Utah Winter... NOT tropical... (Park City, Alta: to live in, cabin, moving to)

[insightofitall]

I guess I can infer that cold, snowy Utah Winters are kinda rare...? I never would have suspected that. I thought Salt Lake was cold and snowy each Winter. Or are you talking about southern Utah?

I wish I would have gotten nailed by that midwest blizzard...and I live in the midwest. Passed me right up and dumped freezing rain instead. I'd rather have 2 feet of snow. I guess I'm another one of those rare winter-lovers. I think it's odd that some places in the south have seen larger snow storms than I have this winter.

[kaytidid]

Originally Posted by insightofitall

I guess I can infer that cold, snowy Utah Winters are kinda rare...? I never would have suspected that. I thought Salt Lake was cold and snowy each Winter. Or are you talking about southern Utah?

I wish I would have gotten nailed by that midwest blizzard...and I live in the midwest. Passed me right up and dumped freezing rain instead. I'd rather have 2 feet of snow. I guess I'm another one of those rare winter-lovers. I think it's odd that some places in the south have seen larger snow storms than I have this winter.

You and ChrisC are those crazy winter lovers! Yes, Salt Lake usually does have cold, snowy winters. That doesn't mean all of us are happy about that, however

Southern Utah (St. George area) does not usually get much in the way of snow, nor very cold temps.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by ChrisC

Not that I like any sort of hot weather, but, one thing that will make high heat in southern Utah more tolerable than where you live is the much lower humidity in Utah. That helps more than most people realize. The heat still stinks... but it stinks a little less.

I totally agree.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by insightofitall

I guess I can infer that cold, snowy Utah Winters are kinda rare...? I never would have suspected that. I thought Salt Lake was cold and snowy each Winter.

Salt Lake City is the third snowiest city in the U.S. Southern Utah (with the exception of Cedar City) gets considerably less snow than Northern Utah does.

I wish I would have gotten nailed by that midwest blizzard...and I live in the midwest. Passed me right up and dumped freezing rain instead. I'd rather have 2 feet of snow. I guess I'm another one of those rare winter-lovers. I think it's odd that some places in the south have seen larger snow storms than I have this winter.

Like I said, we do get lots of snow, and this year has been a really cold one. We don't get freezing rain, though, and our low humidity helps not only in the summer but in the winter as well.

[sp2007]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Salt Lake City is the third snowiest city in the U.S. ...

I am guessing after the last 2 years worth of snow, that several cities in the midwest and east will make SLC's outdated ranking plummet.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by sp2007

I am guessing after the last 2 years worth of snow, that several cities in the midwest and east will make SLC's outdated ranking plummet.

LOL! Well, that wouldn't bother me any. Unfortunately, rankings of this sort take into account average snowfall over far greater periods of time than just two years.

[hilgi]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

LOL! Well, that wouldn't bother me any. Unfortunately, rankings of this sort take into account average snowfall over far greater periods of time than just two years.

I wonder if there is a way to account for accumulation of snow. It seems like snow on the ground does not last long here. I wonder if our total numbers are high but another city that gets fewer inches may have it stick on the ground longer?

[sp2007]

I lived in the Northeast for 20 years and I (in my 3 years here) haven't seen anything like the snow we had growing up. And that isn't counting the record-breaking numbers in the last few years. I wonder if the numbers for SLC are padded by the mountain accumulations (which aren't even in the city)?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by sp2007

I lived in the Northeast for 20 years and I (in my 3 years here) haven't seen anything like the snow we had growing up. And that isn't counting the record-breaking numbers in the last few years. I wonder if the numbers for SLC are padded by the mountain accumulations (which aren't even in the city)?

According to Forbes, which published the information, it's based on historical data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Top 5 Snowiest U.S. Cities:

1. Denver- 60.3"
2. Cleveland- 59.3"
3. Salt Lake City- 58.5"
4. Minneapolis-St. Paul- 49.9"
5. Milwaukee- 47.3"

The Utah Mountains get more on the order of 500 inches annually.

[sp2007]

Interesting because I just found this list, published by the Daily Beast (?) based on data from the National Climatic Data Center and Farmers Almanac. It said this was the top 5:

#1, Syracuse, New York
Average yearly snowfall: 103.1 inches

#2, Rochester, New York
Average yearly snowfall: 88.3 inches

#3, Buffalo, New York
Average yearly snowfall: 85.7 inches

#4, Duluth, Minnesota
Average yearly snowfall: 82.6 inches

#5, Flagstaff, Arizona
Average yearly snowfall: 81.1 inches

...

And here is Utah
#13, Salt Lake City, Utah
Average yearly snowfall: 60.9 inches

Denver was #20 on their list.

Also, here is another list on USA Today, USATODAY.com - Answers: 10 snowiest 'cities' aren't all in New York

Colorado and Utah aren't even on that list!