Happy New Year - 2016
Above Average Seasonal Temperatures on Holiday and a Blizzard on Return
Published: 27 January 2016
Charleston & Isle of Palms, SC
ISLE OF PALMS, SOUTH CAROLINA
We spent Christmas 2015 and New Year 2016 in the Isle of Palms, South Carolina. It is a city located on a barrier island on the northeastern flank of Charleston Bay. The warmer winter days and evenings ensured a thick mist covered the coast for much of the time, and we had to switch the HVAC from "Heat" to "Cool" to combat the mugginess.
The beach was lovely and, during the winter season, allowed dogs to be off-leash from 16:00 to 10:00 the next day. We enjoyed exercising our three dogs a stone's throw away from our rented house. We were also able to explore Charleston more than we had been able to on previous shorter visits. The city has a rich history and boasts one of the best culinary scenes in the country.
As much as we enjoyed our stay, we were sad to leave and return home. Heavy holiday traffic slowed us down, and the journey took longer than it should have. Shortly after our return, a blizzard hit, dropping two and a half feet of snow. It took 24 hours after the storm moved on for the snow to be cleared from our court so that we could get our vehicles out. We were more fortunate than many in NOVA, DC, and neighbouring Maryland, who remained blocked for several days until the snowploughs reached them.