood to your extremities and increasing metabolic rate to stay warm. This is what I’ve been told by guys who used to ice climb and needed feet and hand sensation when climbing.

Like I said, I spent time in Canada and the idea of making myself cold didn’t appeal to me so I never tried it. I do know however that after the first few weeks of winter freezing my ass off when it got to -30 F, I felt warm enough when it crept back to 0 to not notice the cold and even had to take clothes off to keep from overheating.

I’ll think about you guys while I’m mowing my grass in SoCal :icon_smil as I ‘look forward’ to 190 and TBS in ’06... :icon_tong

 

[peanut3479]

Being cold and wet sucks, but being cold and wet all day long REALLY sucks - the length of exposure it what makes it horrible. I thought late winter to early spring was the worst - a few days were 30-40 degrees and never-ending precip. of some sort (rain, drizzle, freezing drizzle, snow, sleet, or a mix).

 

[Banjo33]

I was in Alpha Co a couple years back. Nothing like the early morning moto runs to the rifle range in January, then sitting around on the range in sweat soaked gear with the wind howling down the firing lanes. I've only been colder than that once. New Years Eve 2001, New York City. My wife and I were mislead by the mild temps in DC and managed to leave all semblance of warm clothing at home. Got to NYC with a pair of blue jeans each and a sweatshirt apiece. The wind SCREAMS down between those buildings and freezes your body from the inside out! I have never been so miserable.

 

[orthaj]

jboomer hits the nail on the head...fun run to the rifle range and freeze until it is time to run home. I was at the range last january with Aco. It was "something" below zero wind chill on qual day. It took me weeks to get the full feeling back in my toes. I know a thing or two about cold being from Wisconsin and Quantico is real cold in the winter.

 

[froghead1]

Having lived in DC for a couple years and just finished OCS in Dec, I have to say I've never seen a place quite like Quantico. I guess it must be the location close to the water or something, but when it rains there, it's an all day affair. I don't know that the all day rains will translate into all day snows, but if it rains like that in Jan/Feb, it's going to be fun for OCS 188 and all the companies at TBS, particularly Alpha and Bravo on the range. Let's hope for a mild winter...

 

[lucky1899]

cold

I'm from southern california, once it hit the 30's during OCS, it SUCKED. I can't imagine how cold I'm gonna be at TBS. Oh well, could be worse, could be doing OCS during the winter. One word- Quigley. Anyways, my girlfriend was complaining about it being cold here in Los Angeles the other day, the temperature? 63 degrees.

 

[Bobcat]

I live in Loudoun County, Va. It's only about 45 minutes from Quantico. Trust me, it can get freakin miserable. Rain, cold, and wind. I get chills just thinking about it.