United States Weather Facts and Extremes
Top 10 cities with
Least weather variety
Based on temperature variation, precipitation, wind, severe weather
1. San Francisco, California
2. San Diego , California
3. Los Angeles , California
4. Santa Barbara , California
5. Eureka , California
6. Long Beach , California
7. Honolulu , Hawaii
8. Santa Maria , California
9. San Luis Obispo , California
10. Kahului , Hawaii
Top 10 hail prone cities
Based on frequency and severity of hail
1. Tulsa , Oklahoma
2. Amarillo , Texas
3. Oklahoma City , Oklahoma
4. Wichita , Kansas
5. Dallas / Fort Worth , Texas
6. Arlington , Texas
7. Denver , Colorado
8. Colorado Springs , Colorado
9. Shreveport , Louisiana
10. Kansas City , Missouri / Kansas
Top 10 Tropical storm / Hurricane prone cities
Average # of years with no storm. Totals based on data from 1871- 2007, hitting within 60 miles of the city
1. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina 2.49
2. Delray Beach , Florida 2.54
3. Hollywood , Florida 2.58
4. Deerfield Beach , Florida 2.58
5. Boca Raton , Florida 2.58
6. Florida City , Florida 2.63
7. Grand Isle, Louisiana 2.63
8. Ft. Pierce , Florida 2.69
9. Miami , Florida 2.69
10. Ft. Lauderdale , Florida 2.69
Top 10 Tornado states
Avg number of tornadoes per 10,000 square
Miles, occurring from 1953-2004
1. Florida 9.4
2. Oklahoma 8.2
3. Kansas 6.7
4. Iowa 6.6
5. Illinois 6.2
6. Indiana 6.1
7. Mississippi 5.7
8. Maryland 5.7
9. Louisiana 5.6
10. Texas 5.2
Top 10 Thunderstorm
Cities Avg annual number of thunderstorms
1. Fort Myers , Florida 89
2. Tampa , Florida 87
3. Tallahassee, Florida 83
4. Gainesville , Florida 81
5. Orlando , Florida 80
6. Mobile , Alabama 79
7. W. Palm Beach , Florida 79
8. Lake Charles , Louisiana 76
9. Daytona Beach , Florida 75
10. Vero Beach , Florida 75
Top 10 Tornado prone cities
Ranked by tornadoes per 1,000 miles
1. Oklahoma City , Oklahoma
2. Tulsa , Oklahoma
3. Dallas - Ft. Worth , Texas
4. Wichita , Kansas
5. Springfield , Missouri
6. Kansas City , Kansas / Missouri
7. Ft. Smith , Arkansas
8. Little Rock , Arkansas
9. Jackson , Mississippi
10. Birmingham , Alabama
Top 10 Earthquake prone states
# of earthquakes in the last 30 years
Centered in the state
1. Alaska
2. California
3. Hawaii
4. Nevada
5. Washington
6. Idaho
7. Wyoming
8. Montana
9. Utah
10. Oregon
10 all-time hottestTemperatures
Obtained from state temperature
Records, NCDC
1. Death Valley , California 134
2. Lake Havasu , Arizona 128
3. Laughlin , Nevada 125
4. Lakewood , New Mexico 122
5. Alton , Kansas 121
6. Steele , North Dakota 121
7. Ozark , Arkansas 120
8. Tipton , Oklahoma 120
9. Seymour , Texas 120
10. Usta, South Dakota 120
10 all-time coldest Temperatures
Obtained from state temperature
Records, NCDC
1. Prospect Creek , Alaska -80
2. Rogers Pass , Montana -70
3. Peters Sink, Utah -69
4. Riverside , Wyoming -66
5. Maybell , Colorado -61
6. Tower, Minnesota -60
7. Parshall , North Dakota -60
8. Island Park Dam, Idaho -60
9. McIntosh , South Dakota -58
10. Couderay , Wisconsin -55
10 hottest cities
Average annual temperature, F
1. Key West , Florida 77.7
2. Miami , Florida 75.6
3. W Palm Beach , Florida 74.6
4. Ft. Myers , Florida 73.9
5. Yuma , Florida 73.9
6. Brownsville , Texas 73.6
7. Orlando , Florida 72.4
8. Vero Beach , Florida 72.4
9. Corpus Christi , Texas 72.1
10. Tampa , Florida 72.0
10 coldest cities
Average annual temperature, F
1. International Falls , Minnesota 36.4
2. Duluth , Minnesota 38.2
3. Caribou , Maine 38.9
4. Marquette , Michigan 39.2
5. Sault Ste Marie , Michigan 39.7
6. Fargo , North Dakota 40.5
7. Williston , North Dakota 40.8
8. Alamosa , Colorado 41.2
9. Bismarck , North Dakota 41.3
10. St. Cloud , Minnesota 41.4
10 driest cities
Avg annual precipitation in inches
1. Yuma , Arizona 2.65
2. Las Vegas , Nevada 4.19
3. Bishop , California 5.61
4. Bakersfield , California 5.72
5. Phoenix , Arizona 7.11
6. Alamosa , Colorado 7.13
7. Reno , California 7.49
8. Winslow , Arizona 7.64
9. El Paso , Texas 7.82
10. Winnemucca , Nevada 7.82
10 wettest cities
Avg annual precipitation in inches
1. Hilo , Hawaii 128.00
2. Quillayute , Washington 104.50
3. Astoria , Oregon 69.60
4. Blue Canyon , California 67.87
5. Mobile , Alabama 64.64
6. Tallahassee , Florida 64.59
7. Pensacola , Florida 61.16
8. New Orleans , Louisiana 59.74
9. W Palm Beach , Florida 59.72
10. Miami , Florida 59.55
10 snowiest cities
Avg annual precipitation in inches
1. Blue Canyon , California 240.8
2. Marquette , Michigan 128.6
3. Sault Ste Marie , Michigan 116.7
4. Syracuse , New York 111.6
5. Caribou , Maine 110.4
6. Mount Shasta , California 104.9
7. Lander, Wyoming 102.5
8. Flagstaff , Arizona 99.9
9. Sexton Summit , Oregon 97.8
10. Muskegon , Michigan 97.0
10 windiest cities
Avg annual wind speed in mph
1. Blue Hill Observatory, Massachusetts 15.4
2. Dodge City , Kansas 14.0
3. Amarillo , Texas 13.5
4. Rochester , Minnesota 13.1
5. Casper , Wyoming 12.9
6. Cheyenne , Wyoming 12.9
7. Great Falls , Montana 12.7
8. Goodland , Kansas 12.6
9. Boston , Massachusetts 12.5
10. Lubbock , Texas 12.4
10 sunniest cities
Annual percent of possible sunshine
1. Yuma , Arizona 90%
2. Las Vegas , Nevada 85%
3. Phoenix , Arizona 85%
4. Tucson , Arizona 85%
5. El Paso , Texas 83%
6. Flagstaff , Arizona 79%
7. Fresno , California 79%
8. Reno , Nevada 79%
9. Sacramento , California 78%
10. Albuquerque , N.M. 76%
10 cloudiest cities
Avg number of cloudy days per year
1. Astoria , Oregon 240
2. Quillayute , Washington 240
3. Olympia , Washington 229
4. Seattle , Washington 227
5. Portland , Oregon 223
6. Kalispell , Montana 213
7. Binghamton , New York 212
8. Beckley , West Virginia 211
9. Elkins , West Virginia 211
10. Eugene , Oregon 209
10 most humid cities
Avg relative humidity in %
1. Quillayute , Washington 83.0
2. Olympia , Washington 78.0
3. Port Arthur , Texas 77.5
4. Lake Charles , Louisiana 77.0
5. Apalachicola , Florida 76.5
6. Gainesville , Florida 76.5
7. Corpus Christi , Texas 76.0
8. Eugene , Oregon 75.5
9. New Orleans , Louisiana 75.5
10. Houston , Texas 75.0
10 least humid cities
Avg relative humidity in %
1. Las Vegas , Nevada 30.5
2. Phoenix , Arizona 37.0
3. Yuma , Arizona 38.0
4. Tucson , Arizona 39.0
5. El Paso , Texas 42.5
6. Albuquerque , New Mexico 44.5
7. Winslow , Arizona 46.0
8. Grand Junction , Colorado 48.0
9. Winnemucca , Nevada 48.5
10. Reno , Nevada 50.5
10 rainiest cities
Number of days per year with rain
1. Hilo , Hawaii 277
2. Quillayute , Washington 210
3. Astoria , Oregon 191
4. Elkins , West Virginia 171
5. Syracuse , New York 171
6. Buffalo , New York 169
7. Marquette , Michigan 168
8. Sault Ste Marie , Michigan 166
9. Erie , Pennsylvania 165
10. Binghamton , New York 162
10 least rainiest cities
Number of days per year with rain
1. Yuma , Arizona 17
2. Las Vegas , Nevada 26
3. Bishop , California 29
4. Santa Barbara , California 30
5. Long Beach , California 32
6. Los Angeles , California 35
7. Great Falls , Montana 35
8. Phoenix , Arizona 36
9. Bakersfield , California 37
10. San Diego , California 42
Largest annual temperature variation
Change in average temperature between summer and winter
1. Fairbanks , Alaska 90.8
2. Bettles , Alaska 90.0
3. International Falls , MN 88.8
4. Fargo , North Dakota 87
5. Williston, North Dakota 86.6
6. Aberdeen , South Dakota 86.5
7. McGrath , Alaska 86.2
8. Bismarck , North Dakota 86.1
9. Alamosa , Colorado 85.9
10. St. Cloud , Minnesota 85
10 most uncomfortable cities
Average combination of summer heat and humidity
1. Phoenix , Arizona
2. Corpus Christi , Texas
3. San Antonio , Texas
4. Dallas , Texas
5. West Palm Beach , Florida
6. Miami , Florida
7. Waco , Texas
8. Houston , Texas
9. Montgomery , Alabama
10. New Orleans , Louisiana
Top 10 clean air cities
Based on long-term particle pollution
1. Cheyenne, Wyoming
2. Santa Fe , New Mexico
3. Honolulu , Hawaii
4. Great Falls , Montana
5. Tucson , Arizona
6. Anchorage , Alaska
7. Farmington , New Mexico
8. Bismarck , North Dakota
9. Albuquerque , New Mexico
10. Rapid City , South Dakota
Top 10 dirty air cities
Based on long-term particle pollution
1. Los Angeles , California
2. Bakersfield , California
3. Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania
4. Visalia , California
5. Fresno , California
6. Detroit , Michigan
7. Hanford , California
8. Cleveland , Ohio
9. Atlanta , Georgia
10. Chicago , Illinois
Best cities for allergies
Based on pollen counts from 1999-2002
1. Grand Rapids , Michigan
2. Milwaukee , Wisconsin
3. Seattle , Washington
4. San Francisco , California
5. Minneapolis , Minnesota
6. Chicago , Illinois
7. Syracuse , New York
8. Salt Lake City , Utah
9. Los Angeles , California
10. Denver , Colorado
Worst cities for allergies
Based on pollen counts from 1999-20002
1. Kansas City , Mo /Ks
2. Louisville , Kentucky
3. Tampa / St. Pete , Florida
4. Tulsa , Oklahoma
5. Atlanta , Georgia
6. Austin , Texas
7. St. Louis , Missouri
8. Sacramento , California
9. Orlando , Florida
10. Indianapolis , Indiana
Chart data sources: The National Climatic Data Center, Riskmeter Online, Hurricane City , Weatherpages.com,
National Lung Association, Sperling's Best Places
Fastest warming 12 hour warm-up: 83 degrees. From -33 in the morning to 50 by late afternoon in Granville , ND on February 21, 1918
15 minute warm-up: 42 degrees. From -5 to 37 degrees in Fort Assiniboine , Montana on January 19, 1893
7 minute warm-up: 34 degrees in Kipp , Montana in 1896
Fastest Cooling
24 hour chill: 100 degrees. >From 44 to -54 below zero in Browning, Montana on January 23-24, 1916.
12 hour chill: 84 degrees.. From 63 to -21 below zero in Fairfield , Montana on December 24, 1924.
2 hour chill: 62 degrees. From 49 at 6:00am to -13 at 8:00am in Rapid City , South Dakota on January 10, 1911
15 minute chill: 47 degrees. >From 55 at 7:00am to 8 at 7:15am in Rapid City , South Dakota on January 10, 1911
Interesting U.S. weather facts
Through August 2007, the U.S. experienced its hottest year ever. During the month of August, more than 8,000 new heat maximum and minimum records were set or tied across the country.
In Hawaii , where surface temperatures are always above 50F, there is snow. Between 1 and 2 feet of snow falls each year in the mountains above 5,000 feet.
The coldest football game ever played was the NFL Championship Game on December 31, 1967 in Green Bay, Wisconsin between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys when the temperature fell to -13. The 2007 NFC Championship game in Green Bay between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers was the third coldest game in history with a temperature of -1 and wind chill of -23.
The longest rain-free period in the United States was 767 days (2 years, 37 days), from October 3, 1912 to November 8, 1914 at Bagdad, California.
A world record rainfall occurred at Holt, Missouri on June 22, 1947 when it rained 12 inches in just 42 minutes.. This averages to over 1/4 of an inch of rainfall per minute. On July 4th, 1956 In Unionville, Maryland 1.23 inches of rain fell in 1 minute.
The average yearly temperature of New York, St. Louis and San Francisco differs by only 1.8F degrees.
Which is the least rainy city - Seattle, New York City or Miami? Although on average Seattle is cloudy 227 days a year, it only receives 39 inches of rain per year, compared to New York City (42 inches) and Miami (60 inches)
Is Chicago really "The Windy City?" Of the 262 major weather reporting stations in the United States , 27% or 72 stations average higher annual wind speeds than Chicago , which averages 10.3 mph. For example, New York City 's annual wind speed is 12.2 mph.
Due to Florida's proximity to the equator, the state receives more than a hundred times the UV exposure that Maine does.
Cheyenne, Wyoming averages the most hail storms in the United States per year with 10 and Tulsa, Oklahoma experiences the most severe hail storms annually.
The United States leads the world with an average of over 1,000 reported tornadoes each year. A distant second is Canada with an average of approximately 100 reported tornadoes.
Kansas has received the most F5 tornadoes since 1880. Oklahoma encounters the highest number of significant and violent tornadoes per square mile.
Of the total reported tornadoes in the United States each year, 20 can be expected to be F5 tornadoes with winds over 200 mph and nearly complete destruction.
1 comment:
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