As the Northeast battles bitter winter weather, millions bask in warmer temps... and smiles

CARY, N.C. − As more than 100 million Americans contended with bitter cold, snow and icy conditions, shuttered schools, dead car batteries, and power outages, a food truck purveyor held court with customers milling about on an open-air patio in North Carolina, sharing a little, well, gloating.

"I moved here for the climate," Vinny Trapani said, happily dunking calzones in frying oil at Roma Rican, which serves Italian and Puerto Rican specialties in this posh suburb of Raleigh. In addition to the warmer weather, there's also a lower cost of living than in the Northeast, which Trapani left a almost a decade ago. He returns to New Jersey only begrudgingly for family weddings, he said.

"Once I'm there, I can't wait to come home," Trapani said.

The swath of winter storm warnings Friday stretched from New Jersey to Iowa, with snowfall predictions ranging from as little as 2 inches in some places to more than 6 inches in the central Appalachians, according to the National Weather Service. The mid-Atlantic forecast was somewhere in the middle with an expected 4 to 6 inches of cold, wet, snow, blanketing homes and driveways, clogging up roadways.

In San Diego, 67-year-old Gina Paterno looked out on San Diego Bay, where she enjoys watching cruise ships come and go from her condo balcony, where she said she often reads, and where the temperature Friday was a comparatively balmy 64 degrees. Slightly cloudy.

"Thank God I live here," she said in an interview. Paterno is one of millions of Americans who once endured the frigid temperatures of the country's northern reaches but fled to warmer climes.

States like Florida and Arizona are part-time homes for around 1 million snowbirds − people who travel between homes in colder and warmer climates. Many others relocated to states in the south and southwest permanently, especially retirees.

This week's record sub-zero temperatures across much of the northeast U.S. are a glaring reminder of why they moved away in the first place, retirees across the (southern) United States told USA TODAY.

'Living in the cold that's all they have is football'

Monica Simon Perella of Williamstown, New Jersey, moved to Satellite Beach, Florida, one year ago to escape the cold and embrace warmth and sunshine. This month she has been enjoying walking the mile from her home to the beach and patio lunch seating when the sun is shining. She said her favorite thing about her new home is that she can go to the beach year-round.

"The sun is coming out, it's 72 degrees and it's snowing in New Jersey," the retired school teacher said Friday. "I hope I never see another snowflake as long as I live. There's nothing that could get me to move back."

The NFL fan said she couldn't look away from the television when she saw Buffalo Bills fans this week shoveling snow at Highmark Stadium

"We love our sports, but I wouldn't pay a million dollars to shovel my seat out," Perella, 53, said. "I watched these people and they were so happy − because that's all they have. Living in the cold that's all they have is football."

Perella said she meets a lot of people in Satellite Beach who are also from New Jersey, New York or Pennsylvania. Over on the west coast of Florida, she said, there seem to be more people who came south from the Midwest.

On Friday, those states on Friday saw winter storm advisories through 7 p.m. warning of snow and dangerously slippery road conditions, especially during evening commutes.

"I am absolutely thrilled. I don't need to be out there shoveling my driveway, putting salt, crashing my car on the way to work," Perella said.

Freezing temps make it harder to simply be outside

Paterno moved with her family in 1998 from Cranford, New Jersey, to San Diego for the warmer climate, a decision she and her late husband made after experiencing the city's weather for the first time while attending a wedding.

She said Friday that it would be physically impossible for her to return to New Jersey. San Diego also feels like San Demetrio Corone in southern Italy, where she lived as a child, she said, complete with olive trees and beautiful hillside views.

"At this point, oh my goodness, I could not live in New Jersey," she said. "As you get older, and especially being away from it now for many years, it would be harder to get out so I'd be more house-bound."

"I also don't like the cold − period," she said.

The more temperate seasons in San Diego also helped improve her daughter's asthma, Paterno said.

"The cold weather really bothered her, so we felt that that would be a big bonus to move to a better climate," she said.

Even though she's been in San Diego for more than 20 years, Paterno said she's always grateful for the freedom the weather affords her: Freedom to walk outside her front door − and stay outside − without worrying if the weather will turn on her.

"I enjoy being able to be out, to just get out − it's as simple as that," Paterno said. "Life is easier, for me, it's an easier life being able to take your walks no matter what, no matter when."

Contributing: Doc Louallen, Christopher Cann, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY