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I'll give some outside information as a benchmark. Theres just more people shivering in the east so they get more reputation as polar bears.
Heres the stats for gunnison, CO
avg temp for the year: 37
days of below freezing temps : 262
avg high :56
avg low:19
international falls, mn by comparison has
avg temp:36
days below freezing: 198
avg high: 48
avg low :26
both have a record low of about -46 during the past 50 yrs.
2 of the coldest places in the lower 48.
if I had to generalize which of those 3 areas are colder, I would say upper MW just because its a continental climate, not regulated by the sea.
I would add the west to that list, even CO is competitive or surpasses most winter statistics for the lower 48, even alaska in some cases. colorado, wyoming, and montana can compete with any state in the nation, and outside of urban areas, they're far more rural, making being outside much more dangerous if theres a problem.
The cold is only worse in the mountains. The Upper Midwest is widespread uninterrupted frigid cold.
The upper midwest is frigid. However, the lower midwest is much warmer than the other places, too, and with far less snowfall. I prefer it in the middle (near Chicago). Is cold in winter, and at times quite brutal, but with warmer temps than the upper midwest and less snow than New England/Upstate NY, but enough snow to enjoy.
I moan and groan every winter about shoveling (hubby won't spring for a new snowblower) but I'd much rather be here than say, Buffalo!!! It gets cold but not usually THAT cold like further north (anywhere). I'd have to say NE has the best climate compared to most of the rest of the country because we rarely get tornados, earthquakes or even hurricanes. So a few months of having to wear extra clothes and shoveling is well worth the trade IMO.
Allright....New England has colder winters. There, feel any better?
nah man, I'm only kidding...really the only part of the Upper Midwest that gets very ferociously cold is anywhere from the higher elevation of western UP of Michigan, west into Northern Wisconsin, the Iron Range of Minnesota, all they way to the NE corner of North Dakota, that's a very, very cold area during the wintertime.
You got that right. I watched the temperatures last winter in that area and they are significantly colder for a sustained period of time over other areas.
actually its pretty cold out on the plains adjacent the mountains too. minneapolis' avg temp is 45 vs denver being 50. I'd have to say the Rocky Mountain West would be the coldest region in the lower 48. As I understand the problem wiht the upper midwest is the consistancy of the cold, where it stays moderately cold throughout the winter and I guess thats what gets to people. Here our winter is from basically october through april, but it fluctuates between below zero nights and mornings, and a variation of daytime temperatures, a bit more bearable because of the outdoor culture, and occasional day hovering around 50. The rain shadow means the sun comes out during the day, giving people some sanity, as I understand you guys get alot of cloud cover. I'd probably have to say it's pretty even between the RMW and UMW, in terms of temperature, its fairly even, but you guys have cloud, we have clear.
The wind also has a lot to do with which one is actually colder. Here in the plains, it's nothing for the wind to be roaring at 30 mph with gusts much higher then that. Our windchills are often way below the air temp even though they changed the scale in 2002. Now it doesn't show up as being as cold as in the past even though the air temp and the wind speed are the same.
As an example, Mn. could have a temp of -20 and so could Colorado. But generally, Mn. could have 30 mph winds and Colorado's winds could be 10 mph.
As an example, Mn. could have a temp of -20 and so could Colorado. But generally, Mn. could have 30 mph winds and Colorado's winds could be 10 mph.
Limon and Denver International Airport both have some of the worst winds in Colorado outside of the mountain pass areas. The Airport is out on the Plains and prone to blizzard conditions.
The coldest spot "on average" in typical winter is for sure the upper Midwest. The area from Bottineau eastward through Landgon to Hallock in northwest Minnesota then southward to Devils Lake...Grand Forks...and Thief River Falls MN has the coldest average highs/lows in the winter months. Of course on a day to day basis the coldest temps can be elsewhere....such as the deep valleys of the Rockies or northern New England. Northern New England can be very very cold but often they are much snowier as lows move up along the east coast. With that snow comes a bit milder air during snow storms before the cold moves back in. Where I live in the northern Red River valley of ND/MN the cold arctic air settles southward and just sits in the valley and never leaves for 3 months it seems.
Dan
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It gets cold but not usually THAT cold like further north (anywhere). I'd have to say NE has the best climate compared to most of the rest of the country because we rarely get tornados, earthquakes or even hurricanes. So a few months of having to wear extra clothes and shoveling is well worth the trade IMO.
