It's a huge country. There's no typical or average, but if you're sticking to major cities and excluding the west coast, here's what you need to know: It gets

It's a huge country. There's no typical or average, but if you're sticking to major cities and excluding the west coast, here's what you need to know: It gets cold. Very cold. This can be handled, as other commenters have noted, by dressing appropriately. What is harder to handle is the length of the winter. Somebody joked about the winter going from Nov - Mar. That's a good year. On a bad year, expect Nov - May. It affects everything, no matter how well you dress for it. You have less sunlight in the day to be outside, if you happen to have a good day for outdoor activities. Friends are less willing to go out (there is lots of "hibernating"). You become more reliant on cars and buses if you can't walk everywhere you need to go. If you own a home, enjoy shovelling the driveway sometimes 2-3 times a week. If you're susceptible to depression, it can be particularly brutal.