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Mississippi River does have problems with flooding, but few live along it in the Upper Midwest until you get up near the Twin Cities, and that area of the river is strongly regulated with dams/locks and does not experience much flooding at all. Also, the area of the Mississippi that cuts through the states of WI and MN is in the Driftless region, so the river is lined with giant bluffs on both sides, not lowlands that are prone to flooding. I'd say the Mississippi flooding does very little to tip the scales, proportionately.
All of the cities by the river in the Driftless region are below the bluffs and right by the river.... (La Crosse, Winona, Onalaska, Wabasha, Lake City, Red Wing, etc.), They are very low, so they are definitely prone to flooding. Also, it is not just a "few" that live along it... that's ignoring lots of cities.
But, out of all of the rivers in Minnesota (besides the St. Croix for the most part), the Mississippi gets the least flooding. It is the Minnesota, Red, St. Louis, and several smaller rivers that get much worse flooding.
WOAH. It looks like Phoenix is getting wiped off the map in that pic. How is it like being caught outside in that mess? is it anything like the new Mission Impossible movie???
Used to live in Mesa-not far from Phoenix--You don't want to drive in one of these-it will score your windshield badly.I was at home,windows closed and I was coughing and cleaning for days on end.
The worst part is --if this is true--I heard that these storms stir up ancient PLAGUE BACTERIA AND VIRUSES that have been lying dormant under the soil for decades.Some people,smokers and people with COPD will get violently ill during one of these.They are nasty,filthy,and terrifying.
Seriously, Rochester,NY...no hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, wildfires. Yes, it does snow but it's not really that bad. Summer temps are warm but not super hot. The only negative weather wise is that it is very cloudy and overcast all winter long.
Since I found out yesterday the place I was planning on moving has a serious risk of radiation issues from a defunct Nuclear Power PLant (and a functioning nuclear power plant right IN the city) I have been searching for where you are safest from natural disasters...the answer depends on which list you read and how they are rating things...data can do anything you want it to, depends on what data you put into it...I am trying to get away from earthquake potential and rain in the Pacific Northwest (mostly rain, but my house is situated a mile or 2 from a fault line...so I want to get away from earhquakes too)
Interesting that the first link, a map, shows the entire W coast as being pretty safe...regardless of earthquakes...the reasoning being is thast they don't occur as frequently as bad weather that occurs frequently in other places
I have a 2nd home an hour S of Phoenix and could never stand the heat there, yet looking at where I was thinking of moving in the mountains N of Phoenix there is danger of earthquakes, wildfires, arsenic in water and radon in the ground...
I am also seeing in perusing these various sites that the "safest" place to live in the country depends on what list you read...it varies from list to list
One thing I have noticed is that some of the safest places to live are also the least desirable as far as weather is concerned...where I grew up (Long Isalnd, NY) was listed on one list as the safest place in the country...unfortunately, #1 who the heck can afford to live there #2 due to hubbies job I have to stay in the western part of the country...
...the data I am finding is such a confusing mish mash and the info varies (and contradicts) from site to site...
The old saying with computers applies here...GIGO=garbage in garbage out
Everything depends specifically on what issues they are looking at...
I'm starting to think you might as well take a map, get a box of darts and start throwing LOL
Phoenix and most of Arizona has arsenic in the water. You get that with copper in the ground. If you can tolerate the heat for 6 months, and the lack of beaches and greenery, Go fo Phoenix. We all have our favorite landscape, and the desert is fine for short periods, for many. The colder climates carry fewer diseases and more variety in locally grown food, flowers and outdoor activities. Safer hint, cold weather you can add layers, extreme heat, you ca only take so much clothing off.
Last edited by MaWis; 08-14-2013 at 06:37 PM..
Reason: misspelling
Along with derechos/straight line winds, and even wildfires. We haven't had any major wildfires here any time recently. or even for a long time, but it can get really dry and windy here, and when it does, the Twin Cities are often at very high risk for wildfires. They just don't seem to happen very often.
People also underestimate blizzards. Yes, we get them decently often, but those are usually just bad snowstorms, not true, full out blizzards. What people don't realize is that blizzards to have a huge potential for loss of life.
Here's your average dangers from a blizzard:
2) High winds, ice, and snow cause low visibility and slippery roads, making it extremely dangerous for cars, light rail, and airplanes.
3) High snow totals can shut down transportation, and if the snow is enough, can cause people problems with being trapped in homes and vehicles, and can literally shut down the city.
4) High winds from blizzards mixed with icy snow can hurt people very badly (cut them) if they are outside.
5) High winds from blizzards and low temperatures can make it deadly just to walk outside.
But here's what can make blizzards in the Upper Midwest really dangerous:
First of all, a lot of snow can collapse homes and buildings (like the storm that collapsed the Metrodome, or the big snow storm in Owatonna this past May), which kills people and costs a lot of money.
Second of all, very high winds, very low temperatures, and high snow combined do cause a natural disaster that can kill a lot of people. High snow totals bury houses and roads, and then snow plows are often taken off of the roads. When you have a blizzard with winds 60-70mph+, that can knock out power lines. When you knock out power, people lose heating. When people lose heating, their houses begin to become the same temperature as outside, which if that is below 0, the houses get colder quicker. People then die of hypothermia, especially during the night, when they end up sleeping and not staying active. (People also try to light fires for warmth, which if gone wrong, can spread and burn down large amounts of neighborhoods, due to the dry air and inaccessibility of the fire department.) Also, it is hard for rescue efforts to occur, because of the large amount of snow burying everything. Now imagine all of that happening in the middle of a big city in large quantities. It hasn't happened yet, but it is overwhelmingly possible. Blizzards can indeed have high death tolls, from on the highways to homes without power. Not to mention the fact that large snow totals can pile up on the weak roofs of poorly or even well built houses, which can cause the roofs to collapse under the weight. People can't always go outside to get the snow off of their roofs, because the cold air or wind would kill them by either hypothermia or by falling.
People from warm states don't know all of the possibilities of disaster that blizzards can have.
People from cold states do not realize the dangers of extreme heat and lack of water, coupled with wild fires and dust storms. I am sure many mor epeople die of heat realted maladies than cold.
No New Mexico mentioned? SHAME ON THE ORIGINAL POSTER, and everybody else that didn't mention it.
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Been there done that got the tee shirt
