[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by malamute

Marfa is pretty nice -- probably too small a town for a lot of people. That whole area around Big Bend seems like it'd be nice enough to live in. I live near the only mountains in Texas but mountains are addicting.

Yes, mountains can be addicting,
Here's a picture of the San Bernardino mountain from my back door in SoCal,

But I still had to get out of Ca. For some of us, the cost of living out weighs the beauty.

[Stephanie P]

Beautiful photo, mkfarnam! That would be hard to give up.
I can't wait to be surrounded by beauty, cooler temps and snow!!!

[billyellieot]

1996 The second month of the year began with the coldest air mass of the season,and in many places in decades, enveloping much of the nation. Only the Southeast Coast and the deserts of the Southwest were mild. As the frigid air poured into the East, a wide swath of moderate snow fell from eastern Arkansas to central New England. Ice and snow halted travel in the Piedmont plateau. Between six and twelve inches of snow accumulated from Virginia to coastal New England, bringing some sites to a new seasonal snowfall record. Meanwhile, the chill strengthened over the Middle West as temperatures fell to -60F at Tower, Minnesota on February 2nd, Ground Hog Day, a new state record. Readings of -45 and -39 at International Falls and Duluth were also February records! The extreme cold persisted for record lengths with the mercury staying below zero for 132 consecutive hours at Des Moines, Iowa and a new all-time record at Muskegon, Michigan when the temperature reached -19 on February 4. In fact, twenty three states set records for chill on Sunday morning, February 4. Frosts and freezes were even noted in central Florida, but most groves were protected from damage.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in the state is –51°F (–46°C), registered at Vanderbilt


Here are some other low records for anyone willing to get off their soap box and look.
Record low temperature for April 9 and record latest subzero
temperature to occur in Spring have been set at the Marquette
National Weather Service office...

Fresh... deep snow cover combined with light winds and clear skies
allowed the temperature to fall to 1 below zero this morning at the
Marquette National Weather Service... located in Negaunee township.
This breaks the previous record low of 5 set on this date in 1989.

The 1 below zero low temperature this morning is also the latest a
subzero temperature has occurred in Spring. The previous latest date
for a subzero temperature was April 8. On April 8... 1977 the low
temperature was 5 below zero.

Weather records for the National Weather Service office... located in
Negaunee township... date back to 1961.

Michigan -51 Feb. 9, 1934 Vanderbilt

Out of 250 major weather stations in the continental US, these five have an annual mean temperature below 40 °F (4.4 °C): Location Daily Mean °F Mt. Washington, New Hampshire 27.2 International Falls, Minnesota 37.4 Marquette, Michigan 38.7 Duluth, Minnesota 39.1 Caribou, Maine 39.2

Places in the USA outside of Alaska with freezing temperatures, of 32 °F or less, on 180 or more days a year: Location Days Freezing
per Year Mt. Washington, New Hampshire 242 Alamosa, Colorado 227 Ely, Nevada 218 Flagstaff, Arizona 208 Burns, Oregon 205 International Falls, Minnesota 197 Elko, Nevada 193 Marquette, Michigan 192 Kalispell, Montana 189 Williston, North Dakota 189 Caribou, Maine 186 Winnemucca, Nevada 186 Bismarck, North Dakota 186 Sheridan, Wyoming 185 Duluth, Minnesota 183 Lander, Wyoming 183 Casper, Wyoming 181 Missoula, Montana 180 Milford, Utah 180

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by billyellieot

1996 The second month of the year began with the coldest air mass of the season,and in many places in decades, enveloping much of the nation. Only the Southeast Coast and the deserts of the Southwest were mild. As the frigid air poured into the East, a wide swath of moderate snow fell from eastern Arkansas to central New England. Ice and snow halted travel in the Piedmont plateau. Between six and twelve inches of snow accumulated from Virginia to coastal New England, bringing some sites to a new seasonal snowfall record. Meanwhile, the chill strengthened over the Middle West as temperatures fell to -60F at Tower, Minnesota on February 2nd, Ground Hog Day, a new state record. Readings of -45 and -39 at International Falls and Duluth were also February records! The extreme cold persisted for record lengths with the mercury staying below zero for 132 consecutive hours at Des Moines, Iowa and a new all-time record at Muskegon, Michigan when the temperature reached -19 on February 4. In fact, twenty three states set records for chill on Sunday morning, February 4. Frosts and freezes were even noted in central Florida, but most groves were protected from damage.

So where is the line stating that the Vanderbilt/Gaylord area had -40 for a month? That only mentions Muskegon for the state and as we all know that is a LONG ways from where you are trying to say was -40 for a month, and then only -19 for an overnight low, which is a lot warmer than -40 for a month.

Originally Posted by billyellieot

The coldest temperature ever recorded in the state is –51°F (–46°C), registered at Vanderbilt

Which is warmer than a majority of the Northern tier states. Just like everybody has been saying, winters are not that bad overall.

Alaska: -80 Prospect Creek 1/23/1971
Colorado: -61 Maybell 2/1/1985
Idaho: -60 Island Park Dam 1/18/1943
Minnesota: -60 Tower 2/2/1996
Montana: -70 Rogers Pass 1/20/1954
New York: -52 Old Forge 2/18/1979
North Dakota: -60 Parshall 2/15/1936
Oregon -54 Seneca 2/10/1933
South Dakota: -58 McIntosh 2/17/1936
Utah: -69 Mountain Lake 2/1/1985
Wisconsin: -55 Couderay 2/14/1996
Wyoming: -66 Riverside 2/9/1933
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm

Originally Posted by billyellieot

Here are some other low records for anyone willing to get off their soap box and look.
Record low temperature for April 9 and record latest subzero
temperature to occur in Spring have been set at the Marquette
National Weather Service office...

Fresh... deep snow cover combined with light winds and clear skies
allowed the temperature to fall to 1 below zero this morning at the
Marquette National Weather Service... located in Negaunee township.
This breaks the previous record low of 5 set on this date in 1989.

The 1 below zero low temperature this morning is also the latest a
subzero temperature has occurred in Spring. The previous latest date
for a subzero temperature was April 8. On April 8... 1977 the low
temperature was 5 below zero.

Weather records for the National Weather Service office... located in
Negaunee township... date back to 1961.

And all of this is the UP which is hundreds of miles away from where you were claiming was so frigging cold. Yes the UP is colder, anybody that can look at a map should be able to guess that, seeing how it is further North than the LP. We called BS on those temps for an entire month around the Pigeon River Forest, not the UP (where it would be hard to impossible to find an entire month of -40 or lower as well.)

Originally Posted by billyellieot

Michigan -51 Feb. 9, 1934 Vanderbilt

Out of 250 major weather stations in the continental US, these five have an annual mean temperature below 40 °F (4.4 °C): Location Daily Mean °F Mt. Washington, New Hampshire 27.2 International Falls, Minnesota 37.4 Marquette, Michigan 38.7 Duluth, Minnesota 39.1 Caribou, Maine 39.2

And after having lived for many years in one of those places (Caribou, ME) as well as the location you were claiming to be -40 for a month, I can assure you Vanderbilt/Gaylord area has milder winters. Again you are naming a north-central LP town and posting UP stats. Two different animals here, or don't you see that?

Originally Posted by billyellieot

Places in the USA outside of Alaska with freezing temperatures, of 32 °F or less, on 180 or more days a year: Location Days Freezing
per Year Mt. Washington, New Hampshire 242 Alamosa, Colorado 227 Ely, Nevada 218 Flagstaff, Arizona 208 Burns, Oregon 205 International Falls, Minnesota 197 Elko, Nevada 193 Marquette, Michigan 192 Kalispell, Montana 189 Williston, North Dakota 189 Caribou, Maine 186 Winnemucca, Nevada 186 Bismarck, North Dakota 186 Sheridan, Wyoming 185 Duluth, Minnesota 183 Lander, Wyoming 183 Casper, Wyoming 181 Missoula, Montana 180 Milford, Utah 180

Another fine list of places you would be colder, for longer periods of time than anyplace in the LP of Michigan. Thanks for posting numbers to support the argument against the LP being so cold and miserable.

[GraniteStater]

OK calm down everyone.

Based on the USDA plant hardiness map interior northern Wisconsin has a much colder climate than almost any area of Michigan. The Great Lakes vastly moderate winter temperatures overall. The coldest locations in northern Wisconsin are Rhinelander, Eagle River, Hayward, and Ashland. These areas generally have a zone 3 climate, and usually record low temperatures colder than -30F at times during an average winter.

[Bluefly]

Are you sure the person who posted all the weather data was defending the -40 for a month claim?

All that data refutes it and shows Michigan to have far milder temperatures than -40 for a month.

If that person were defending the claim, he or she certainly would not have posted that data.

[MittenDweller82]

Bar none.........go to northern Wisconsin in late January, open fields to fuel frigid winds, no great lakes to produce cloud cover that moderates temperature. Probably one of the coldest places I have been in the contingent US, with the combination of constant wind and clear skies at night allowing the temps to drop way down.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Sociologist

Bar none.........go to northern Wisconsin in late January, open fields to fuel frigid winds, no great lakes to produce cloud cover that moderates temperature. Probably one of the coldest places I have been in the contingent US, with the combination of constant wind and clear skies at night allowing the temps to drop way down.

You betcha. Northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota have the coldest climate anywhere in the US east of the Rockies. However, the cold prize should go to Grand Forks, ND due to the severe winds during the winter

[GraniteStater]

The rural Midwest and Great Plains have been dealing with the net out-migration of younger residents for many decades now. However, it seems to becoming more accute in portions of the Upper Midwest. Many counties have a quite large elderly population with a very low percentage of the population under age 18. The counties that are doing the best are the ones where the greatest economic opportunities are. Some areas of the Upper Midwest like northern Wisconsin are becoming and have become a significant retirement destination. Vilas County Wisconsin has nearly 25% of its residents over age 65 which is comparable to many counties in Florida. The counties along Lake Huron are also becoming bigger retirement destinations along with a net out-migration of younger residents as well.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Plains10

The rural Midwest and Great Plains have been dealing with the net out-migration of younger residents for many decades now. However, it seems to becoming more accute in portions of the Upper Midwest. Many counties have a quite large elderly population with a very low percentage of the population under age 18. The counties that are doing the best are the ones where the greatest economic opportunities are. Some areas of the Upper Midwest like northern Wisconsin are becoming and have become a significant retirement destination. Vilas County Wisconsin has nearly 25% of its residents over age 65 which is comparable to many counties in Florida. The counties along Lake Huron are also becoming bigger retirement destinations along with a net out-migration of younger residents as well.

Florida and Arizona did very well by luring the retired aged people. They benefit the economy because they don't take many jobs but if they do, they bring experience. They tend to eat out often, have extra money to spend. They don't have kids to bring up taxes paying for schools. They create a lot of jobs which then lure working age people.