New Seniors

What areas in the United States get the most rain, the most sunshine, and the most snow? How about the most tornados? Do you know the windiest areas or where the temperatures are the least extreme? Here are answers to all your weather questions; amaze your friends with this newfound knowledge.

United States Weather Facts and Extremes

Top ten cities with least weather variety, based on temperature variation, precipitation, wind, and 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 ten 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 ten tropical storm & hurricane prone cities
Average number 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 ten tornado states
Average 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 ten thunderstorm cities
Average 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 ten 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 ten earthquake prone states
Number 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

Ten all-time hottest temperatures
Obtained from state temperature Records, The National Climatic Data Center

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

Ten all-time coldest temperatures
Obtained from state temperature records, The National Climatic Data Center

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

Ten hottest cities
Average annual temperature, Fahrenheit

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

Ten coldest cities
Average annual temperature, Fahrenheit

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

Ten driest cities
Average 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

Ten wettest cities
Average 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

Ten snowiest cities
Average 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

Ten windiest cities
Average 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

Ten 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%

Ten cloudiest cities
Average 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

Ten most humid cities
Average 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

Ten least humid cities
Average 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

Ten 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

Ten least rainy 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

Ten 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 ten 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 ten 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

Fastest warming on record in the U.S.

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 on record in the U.S.

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 hailstorms in the United States per year with ten and Tulsa, Oklahoma experiences the most severe hailstorms 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.

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