If A Tree Falls In A Suburb, And Everyone Hears It, Will It Take Out Your House, Car, or Electricity?

When I moved to England in 2000, everybody here (TX, where I was living at the time, and MA, where my family was living) told me the weather in England was going to be terrible, rainy and cold and I'd be miserable.  My very literal son told me later he was surprised at how gentle the rain was and how often the sun came out.  He literally expected it to rain from dark clouds every day and was very unnerved at the prospect.  Many people also told me the food would be awful too, but that's another post.

In the four years I lived there, I could tell you what the weather was going to be nearly every day, with a few exceptions.  Sure, snow lightly dusted our backyard one day.  Another time I remember flooding rains that kept me from a very important appointment.  But other than that, it was either sunny or overcast, light rain, and rarely, heavy rains for limited times.  No great variations to have to plan around.  

Granted weather cycles have changed considerably.  And Southern England has been hit by great variations of weather.  But in my first year of living in NJ five years ago, I experienced 4 major snowstorms during the month of March, several flooding rains during Spring (great housewarming present since we had just bought the house that flooded 4 weeks after we moved in.)  Totally new and severe allergies for my son.  A particularly bad heat wave during the summer,  and Fall allergies, which were terrible and we had never experienced before.  And multiple electricity losses. And all that was our first year!  But we live outside of NYC, and that should make everything ok!  Grumble.