Stupid survey says Boston has second worst winter weather in the country
By adamg - 2/9/10 - 12:41 pm
Worse even than Buffalo or Anchorage. Yeah, right.
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Worse even than Buffalo or Anchorage. Yeah, right.
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Read a little closer
The survey was of the top 50 largest cities (that is, "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau"). According to Wikipedia, by population, Buffalo is 69th (hehe, "69"...) and Anchorage is 67th...just outside of their consideration.
Now what I found entirely quizzical was this line: "Second, Virginia Beach, the nation's 42nd most populous city, has been excluded because NOAA does not track its weather."
Do what?? Why would NOAA not track Virginia Beach's weather? Are they too persnickety or something? LOL.
Why would NOAA not track
Why would NOAA not track Virginia Beach's weather?
Because it's right next to Norfolk, which NOAA does track?
Which begs the question of why the survey didn't just use Norfolk's weather. Mean temperature 59.6F, 45.74" rain, 7.7" snow in the average year.
Ask the Navy.
I'd guess it has something to do with the Navy having a load of bases down there, with lots of submarines and things best not analyzed with satellites.
You're getting warmer
It does have to do with the military, but not military secrecy. There is no need for NOAA to monitor the weather when the military has it covered and is the major end user of the information.
How much do these ratings include climactic adaptations that make life easier? Anchorage is very much adapted to its winters and has plug-in parking lots, but Boston doesn't seem to get what Montreal does: snow removal and sidewalk clearing are important for the ability of citizens to move around during the winter!
Got me...
Maybe it fall under the naval stations duties?
Never Heard of Lake Effect?
Boston ahead of Buffalo? Have these people never heard of lake effect? All you need is a stiff wind coming in from the west on a cold day over the open water of the Great Lakes and you'll have three feet of snow. And it snows like that for weeks on end. You'll have constant snow in Buffalo and Rochester with barely a cloud in the sky. Lake effect is the wild card not factored in. And I know too, I spent time in upstate on business. I'll take coast hugging storms and weather fronts we can see days out.
beg to differ
Yes, Buffalo gets snow, (Syracuse is worse, FWIW), but I would give them higher marks for both temperature and management: (1) none of that bone-chilling frigid air in Buffalo. It may be sunnier here, but it gets damned cold. Snow insulates. (2) Buffalo knows how to handle the snow when it falls - alternate-side parking means the STREET actually gets plowed, instead of your car getting plowed in. I never understood why Boston didn't have a similar rule.
well
Sounds about right to me, given the criteria.
Sounds like they just counted
Sounds like they just counted up inches of precipitation and cold temps - makes for a simple list. I would have added heat-waves, which I assume would put Chicago ahead of Boston. Boston rarely gets unpleasant summer temps - we max out in the low 90s a couple of times a year for short periods.
Minneapolis?
Having grown up there, I'm shocked that Minneapolis isn't even in the top five as Boston winters are pretty mild in comparison. (My take on the difference... in Boston, it might snow two feet at a time, but it'll all be melted within a few weeks. In Minneapolis, that first inch of snow in October is still on the ground in April.) But from the article:
"Landlocked Minneapolis has weather nearly as bad. Its average temperature of 45.4 degrees is the coldest of all cities studied and its snowfall is the third highest at 49.7 inches. The city is saved, however, by its relatively dry warmer seasons."
... so, it's not just a winter weather ranking after all.
Sweet! I've live in three of the top ten
I've lived in Detroit (#9), Cleveland (#1) and Boston (#2). No wonder I always grumble when people complain about the weather here. Also, it explains why I hate the winter.
My parents still live in an area that has "lake effect snow". Which means that you drive out in what appears to be a near-whiteout blizzard, go a few miles and find that the sun is shining and the roads are dry. Wild stuff.