Snowiest, coldest, hilliest area of Missouri? (St. Louis, Houston: tornadoes, electric, location)

[ShadowCaver]

Originally Posted by BAHOWELL

Husband and I have been searching for a new town and have been looking in the mountains in Utah and Colorado. We're now considering somewhere closer to our families here in Houston so want to see what Missouri can offer close to our original desires.

Love the weather in MO but we want somewhere that is
- very cold (not just touching the twenties once)
-snowy (would like some that sticks around, if you know about how long say)
-hills!

Thank you for taking the time to respond and hope to be there soon!

Out of curiousity, what would you and your beloved consider "somewhere closer"? By driving, how many hours? To get a combo of those three aspects listed, plus be w/in 'reasonable' driving time [say <20 hours] from Houston, Texas,,, honestly, St Joe would be about best bet for something in Missouri. As others have stated, our Ozarkian hills are in the southern part of the state, and for better or worse [depending upon person's desires ] they are not snow-capped or similar to anything found out west [aka UT or CO] - snow lasts in mere days, if not just hours. Moving up the state, more snow, more cold, but hills become rarer - and St Joe is IMHO a mere flicker [no offense to St Joe for not being Estes Park, Denver, Salida, Telluride, etc. ] of what you are after. Also not mountainous, but have you considered MN, WI, and/or MI - all three would definitely have the cold, the snow, and all do have some hillish areas, but you are then getting up to ~20 hour driving range. Good luck!

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by joetownmom

//pics2.city-data.com/w5/snw12523.png (broken link)

This is the "average" snowfall chart for St. Joseph; they definitely get more snow most winters than southern Missouri where I now live.

Unfortunately we get the ice storms more often here.

If you prefer snow to ice, go with St. Joseph as your choice. They also clean the major thoroughfares far better than most cities do in the southern half of MO.

St. Joseph may get a fair amount of snow, but it is little compared to Denver:

//pics2.city-data.com/w5/snw2775.png (broken link)

Or Salt Lake City:

//pics2.city-data.com/w5/snw22418.png (broken link)

Total average snowfall for KCMO is 20.2 inches (can't find stats for St. Joe but I can't imagine it being much different), compared to 60.4 inches for Denver and 57.9 inches for Salt Lake [see: http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/normsnow.html] (http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/normsnow.html%5D - broken link)

Keep in mind that both Denver and SLC are at the base of their respective neighboring mountain ranges, and any of the neighboring small towns that are higher in elevation will receive considerably more snow than either city.

St. Joe may fit the bill for as the best combination of snow and hills in Missouri, but keep in mind the OP was considering Utah or Colorado beforehand. St. Joe recieves much less snowfall that most cities in either of those other states, and is also much less hillier. If the OP is looking for a cold, snowy place like CO or UT, nowhere in Missouri will compare. It may be a great deal colder than Houston, but it isn't the intermountain West. I've spent a fair amount of time in both CO and UT skiing in the winter, and believe me...it is a lot harsher in the winter than anything I've experienced in Missouri.

[Peter B]

If you desire cold & snow, you will be very miserable in Missouri, end of story.

Originally Posted by BAHOWELL

Husband and I have been searching for a new town and have been looking in the mountains in Utah and Colorado. We're now considering somewhere closer to our families here in Houston so want to see what Missouri can offer close to our original desires.

Love the weather in MO but we want somewhere that is
- very cold (not just touching the twenties once)
-snowy (would like some that sticks around, if you know about how long say)
-hills!

Thank you for taking the time to respond and hope to be there soon!

[ozarksboy]

People around here get all excited about snow, and when the weatherman calls for snow, they'll flock to the grocery stores and clear the shelves as if they're going to be snowbound for weeks. I moved my family to Missouri from the South in 1953, so I've been here a good long while. I have never been snowbound, now when we lived way out in the sticks where the hoot owls bugger the chickens and certainly not in Rolla where the main streets are salted down before a snow falls and cleared within hours of the end of the fall.

Oh, sure, sometimes it gets a little hairy. I believe it was in 1983 that the National Guard was called out in south central Missouri because of the snow. We had a good heavy snow in 2002 and another in 2003, but nothing much since.

In other words, to the OP, if you want so much snow that you're going to be snowbound regularly each winter, forget Southern Missouri. In fact, forget Missouri. Go somewhere else you'll like.

[northbayeric]

It was the Blizzard of '82! We had as I recall, close to two feet of snow on the ground in St. Louis back in early 1982, but this was very highly unusual, as was the mercury dropping to 18 below zero in early 1985.

More often, you'll get a cold snap and up to 6 to 8 inches of snow, which is followed pretty quickly by temps in the 40s and low 50s, turning the snow into a lot of gray slush on the streets. I think outside of St. Joseph, it's going to be pretty slim pickings regarding hills, cold, and/or snow. On the other hand, Missouri has a whole lot of other good stuff to offer if the hot summers are OK with the OP.

[joetownmom]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

St. Joseph may get a fair amount of snow, but it is little compared to Denver:



Or Salt Lake City:



Total average snowfall for KCMO is 20.2 inches (can't find stats for St. Joe but I can't imagine it being much different), compared to 60.4 inches for Denver and 57.9 inches for Salt Lake [see: http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/normsnow.html] (http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/normsnow.html%5D - broken link)

Keep in mind that both Denver and SLC are at the base of their respective neighboring mountain ranges, and any of the neighboring small towns that are higher in elevation will receive considerably more snow than either city.

St. Joe may fit the bill for as the best combination of snow and hills in Missouri, but keep in mind the OP was considering Utah or Colorado beforehand. St. Joe recieves much less snowfall that most cities in either of those other states, and is also much less hillier. If the OP is looking for a cold, snowy place like CO or UT, nowhere in Missouri will compare. It may be a great deal colder than Houston, but it isn't the intermountain West. I've spent a fair amount of time in both CO and UT skiing in the winter, and believe me...it is a lot harsher in the winter than anything I've experienced in Missouri.

Of course St. Joe isn't going to compare to Denver - situated in the Rocky Mountains - for snow and cold.

But if someone wants moderation between Colorado winters and a winter with cold weather, some snow, St. Joe fits the bill.

[GraniteStater]

^
Technically, the city of Denver is not IN the Rocky Mountains, but on the very edge of the High Plains at about 5,500ft in elevation. The far southwest and western suburbs are in the Rockies, though.
Most people do not realize how arid Denver is even though they receive over 50+ inches of snow on average. The annual average precipitation for Denver is only 13 inches.

[joetownmom]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

^
Technically, the city of Denver is not IN the Rocky Mountains, but on the very edge of the High Plains at about 5,500ft in elevation. The far southwest and western suburbs are in the Rockies, though.
Most people do not realize how arid Denver is even though they receive over 50+ inches of snow on average. The annual average precipitation for Denver is only 13 inches.

Most "flat landers" aren't going to care if Denver is technically in the Rockies or not. If you can see the Rockies from Denver - and you can - than that's close enough.

[northbayeric]

That makes Denver about as arid as Los Angeles--too dry for my tastes! I've only driven through Denver once, and I remember it being flat, but with the Rockies visible from a distance. In contrast, St. Joseph has some fairly steep terrain right in town. I think St. Joe gets about 36 inches of precipitation per year on average. Nice green springs and early summers!

[ajf131]

Originally Posted by Peter B

If you desire cold & snow, you will be very miserable in Missouri, end of story.

You're from one of the coldest places in the country, I'm not really sure you know what not cold is. By pretty much any definition, Missouri is cold in the winter. Snow is a common occurence, as well as ice. Now, compared to Michigan, I agree, Missouri is not you want if you want a harsh winter. But Missouri definitely qualifies as having real winters. And real summers. Both seasons in most of the state fit the typical definition, although the Northern and central parts of the state have much worse winters compared to the southern half of the state. My point...our winters can be bad, much worse than a lot of places in the country, but also not nearly as bad as many other places in the country. We are somewhere in the middle...kind of makes sense considering our geographic location.