The 10 Worst Weather Cities
Yesterday I shared with you our top 10 Best Weather Cities and today we have flipped the coin and look at what might be considered the worst weather locations in the USA. Since I live in Maine, cold temperatures, rain and snow is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, many people commented when we ran our list that it takes character to live in some o the harsher climates. But, we have to use the same criteria as we did yesterday which include sunshine, sky conditions, precipitation, humidity and wind to determine the “worst” cities for weather.
1. QUILLAYUTE, WASHINGTON–Ever heard of it? Neither had we. In fact, it’s not a city but a location where weather data is accumulated and because of the numbers, it ranks as the number one worst weather location. It is tied with Astoria, Oregon as the cloudiest U.S city (240 days) it is the most humid (83% relative humidity), and it is second in terms of rain (104.5 inches) and number of rainy days (210).
2. ASTORIA, OREGON–ties Quillayute for cloudiest in the nation (240 days), and comes in third in terms of wetness (69.6 inches per year/191 days).
3 & 4. MARQUETTE and SAULT ST. MARIE, MICHIGAN–We had a tie between these cities. They ranked number four and five (respectively) in terms of the coldest U.S. cities and numbers two and three as the snowiest cities. They both also ranked seventh and eighth among the rainiest cities. If you enjoy lots of rain, snow and cold weather, these are two places you must visit!
5 & 6. SYRACUSE and BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK–Similarly, two cities in New York State ran very close to each other in terms of cloud cover and precipitation. Syracuse ranks fourth among the rainiest cities in the U.S. (171 days); Binghamton came in tenth (162 days). Binghamton is among the top ten cloudiest cities (212 cloudy days annually) while Syracuse ranks fourth among the snowiest cities with 111.6 inches annually. Being adjacent to the St. Lawrence storm track and subject to color air masses approaching from the west and north, these cities must continually endure unsettled weather patterns.
7. ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA–tied Syracuse for fourth rainiest city in the U.S. and also ranked just behind Binghamton in the number of cloudy days (211).
8. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA–landed among the top ten in terms of wettest cities (59.74 inches annually) as well as among the most humid (75.5%). Living in New Orleans during the summer requires air conditioning!
9. EUGENE, OREGON–Ranked high in the cloud and humidity department. It experiences 209 cloud-filled days annually, and has an average relative humidity that ties New Orleans for eighth place overall.
On a positive note, the abundant moisture and moderate temperatures result in rapid growth of timber evergreens. This is a major industry here.
10. HILO, HAWAII–Hawaii is usually assumed to a paradise with sun-filled skies and perfect weather year-round. But this is not necessarily the case with Hilo. This humidity is number one among U.S. cities in terms of average annual precipitation with a whopping 128 inches. In fact, the wettest part of Hawaii (over 200 inches) is only about six miles up-slope from the city limits. Hilo also ranks number one in terms of the number of rainy days (277). So there is at least a 75 percent chance that on any given day in Hilo, some rain will fall.
Weather is just that, weather. We love it, we hate it. We talk about it every day. If you’re getting married you want sunshine, if you’re going to ski, it has to snow. Want a tan, hey, sunshine is a must. We all live in communities for a variety of reasons. The criteria we used to select our ten best and worst weather cities were strictly statistical.
Peter Geiger
Peter Geiger is the Editor Emeritus of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography.
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- Peter Geiger#molongui-disabled-link
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oh man i hate the weather of seattle so much
I am surprised at the Sault Ste Marie submission. Marquette? Yes. They get more snow off Lake Superior. The Soo is just cloudy and cold. 6 out of 10 days are cloudy. I don’t mind clouds if it’s warm. In fact, my best days working in my gardens is on cloudy warm days. The problem with Mi. is its just too damn far north. The summers are short and can be hot and dry or cooler and damp but always short. You can have short, cool falls and get screwed out of fall color. November is ridiculous, gray for days and days on end. I cannot stand this state and the day I leave it forever will be one of the best days of my life. I have no idea how much snow I’ve shoveled in my life but I have no doubt it’s in the tons. And don’t even get me started on the summer tourists and the never ending festivals.
What would be an interesting on here is a list of cities that are good and bad at handling heatwaves/snow events.
Portland and Seattle sucks at both heat and cold and always have according to newspaper archives. Portland’s heat record is a staggering 107F actually which was a multi day 100+ event.
*Blue Skies* in Oregon usually means a grey/white tint to it not really that blue at all though when the NW wind is stronger it can get close to what you’d call blue.
Since wet and cloudy weather is assumed to be the worst, which I disagree with, and Hilo, HI is listed, then it’s a big oversight to not list places in Alaska such as Cold Bay and Juneau, with 304 and 280 days of clouds respectively.
Also, Whittier, Alaska with 198 inches of annual precipitation, Ketchikan with 155, and so on. Coastal Alaska beats any place in the lower 48 for clouds and rain.
I live in Northern CA which is known for its preponderance of sunny days but many of them are now marred by ugly chemtrail spraying and other weather modification ops of the past two decades.
Try St.Cloud Mn Horrible weather.I moved to McKinneyTx.It was gorgeous until the Govt decided to keep spraying..No im not nuts.70s one day.30s n snow next.Now look up.Its called Cloud Seeding..Been doing in since 60s.Started in SD when farmers needed rain.Noone will talk about it because they use it as population control.Look for groups on FB..Rich n Powerful…By the way Florida was HORRIBLE.Clouds.Rain.Cold.Not normal and getting worse.Az is nice…..But look at the x in the sky then don’t breathe!D
I think Miami, Florida has the best weather conditions. I’ve been 4 times
there,plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures
I disagree with what you’re calling the worst weather. Overcast is nice.
The worst weather is in Lubbock Texas. It is one of the windiest places on the planet. The heat can reach 110 in the summer, and it still gets freezing cold in the winter. And it’s also got notoriously volatile weather from day to day.
When it’s 110 outside and the wind is whipping dirt into your face at 40 mph all day, it feels like hell.
Boston is the worst for weather. OMG. I was so happy to get oug of there. Atlanta is the worst for air quality. Lots of sun, but traffic hell. For me, Brasstown NC is the best! Sunny days, mild winters, and mountain vistas at every turn.
Rick, glad you’re enjoying North Carolina!
“Happiness is not where you are but who you are”…I’m about to learn that in a BIG way. My family just left Florida for Utah. I’m 66…grew up in the Paradise of Sarasota…lived in north/central Fl since ’69. I’ve been to Egypt in 110 degrees…loved the experience. I caught a snowflake on my tongue in the Swiss Alps. I’ve traveled the USA and the world. The USA wins and Sarasota was the most lovely place of all, for me. I have 2 choices…go or stay. I’m wrapping my head around making this experience “an extended vacation.” I’m thinking Utah is a good combination of Egypt and the Alps. I’ll keep my suitcase ready. 🙂 As long as we’re in North America we’re good! Happy Travels!