Zeb,
That is not true.....Nick is not old.
Nick,
Ever been over the Appalachin Mountains in the winter (day or night)? That weather provoked Ernie Gann to talk of it in his books.
Ever been around Anchorage, Alaska and counted airplanes?
Of course no one has ever gotten bumped around when the Thunderstorms start marching across the country from Denver to New York shedding tornado's as they go by.
Ask the GOM'ers about fog in the Gulf during the winter too.
Of course....there is always the Pacific Northwest that combines mountains, coastal areas, and a bit of rain/fog/mist/snow during the winter months from late September till May. Ever try to get into Olympia Airport after 4:30 in the evening?
It is a big wide open expanse of ground and in most parts, not very crowded. The other half is very crowded.
I did the North Sea bit....and yes the weather is impressive but benign usually so long as you did not look at the water very much. If you think the North Sea is cold....wait till you watch ice floes drifting by under the rig in Alaska.
One summer in the Aleutians proved to be educational....first time I ever saw fog blow by at 60 knots (or more). Seeing four frontal passages in one day in the Shetlands was also a bit remarkable.