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Interesting
United States Weather Facts and Extremes
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Top 10
cities with most weather variety
Based on temperature variation, precipitation, wind, severe weather
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1. Springfield, Missouri
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2. Topeka, Kansas
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3. Rochester, Minnesota
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4. Wichita, Kansas
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5. Columbia, Missouri
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6. Des Moines, Iowa
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7. Lincoln, Nebraska
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8. Madison, Wisconsin
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9. Concordia, Kansas
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10. Sioux City, Iowa
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Top 10
cities with
least weather variety
Based on temperature variation,
precipitation, wind, severe weather
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1. San Francisco, California
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2. San Diego, California
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3. Los Angeles, California
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4. Santa Barbara, California
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5. Eureka, California
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6. Long Beach, California
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7. Honolulu, Hawaii
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8. Santa Maria, California
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9. San Luis Obispo, California
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10. Kahului, Hawaii
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Top 10 hail prone cities
Based on
frequency and severity of hail
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1. Tulsa, Oklahoma
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2. Amarillo, Texas
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3. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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4. Wichita, Kansas
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5. Dallas / Fort Worth, Texas
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6. Arlington, Texas
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7. Denver, Colorado
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8. Colorado Springs, Colorado
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9. Shreveport, Louisiana
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10. Kansas City, Missouri / Kansas
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Top 10 Tropical storm / Hurricane prone
cities
Average # of years
with no storm. Totals based on data from 1871- 2007, hitting
within 60 miles of the city
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1. Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
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2.49
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2. Delray Beach, Florida
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2.54
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3. Hollywood, Florida
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2.58
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4. Deerfield Beach, Florida
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2.58
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5. Boca Raton, Florida
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2...58
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6. Florida City, Florida
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2.63
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7. Grand Isle, Louisiana
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2.63
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8. Ft. Pierce, Florida
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2.69
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9. Miami, Florida
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2.69
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10. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
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2.69
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Top 10
Tornado states
Avg number
of tornadoes per 10,000 square
miles, occurring from 1953-2004
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1. Florida
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9.4
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2. Oklahoma
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8.2
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3. Kansas
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6.7
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4. Iowa
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6.6
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5. Illinois
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6.2
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6. Indiana
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6.1
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7. Mississippi
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5.7
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8. Maryland
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5.7
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9. Louisiana
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5.6
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10. Texas
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5.2
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Top 10
Thunderstorm
cities
Avg annual number of thunderstorms
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1. Fort Myers, Florida
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89
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2. Tampa, Florida
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87
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3. Tallahassee, Florida
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83
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4. Gainesville, Florida
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81
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5. Orlando, Florida
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80
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6. Mobile, Alabama
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79
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7. W. Palm Beach, Florida
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79
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8. Lake Charles, Louisiana
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76
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9. Daytona Beach, Florida
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75
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10. Vero Beach, Florida
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75
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Top 10 Tornado prone cities
Ranked by tornadoes per 1,000 miles
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1. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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2. Tulsa, Oklahoma
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3. Dallas - Ft. Worth, Texas
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4. Wichita, Kansas
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5. Springfield, Missouri
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6. Kansas City, Kansas / Missouri
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7. Ft. Smith, Arkansas
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8. Little Rock, Arkansas
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9. Jackson, Mississippi
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10. Birmingham, Alabama
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Top 10
Earthquake prone states
# of earthquakes in the last 30 years
centered in the state
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1. Alaska
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2. California
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3. Hawaii
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4. Nevada
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5. Washington
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6. Idaho
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7. Wyoming
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8. Montana
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9. Utah
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10. Oregon
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10
all-time hottest
temperatures
Obtained from state
temperature
records, NCDC
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1. Death Valley, California
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134
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2. Lake Havasu, Arizona
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128
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3. Laughlin, Nevada
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125
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4. Lakewood, New Mexico
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122
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5. Alton, Kansas
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121
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6. Steele, North Dakota
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121
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7. Ozark, Arkansas
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120
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8. Tipton, Oklahoma
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120
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9. Seymour, Texas
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120
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10. Usta, South
Dakota
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120
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10
all-time coldest
temperatures
Obtained from state temperature
records, NCDC
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1. Prospect Creek, Alaska
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-80
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2. Rogers Pass, Montana
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-70
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3. Peters Sink, Utah
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-69
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4. Riverside, Wyoming
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-66
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5. Maybell,
Colorado
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-61
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6. Tower, Minnesota
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-60
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7. Parshall,
North Dakota
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-60
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8. Island Park Dam, Idaho
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-60
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9. McIntosh, South Dakota
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-58
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10. Couderay,
Wisconsin
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-55
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10 hottest
cities
Average annual temperature, F
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1. Key West, Florida
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77..7
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2. Miami, Florida
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75..6
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3. W Palm Beach, Florida
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74..6
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4. Ft. Myers, Florida
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73..9
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5. Yuma, Florida
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73..9
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6. Brownsville, Texas
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73..6
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7. Orlando, Florida
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72..4
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8. Vero Beach, Florida
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72..4
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9. Corpus Christi, Texas
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72..1
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10. Tampa, Florida
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72..0
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10 coldest
cities
Average annual temperature, F
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1. International Falls, Minnesota
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36..4
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2. Duluth, Minnesota
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38..2
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3. Caribou, Maine
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38..9
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4. Marquette, Michigan
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39..2
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5. Sault Ste
Marie, Michigan
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39..7
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6. Fargo, North Dakota
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40..5
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7. Williston, North Dakota
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40..8
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8. Alamosa, Colorado
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41..2
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9. Bismarck, North Dakota
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41..3
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10. St. Cloud, Minnesota
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41..4
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10 driest
cities
Avg annual precipitation in inches
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1. Yuma, Arizona
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2.65
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2. Las Vegas, Nevada
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4.19
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3. Bishop, California
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5.61
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4. Bakersfield, California
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5.72
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5. Phoenix, Arizona
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7.11
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6. Alamosa, Colorado
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7...13
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7. Reno, California
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7.49
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8. Winslow, Arizona
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7.64
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9. El Paso, Texas
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7.82
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10. Winnemucca, Nevada
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7.82
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10 wettest
cities
Avg annual precipitation in inches
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1. Hilo, Hawaii
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128.00
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2. Quillayute,
Washington
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104.50
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3. Astoria, Oregon
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69..60
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4. Blue Canyon, California
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67..87
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5. Mobile, Alabama
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64..64
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6. Tallahassee, Florida
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64..59
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7. Pensacola, Florida
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61..16
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8. New Orleans, Louisiana
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59..74
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9. W Palm Beach, Florida
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59..72
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10. Miami, Florida
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59..55
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10 snowiest cities
Avg annual precipitation in inches
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1. Blue Canyon, California
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240.8
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2. Marquette, Michigan
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128.6
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3. Sault Ste
Marie, Michigan
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116.7
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4. Syracuse, New York
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111.6
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5. Caribou, Maine
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110.4
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6. Mount Shasta, California
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104.9
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7. Lander, Wyoming
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102.5
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8. Flagstaff, Arizona
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99..9
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9. Sexton Summit, Oregon
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97..8
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10. Muskegon, Michigan
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97..0
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10
windiest cities
Avg annual wind speed in mph
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1. Blue Hill Observatory, Massachusetts
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15..4
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2. Dodge City, Kansas
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14..0
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3. Amarillo, Texas
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13..5
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4. Rochester, Minnesota
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13..1
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5. Casper, Wyoming
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12..9
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6. Cheyenne, Wyoming
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12..9
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7. Great Falls, Montana
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12..7
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8. Goodland, Kansas
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12..6
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9. Boston, Massachusetts
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12..5
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10. Lubbock, Texas
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12..4
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10
sunniest cities
Annual percent of possible sunshine
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1.. Yuma, Arizona
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90%
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2. Las Vegas, Nevada
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85%
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3. Phoenix, Arizona
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85%
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4. Tucson, Arizona
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85%
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5. El Paso, Texas
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83%
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6. Flagstaff, Arizona
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79%
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7. Fresno, California
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79%
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8. Reno, Nevada
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79%
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9. Sacramento, California
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78%
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10. Albuquerque, N.M.
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76%
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10
cloudiest cities
Avg number of cloudy days per year
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1. Astoria, Oregon
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240
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2. Quillayute,
Washington
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240
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3. Olympia, Washington
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229
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4. Seattle, Washington
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227
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5. Portland, Oregon
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223
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6. Kalispell, Montana
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213
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7. Binghamton, New York
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212
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8. Beckley, West Virginia
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211
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9. Elkins, West Virginia
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211
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10. Eugene, Oregon
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209
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10 most humid cities
Avg relative humidity in %
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1. Quillayute,
Washington
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83..0
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2. Olympia, Washington
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78..0
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3. Port Arthur, Texas
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77..5
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4. Lake Charles, Louisiana
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77..0
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5. Apalachicola, Florida
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76..5
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6. Gainesville, Florida
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76..5
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7. Corpus Christi, Texas
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76..0
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8. Eugene, Oregon
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75..5
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9. New Orleans, Louisiana
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75..5
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10. Houston, Texas
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75..0
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10 least
humid cities
Avg relative humidity in %
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1. Las Vegas, Nevada
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30..5
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2. Phoenix, Arizona
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37..0
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3. Yuma, Arizona
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38..0
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4.. Tucson, Arizona
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39..0
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5. El Paso, Texas
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42..5
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6. Albuquerque, New Mexico
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44..5
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7. Winslow, Arizona
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46..0
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8. Grand Junction, Colorado
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48..0
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9. Winnemucca, Nevada
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48..5
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10. Reno, Nevada
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50..5
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10
rainiest cities
Number of days per year with rain
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1. Hilo, Hawaii
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277
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2. Quillayute,
Washington
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210
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3. Astoria, Oregon
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191
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4. Elkins, West Virginia
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171
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5. Syracuse, New York
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171
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6. Buffalo, New York
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169
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7. Marquette, Michigan
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168
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8. Sault Ste
Marie, Michigan
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166
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9. Erie, Pennsylvania
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165
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10. Binghamton, New York
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162
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10 least
rainiest cities
Number of days per year with rain
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1. Yuma, Arizona
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17
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2. Las Vegas, Nevada
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26
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3. Bishop, California
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29
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4. Santa Barbara, California
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30
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5. Long Beach, California
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32
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6. Los Angeles, California
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35
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7. Great Falls, Montana
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35
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8. Phoenix, Arizona
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36
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9. Bakersfield, California
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37
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10. San Diego, California
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42
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Largest
annual temperature
variation
Change in average temperature between
summer and winter
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1. Fairbanks, Alaska
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90..8
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2. Bettles,
Alaska
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90..0
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3. International Falls, MN
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88..8
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4. Fargo, North Dakota
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87
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5.Williston, North Dakota
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86..6
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6. Aberdeen, South Dakota
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86..5
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7. McGrath, Alaska
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86..2
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8. Bismarck, North Dakota
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86..1
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9. Alamosa, Colorado
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85..9
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10. St.. Cloud,
Minnesota
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85
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10 most
uncomfortable cities
Average combination of summer heat and humidity
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1. Phoenix, Arizona
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2. Corpus Christi, Texas
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3. San Antonio, Texas
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4. Dallas, Texas
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5. West Palm Beach, Florida
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6. Miami, Florida
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7. Waco, Texas
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8. Houston, Texas
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9. Montgomery, Alabama
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10. New Orleans, Louisiana
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Top 10 clean air cities
Based on long-term
particle pollution
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1.Cheyenne, Wyoming
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2. Santa Fe, New Mexico
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3. Honolulu, Hawaii
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4. Great Falls, Montana
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5. Tucson, Arizona
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6. Anchorage, Alaska
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7. Farmington, New Mexico
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8. Bismarck, North Dakota
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9. Albuquerque, New Mexico
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10. Rapid City, South Dakota
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Top 10 dirty air cities
Based on long-term particle pollution
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1. Los Angeles, California
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2. Bakersfield, California
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3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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4. Visalia, California
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5. Fresno, California
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6. Detroit, Michigan
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7. Hanford, California
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8. Cleveland, Ohio
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9. Atlanta, Georgia
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10. Chicago, Illinois
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Best cities for allergies
Based on pollen
counts from 1999-2002
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1. Grand Rapids, Michigan
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2. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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3. Seattle, Washington
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4. San Francisco, California
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5. Minneapolis, Minnesota
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6. Chicago, Illinois
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7. Syracuse, New York
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8. Salt Lake City, Utah
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9. Los Angeles, California
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10. Denver, Colorado
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Worst cities for allergies
Based on pollen counts from 1999-20002
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1. Kansas City, Mo/Ks
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2. Louisville, Kentucky
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3. Tampa/St. Pete, Florida
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4. Tulsa, Oklahoma
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5. Atlanta, Georgia
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6. Austin, Texas
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7. St. Louis, Missouri
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8. Sacramento, California
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9. Orlando, Florida
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10. Indianapolis, Indiana
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Chart
data sources: The National Climatic Data Center, Riskmeter
Online, Hurricane City, Weatherpages..com, National Lung Association, Sperling's Best Places
- Fastest
warming
12 hour warm-up: 83 degrees. From -33 in
the morning to 50 by late afternoon in Granville, ND
on February 21, 1918
15 minute warm-up: 42 degrees. From -5 to
37 degrees in Fort Assiniboine, Montana on January 19, 1893
7 minute warm-up: 34 degrees in Kipp, Montana in 1896
- Fastest Cooling
24 hour chill: 100 degrees. From 44 to -54
below zero in Browning, Montana on January 23-24, 1916.
12 hour chill: 84 degrees. From 63 to -21
below zero in Fairfield, Montana on December 24, 1924.
2 hour chill: 62 degrees. From 49 at 6:00am
to -13 at 8:00am in Rapid City, South Dakota on January 10, 1911
15 minute chill: 47 degrees. From 55 at
7:00am to 8 at 7:15am in Rapid City, South Dakota on January 10,
1911
Interesting
U.S. weather facts
- Through
August 2007, the U.S. experienced its hottest year ever. During the
month of August, more than 8,000 new heat maximum and minimum
records were set or tied across the country.
- In Hawaii,
where surface temperatures are always above 50F, there is snow.
Between 1 and 2 feet of snow falls each year in the mountains above
5,000
feet.
- The
coldest football game ever played was the NFL Championship Game on
December 31, 1967 in Green Bay, Wisconsin between the Green Bay
Packers and Dallas Cowboys when the temperature fell to -13. The 2007
NFC Championship game in Green Bay between the New York Giants and
Green Bay Packers was the third coldest game in history with a
temperature of -1 and wind chill of -23.
- The
longest rain-free period in the United States was 767 days (2 years,
37 days), from October 3, 1912 to November 8, 1914 at Bagdad,
California.
- A world
record rainfall occurred at Holt, Missouri on June 22, 1947 when it
rained 12 inches in just 42 minutes. This averages to over 1/4 of an
inch of rainfall per minute. On July 4th, 1956 In Unionville,
Maryland 1.23 inches of rain fell in 1 minute.
- The
average yearly temperature of New York, St. Louis and San Francisco
differs by only 1.8F degrees.
- Which is
the least rainy city - Seattle, New York City or Miami? Although on
average Seattle is cloudy 227 days a year, it only receives 39
inches of rain per year, compared to New York City (42 inches) and
Miami (60 inches)
- Is Chicago
really "The Windy City?" Of the 262 major weather
reporting stations in the United States, 27% or 72 stations average
higher annual wind speeds than Chicago, which
averages 10.3 mph... For example, New York City's annual wind
speed is 12.2 mph.
- Due to
Florida's proximity to the equator, the state receives more than a
hundred times the UV exposure that Maine does.
- Cheyenne,
Wyoming averages the most hail storms in the United States per year
with 10 and Tulsa, Oklahoma experiences the most severe hail storms
annually.
- The United
States leads the world with an average of over 1,000 reported
tornadoes each year. A distant second is Canada with an average of
approximately 100 reported tornadoes.
- Kansas has
received the most F5 tornadoes since 1880. Oklahoma encounters the
highest number of significant and violent tornadoes per square mile.
- Of the total
reported tornadoes in the United States each year, 20 can be
expected to be F5 tornadoes with winds over 200 mph and nearly
complete destruction.
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