Yesterday I shared with you our top 10 Best Weather Cities and today we have flipped the coin and look at what might be considered the worst weather locations in the USA. Since I live in Maine, cold temperatures, rain and snow is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, many people commented when we ran our list that it takes character to live in some o the harsher climates. But, we have to use the same criteria as we did yesterday which include sunshine, sky conditions, precipitation, humidity and wind to determine the “worst” cities for weather.
1. QUILLAYUTE, WASHINGTON—Ever heard of it? Neither had we. In fact, it’s not a city but a location where weather data is accumulated and because of the numbers, it ranks as the number one worst weather location. It is tied with Astoria, Oregon as the cloudiest U.S city (240 days) it is the most humid (83% relative humidity), and it is second in terms of rain (104.5 inches) and number of rainy days (210).
2. ASTORIA, OREGON—ties Quillayute for cloudiest in the nation (240 days), and comes in third in terms of wetness (69.6 inches per year/191 days).
3 & 4. MARQUETTE and SAULT ST. MARIE, MICHIGAN—We had a tie between these cities. They ranked number four and five (respectively) in terms of the coldest U.S. cities and numbers two and three as the snowiest cities. They both also ranked seventh and eighth among the rainiest cities. If you enjoy lots of rain, snow and cold weather, these are two places you must visit!
5 & 6. SYRACUSE and BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK—Similarly, two cities in New York State ran very close to each other in terms of cloud cover and precipitation. Syracuse ranks fourth among the rainiest cities in the U.S. (171 days); Binghamton came in tenth (162 days). Binghamton is among the top ten cloudiest cities (212 cloudy days annually) while Syracuse ranks fourth among the snowiest cities with 111.6 inches annually. Being adjacent to the St. Lawrence storm track and subject to color air masses approaching from the west and north, these cities must continually endure unsettled weather patterns.
7. ELKINS, WEST VIRGINIA—tied Syracuse for fourth rainiest city in the U.S. and also ranked just behind Binghamton in the number of cloudy days (211).
8. NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA—landed among the top ten in terms of wettest cities (59.74 inches annually) as well as among the most humid (75.5%). Living in New Orleans during the summer requires air conditioning!
9. EUGENE, OREGON—Ranked high in the cloud and humidity department. It experiences 209 cloud-filled days annually, and has an average relative humidity that ties New Orleans for eighth place overall.
On a positive note, the abundant moisture and moderate temperatures result in rapid growth of timber evergreens. This is a major industry here.
10. HILO, HAWAII—Hawaii is usually assumed to a paradise with sun-filled skies and perfect weather year-round. But this is not necessarily the case with Hilo. This humidity is number one among U.S. cities in terms of average annual precipitation with a whopping 128 inches. In fact, the wettest part of Hawaii (over 200 inches) is only about six miles up-slope from the city limits. Hilo also ranks number one in terms of the number of rainy days (277). So there is at least a 75 percent chance that on any given day in Hilo, some rain will fall.
Weather is just that, weather. We love it, we hate it. We talk about it every day. If you’re getting married you want sunshine, if you’re going to ski, it has to snow. Want a tan, hey, sunshine is a must. We all live in communities for a variety of reasons. The criteria we used to select our ten best and worst weather cities were strictly statistical.
In the near future, check the Farmers’ Almanac™ web site. We’ll be asking you to comment on your favorite weather cities and watch for a new list.
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Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. 
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.
60 comments
I can’t believe Miami, Florida didn’t make the list. Long gone are the beautiful sunny skies that used to dominate the state. Florida has been plagued with mostly rainy weather, tornadoes and hurricanes.
This list is wrong. There is no comparison between weather on the west coast and the rest of the US. The Pacific Northwest has dry summer and wet winters. But this is only West of the Cascades, ther rest is desert and very dry.
Hilo Hawaii? A tropical rainstorm is that dumps an inch of rain in 30 minutes can not be compared to the upped peninsula of michigan or the cloudier cities on the east coast.
Finally…it’s April 19th and this November 1st, 2013…my partner Joey and I are finally our of Oregon and in Southern California forever….it must have took an extra year to make this happen…but its happening! gonna be 75-80 end of the week….not bad for April but WE MUST HAVE SUN EVERY DAY! PERIOD! God blessed us with a decent income for California too–hope people see the light about this Oregon…..if you are lazy and wanna rot away–its a great place—no sun and rain yucko! loveugodbless tj kabbalah matthewshepard madonnalicious
Lived in Portland OR for a little over a year, the gloomy dark skies really took a toll on the family. We moved as soon as we got the opportunity, fortunate to be able to do so. While there are many things to do there, the weather can be overwhelmingly oppressive/depressive. While I would go back to visit- it would not be in the Portland area, possibly Bend where the sun does shine.
This is not an intelligent list. I was born and raised in Seattle and now live in Portland. While our winter climate is undeniably wet the temperatures here very, very rarely drop below freezing. Winter days where the high temperature is below 40 degrees are uncommon. Similarly snow is extremely rare here because the winter temperatures are always so mild (generally between 40 and 50).
Let’s not forget that summers in the Northwest are extremely dry. In fact, NW summers are drastically drier than the summers of most cities in the Midwest, the South or the East Coast – look it up. This is why cities like Atlanta, Orlando, Charlotte, etc.., actually receive more average rainfall than Seattle every year. Summer days in Portland/Seattle are almost always completely cloudless from start to finish with ZERO humidity whatsoever.
Is the Portland/Seattle climate for everybody? No. But I have traveled extensively and I can assure you that Seattle/Portland have very pleasant, mild climates compared to the extreme crap that some people have to deal with.
Without taking Alaska into account, I’d say this is pretty much invalid. Places in the arctic regularly see blizzards with wind chills of -80°F. Interior temps in the winter can be -60°F. The gulf coast can get 30 feet of snow in a season, the southeast is much like Washington and Oregon except it flirts with colder weather a lot more. Then take in the arctic hurricanes that plague the aleutian chain and kodiak island. And the wind that forms through the terrain gaps when a massive arctic high pressure system collides with a deep low. There’s a reason most of this state isn’t inhabited. In anchorage today, the state’s largest city, it is forecasted to gust over 100mph. At least summers can be nice, as long as you like foggy cool rain with nearly unlimited daylight
Without taking Alaska into account, I’d say this is pretty much invalid. Places in the arctic regularly see blizzards with wind chills of -80°F. Interior temps in the winter can be -60°F. The gulf coast can get 30 feet of snow in a season, the southeast is much like Washington and Oregon except it flirts with colder weather a lot more. Then take in the arctic hurricanes that plague the aleutian chain and kodiak island. And the wind that forms through the terrain gaps when a massive arctic high pressure system collides with a deep low. There’s a reason most of this state isn’t inhabited. In anchorage today, the state’s largest city, it is forecasted to gust over 100mph. At least summers can be nice, as long as you like foggy cool rain with nearly unlimited daylight
i moved here (salem, oregon, halfway between portland and eugene) 34 years ago and have never looked back. people in the willamette valley either love it (most) or hate it and leave. we have one depressing month, February, and June sort of sucks because it is spring and the beautiful flowers are out and you want it to be sunny. but after living in LA and the smog for 23 years and then coming here where the air is pristine after it rains is awesome. most of the cloudy days there is little or no rain so it really isnt bad and it is so easy on your skin and eyes. the other good thing is that if you dont mind the weather you can live in an uncrowded state that has a low cost of living and lots of culture in portland or eugene. americas best kept secret
I got very depressed in Portland, Oregon. Winter’s what, 8 months? And gloomy, drizzly days are almost constant even when it isn’t freezing. Hilo is depressing too. You gotta have sun, but as we learned in Arizona and New Mexico, too much is equally as bad. San Diego tends to be relatively nice most of the time, but I really don’t wish to live in California anymore. We ended up in Florida, on the top east coast side. Not too much hurricane threat, but wow, the humidity! Winter is great, so we only suffer half the year, so it’s a good place for us. The beaches are what make it all worthwhile too.
I’ve lived in the Eugene Oregon area for 34 years now and would never consider leaving.
I love the amount of rain we get, the air is always fresh and clean. It’s never too cold in winter or too hot in summer except for a few days each. It’s so well situated, an hour to the coast, plenty of fishing spots nearby, and the snow and mountains only a couple of hours away while the big city, Portland is also just 2 hours form here.
Sheyna people are correct about Oregon weather–it is June 30th and STILL NO SUN! Umm…it’s been like this since October. My partner and I are moving to San Diego, CA for good on October 1st! Portland, OR is HELL to anyone that is not numbing and coping themselves to live here! Better get ready to hear your soul in your house or be at one of the packed bars/coffee houses in the area! Pacific NW living SUCKS–vitamin D3 deficient and rain is depressing….period! How can a city get along when everyone is PISSED off from the rain? ADIOS Portland in “93″ days…won’t miss you! LoveUGodBless T and J kabbalah matthewshepard madonnalicious
Cheyenne – the Farmers’ Almanac does not cover Alaska or Hawaii. Only the lower 48.
I was wondering about this. I’d say the writers of this article are looking a little bit narrowly. Cold Bay, AK and Cordova, AK (both located on islands) have 300+ cloudy days and experience very harsh winters and relatively mild summers (60 degree F!) My family lived in Kodiak, AK for several years while my father was in the military and experienced hurricane-force winds, 6 months of darkness, and -45 temps. I’d say anywhere in southern AK really needs to be put on this list
Call me weird, but I love cloudy, rainy days, and cold cold winters. In fact, I could take cold year round. Can’t take heat and humidity any more.
I live outside Hilo Hawaii and I have to agree it is a wet area. What I have found is that most of the rain starts in the evening and usually ends by mid morning. On the bright side, the average temperture is around 65 for the low and 80 for the high and that temperture is pretty constant all year long.
Why do people always asume rain as depressing weather haven’t you ever seen a movie romantic scenes happen in rain all the time i even had some.
Yeah i’m kinda in love with rain
Hee Hee’s
Wow now i really wants to go to Quillayute
Hilo weather sucks every building is moldy and has frens growing in the gutters and roofing. And the city doesn’t do much to make the city look nice either sadly..bright paint would help but most of hilo is white and moldy
Anyone who says ALL of Oregon and Washington is the worst is an idiot. GO EAST OF THE CASCADES, MORON! I live in the Tri-Cities, Pasco to be exact, which is the SE corner of Washington. We have four major seasons, but we are considered desert. What?? Desert in WASHINGTON? Yep!! The Cascade mountains create a rain shield and we see little rain. Sure, we get it, but not much! It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. We have beautiful orchards on the irrigated farms and trees everywhere due to the three rivers that flow in our area. I’m so glad to be OUT OF WESTERN WASHINGTON and am living in this wonderful community. Wine country, apples, camping and boating. Skiing is just over an hour. Who could want more???
Thank God other people out there are aware of how awful Binghamton weather is. After living there for a few years now, I can’t tell you how oppressive the weather can be. In the winter you can get week-long stretches where the temperature won’t get above 10 degrees and warm weather (regularly over 55 degrees) only lasts from May to mid October. But the real killer is the constant overcast and precipitation and when these conditions are mixed with the dilapidated rust-belt surroundings it gets unbelievably depressing.
This list is silly. Were geography and climate at all utilized as criteria for this list? Marquette and Sault Ste Marie? These cities, when compared to cities of a similar latitude, actually have a more moderate climate due to the influence of the lakes- warmer winters and cooler summers than surrounding areas. Granted Lake Superior is an incredible, persistent lake-effect snow machine, the lake also helps to shield the area from extremely bitter cold weather systems that plunge southward during the winter. Quillayute and Astoria??? Sure, they are cloudy much of the year, but these areas are geographically absolutely beautiful and both areas experience moderate, pleasant temperatures all year and are not prone to extremes- warm or cold.
Nowhere on this list are cities in the interior of the United States with a continental climate which experience drastic temperature extremes in the summer and winter. The Dakotas, Kansas or Nebraska??? 100+ temps in the summer and extreme, bitter cold in the winter with sub zero wind-chills that eclipse 40 below zero. This list is nothing but fluff.
There are SO many bad weather throughout the US, so I do not know what city has the “worst weather” in the country. When I hear about horrible weather in other states, I became aware of how lucky I am that I live in California instead of state like Minnesota. My parents grew up in Upstate New York and told me how there is so much snow in the winter. I have never experienced weather as cold as -40 degrees F, and I do not even want to begin to imagine how miserable it might be. Unfortunately, I have visited Arizona, Utah, and Nevada in the summer, and it was SO HOT. The hottest weather I ever experienced is in Las Vegas in August at a temperature of 123 degrees F. That was a miserable experience.
How about some losy weather prop’s for Boston: Harsh winters; it rains too much; it’s windy; the east wind off of the ocean keeps it frigid at the coast into June. If you like 50 and drizzly, it’s the place for you.
A horrible spot, especially after having lived in SD for a while. Talk about California dreamin’
Most mid-West states such as MN and IL have the worst weather in my opinion. Spring? actually those states do not have spring season. travelers even see snow and feel cold temp. in May. Summer? Too hot and humid suck! Fall? not bad until middle of Nov. Winter starts after middle of Nov. Too much snow really toooo much. And Too cold. It’s so suprised to me how people here live the terrible winter season. Most west costs states such as WA, OR, and CA are far more better than those states. Is there someone who consider to move to IL or MN from states in West coast, Please Please think again. I lived 2 years cities in West coast, and now unfortunatly, I have been living in MN for about year and half so I can tell exactly how different weather between West coast and mid-west coast. Terrible road condition due to too cold weather. Very streesful to drive car. And there are no mountain. too bad for those who wants hiking. After I live here over one year, I know why people say WA is “Evergreen STATE” And people’s temper in Mid-West is not good. I miss WA and Summer and fall season in WA too, and sleepless SEATTLE and Bellvue and Kirkland. What a nice state!
I grew up in Thousand Oaks CA and remember 2001 like it was yesterday (or was it 2002, 2003 or 2004?). 342 days of sunshine, hardly any rain. It was dreadful. Winters were mild but sometimes it would rain. In spring the skies were sometimes overcast and we would stay indoors to avoid the chill. I can remember trying to keep busy all morning long just waiting for 8 or 9am to roll around so the fog would burn off just so we could go outside. Summers were warm and dry which would leave us yearning for Winter. Later in fall, the winds would kick up and it would get up into the high 80’. While not totally comparable to Syracuse NY or say Ohio, it was no picnic. Except for those 342 days of course.
Anywhere in Oregon or Washington is the worst. We used to run a gps company for tinymaps and it was impossible setting in Seattle, Eugene, and Portland Oregon. I have many friends in those areas. All of them are delusional and in denial. It’s because they haven’t seen real life and how great life is when the normal is good weather. You don’t hear people in Arizona or Florida bragging about a beautiful day. In Oregon and Washington when there’s a nice day everyone reminds you what a nice day because they are in shock.
to paraphrase tony kornheiser from PTI, binghamton is cloudy or raining 300 days a year and it snows the other 65.
I think that Fargo North Dakota should be one of the top five or at least one of the top ten places with the worst weather because half of the year – October through March – we have snow, we also get expected blizzards, and wind storms that make you lose electricity. January is the worst month in the winter because it can drop to -40 degrees F. Although we only get like three months of summer they can reach up to about 50 degrees F. and hotter. Between winter and spring we have a flood – it’s called “season number five” -, and during flood season we make literally thousands and thousands of sandbags to protect our city. Also the seasons change pretty dramaticly so in the beginning of winter, fall is just ending. So as you can see, I personally think we – Fargo North Dakotins – have it pretty tough.
Scranton, PA has the most wretched weather of any city in the U.S. Over 200 days of dreary, overcast skies. When it’s sunny, it’s just a brighter overcast. Dismal. Dead economy. Depressing as hell. Rains a shit ton during late spring/early summer.
This may surprise a few of you, but I think Sydney, Australia is WAY overrated for its climate. On the bright side, we have very mild and sunny winters, but our summers can be ridiculously overcast and it is quite common to get cool days with maximums around 70C. It is Monday night as I type and we haven’t seen the sun since Friday and that is after a week of low sunshine. Looking ahead, the next 7 days forecast is simply “cloudy”.
Sun lovers beware – it is not all beaches and sun here. Part of the problem is that when you live in a sunny country, it is painful thinking you are in the a&*e end of the sunshine stakes!
They should just say the rust belt of ny is 4th, everywhere from buffalo to albany. I grew up in Syracuse, and ended up in Astoria. Some got no luck…
I was born and lived most of my life in Tennessee. Compared to what others have described, the weather in TN is very nice. There are four seperate seasons. The winters can be cold and wet and the summers can be hot and humid. But, for the most part they’re not extreme. Spring and autumn there are BEAUTIFUL. If you like four different seasons, TN is a nice place to live. I’ve lived around Savannah, GA too. It’s very nice there. Winters are mild, summers hot and humid. I lived in New Orleans last year and the weather was NOT at all what I expected. The summer was hot and HUMID, the winter was cold and HUMID. My opinion, AWFUL weather there.
Worse weather;
Anywhere between buffalo NY and the PA border
Clouds 311 days a year, not to mention snow, rain, wind, cold. Dreary conditions.
Clear days only when the lakes freeze over.
The poor economy and decayed cities in the area don’t help either.
No wonder they have such a high consumption of alcohol
The 2 weeks of summer are nice though
Donald – Like a wise man once said: “It takes all kinds to have a ‘mankind’”…
So according to these comments…everywhere in the US sucks and nobody enjoys living. Ok, good to know that we’re all optimists here.
Ugggggg! I was born and raised on Oahu Hawaii. I HATED the heat and humidity and sun, it sickened me.
I moved to Seattle and LOVED the cool, overcast and wet climate.
Until I had my son and spent my 6th winter here
Having a kid changes EVERYTHING. Your kid and you are stuck in your dang house all F’ing winter going stir crazy. Your kid wants to run around and play and be outside, but it’s cold and raining so you can’t. Then you get depressed and start longing for some sun and heat and feel bad for your kid because they’re cooped up inside all day 
I have a toddler and anyone who has or has had a toddler knows that they only last so long inside without bringing the walls down. I am LONGING for months of some nice, sunny and warm weather so my kid and I can be outside. Sadly this year we got nearly none and this has been a record crappy spring and summer and it is DEPRESSING and I am NOT looking forward to winter at all. I am seriously considering going back to Hawaii for a month but I can’t because I’m trying to finish school so we can move somewhere warmer and dryer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is August and like 70 degrees and has been rainy and overcast all week
Washington is such a beautiful state and so green and gorgeous and so diverse. But I can’t live here anymore, I could if I didn’t have a kid. But I can’t take being stuck inside because you don’t want your kid getting sick from being in the ice rain and wind and cold. I would go out in the elements regardless of what it was like in the winter before my son. But that ain’t happening anymore and I can’t stand being stuck inside, it is depressing.
Never in my life have I dreaded winter like I am this year.
I measure weather by the full year. A pace may be awful one season but be beautiful the next making it worth it. New York City annual weather? Sucks about 75% of the time. Snow, bone chilling angry winds, sleet, rain and Cooooold temps for 7 months followed by 2 weeks of gorgeous, followed by disgusting, constant day/night hot HUMIDITY. Cannot wait to get out of here.
Until you’ve lived here, u don’t know how bad Chicago weather can be. I don’t care what u’ve read and where u get your data, NOTHING can prepare for this weather and NOTHING can even remotely make u understand how bad it is. Until you’ve experienced snow and 75 degrees in the same week…your weather experince is better than Chicagos. Until you expect a high of 30 in January and step outside only to realize it feels like 8, your weather experince is better than Chicagos. Until you leave the house inshorts and a tanks and get closer to the lake and realize you need a sweater too, your weather experience is better than Chicagos. We have the most unpredictable, coldest, windiest, most humid, hottest weather imaginable!! I’ve been all across the country too, and nothing really compares! Granted, there are lovely days full of sunshine and 70 or 80degree weather but those are overshadowed by the storms, blizzards, heat waves, floods, power outages, etc. Live here and you’l see y chicago should have been on this list!
Let’s divide it up into categories.
That way, people can determine what is good or bad: (Excluding Alaska)
Hottest (dry): Lake Havasu City, Yuma, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and anywhere else in southern Arizona or southeastern California.
Coldest winters: International Falls, Duluth, Fargo, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis, and anywhere else in northern Minnesota or the Dakotas.
Hottest (humid): Houston, Laredo, New Orleans, Fort Myers, and anywhere in south Texas or Florida
Cloudiest/Rainiest: Seattle, Portland, Syracuse, Cleveland, Duluth, and anywhere else in coastal Washington or Oregon.
Chilly summers: San Francisco, Portland, Duluth.
Pittsburgh should be on your list,it is on most.Unfortunately,I have been stuck here for 18 years due to the birth of my beloved son..he is my life.
But life in Pittsburgh is,indeed”hell with the lid off,”due to heavy year round cloud cover, interspersed with roughly 50 to 60 days of sunshine occuring in the
autumn and spring of the year.Summer leaden gray skies are very common with ,
perhaps 6 -8 days in a row ,or more ,of NO SUN.
SAD disease suffererers beware.I have travelled extensively for 50 years and
WRETCHED is the word for the climate here.
Anyone hear of Ketchikan, Alaska? With an average of 162 inches of rain a year and a record of 201, there is nowhere else that compares in this country save for a remote mountaintop in Hawaii. You want dreary? Try 300 clody days a year. When I live there we had 29 inches of rain…in October. That year (2004 or 2005) we had 199 inches of rain, including one stretch of 39 straight days with rain… And this doesn’t factor the nearly weekly hurricane force winds in the Fall and the snowfall in the winter. After living there and in other colder parts of Alaka for year, including Valdez which just received 77 inches of snow in one storm, Wisonsin, where I now, hopefully temporarily, reside is downright pleasant.
I THINK BALDWIN MICHIGAN IS WAY UP THERE IN THE WORSE PLACES IN THE WINTER, ROADS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS ICE COVERED, ALOT MORE SNOW HERE THAN EVER REPORTED,IN THE WINTER OF 2008 THERE WAS A WINTER STORM WARNING EVERY WEEK END, AND 109 INCHES OF SNOW IN OUR BACK YARD, WOW! PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE HAVE SNOW PLOWS AND 4 WHEEL DRIVES OR YOU ARE STAYING HOME, NICE HUH,LOL.
THANKS
TERRY
If the method to select these cities was statistical, then you can’t interject the words “best” and “worst” in your criteria. Statistics are objective. “Best” and “worst” are subjective. Some people LOVE cloudy weather. Some people LOVE snow. Some people LOVE cool or cold conditions. Some people LOVE rain. Yes, some people love the opposite too, but you already assume that. The point is that you can’t assume that. BEST for some people is a place that is always cloudy, cool, and maybe drizzly. For others, it is hot and sunny, for some it may be cold and sunny, and for yet others it may be warm and cloudy, maybe with thunderstorms. Everyone is DIFFERENT. Please understand that.
I’m surprised no Ohio cities are on the “worst” list. I’ve lived in Ohio all my life. The weather here sucks — it’s so unpredictable. It rains too much and we don’t have enough sunny days. It can be cold in July and hot in November. You might have to turn your heat on in the morning and your a/c on in the afternoon. I hate it here.
AMEN JUDY!!!! Chicago is by far the worst. I can’t imagine that it was not first on the list. When the sun shines here it’s a reason to celebrate…and believe me, we hardly ever celebrate. I use to be the “poster child” for why Chicago was all that. Well, I am over that. My job takes me all over the country. My eyes are open. This place truly is the arm pit of the country. It is almost always cloudy and overcast. Emotions are affected. Is there any wonder why Chicago is coming to be known as the Killing Capital of the World. These doggone people are all depressed from the weather. Get me out of here. I’ll take Atlanta in a New York minute!
I grew up in Sault Ste Marie! Yes it”s very cold in the winter with way too much snow. But I also remember a lot of sunny days and it’s nice in the summer during the days when it’s sunny……Alright, I guess the weather’s pretty rough there. I’m moving to San Diego.
Actually Trevor, the author said that Astoria was cloudy, he didn’t say it was dreary. For some people, cloudy is great and sun is dreary. Many of the people who live here in the Northwest like myself agree.
It’s subjective, just like the author’s use of the word “worst.”
Living In Astoria All My Life, I would have to agree to it being an extremely dreary place. December of 2007 was the worst storm I have ever seen here, with 100+ MPH gusts, we were without power for a week (or More).
I lived in Syracuse, NY as a kid in the 60′s and 70′s, I remember the blizzard of 66 with 13ft drifts, 60+mph winds, snow covered the entire back of our house up to the gutters in drifts. Then in June 1970 on a Saturday afternoon a wild thunderstorm with winds over 80 mph maybe close to 90mph trees bending to the ground wind and rain blowing so hard you could not see anything outside we thought the tree had been ripped from the ground. Syracuse is hit often by very violent thunderstorms – once about ever 7 – 10 years on average, case in point labor day 1998 winds in excess of 100mph AT 115am raked Syracuse doing a lot of destruction at the fairgrounds and downtown Syracuse. A derecho they called it . In the seven years I lived there, from 1963 – 1970 I saw many bad windstorms, snowstorms, thunderstorms. I’ve lived in a lot of places in my entire life, NH, CT, MI, SC, CA, Japan, VA, and NJ and of all the places I’ve lived, Syracuse had the worst most violent weather. The only thing that topped it was a typhoon I experience while stationed in okinawa japan in 1980 on Columbus day the wind got to almost 100mph,
Alex, I live in Washington so I’m nearby Oregon. It’s very hard to answer your question, because “worst” and “overcast” are completely opposite terms to many people. I will try though… in Seattle, we get some really nice overcast days, where it’s not so bright and the sun doesn’t interfere through the clouds. But we do get some “worse” overcast days as well, when it’s cloudy, but it’s still really bright and the sun can start penetrating through the clouds. We have a lot of those. I suppose that’s what you mean by “worst overcast” days. But they still are a lot better than what we see here seven months of the year, which is nothing but sun.
If you’re getting married, you don’t necessarily want sunshine. Many people would be much more comfortable (especially in tuxes and dresses!!) in cool, cloudy weather. It’s all subjective.
Ahmm… I was thinking of moving to Hawaii. I live in New Mexico and love the desert and heat. So, I was wondering, besides Hilo, what are the rainiest and most overcast towns in Hawaii? I want to live in a small town but need to know which ones to avoid. If you can help thanks soo much!
hi i was wondering what small towns get the worst overcast days beside places in Oregon?
Savannah, Georgia would be a toss-up. From May 1 through November 1, it is unbearably hot and muggy. Temperatures in the 80s and 90s with heat indices regularly topping out in the upper 90s/low 100s. Prepare to pay $200-$300 a month to run your AC. Thunderstorms occur 4 to 5 days a week and hurricanes are an ever-looming threat (though Savannah has not had a direct hit from a hurricane in 30 years). Fall and spring are very nice- temperatures in the 60s and 70s, lower humidity and lows in the 40s and 50s. Winter is pleasant, too…highs in the 50s and 60s, little rain, no snow and very few days with low temperatures sub-freezing.
Worst weather cities in the US are most cities in central/southern Arizona, Nevada, California (particularly southern California), a lot of the west (not much clouds or rainfall once you get east of the coastal mountain ranges), and places in southern Texas (though thunderstorms do help). Why aren’t any of these mentioned on this list??
No sorry, but I don’t agree with you Judy! Firstable, the average High in January is 30 and not 17 at Chicago. 17 is the average Low ! Don’t try to get worse the climate of your city, please…
It’s sure that the wind is not the most pleasant weather characteristic of the Windy city, especially in the winter.
Though, Chicago has the fortune to experience nearly 2,500 hours of sunshine during a normal year, while some parts of the North West coastal region experiences less than 1,600 hours (above all, their winters are very poor in sunshine hours and very plenty of rainy days and rain amounts).
Actually, Chicago only knows 125 days of precipitation a year on the average, while some parts of these famous North West coastal region have to receive more than 200 days a year ! Maybe there are not as many thunder days as in Chicago, but 10 or even 15 straight rainy days are quite common, especially during the winter !
Moreover, the relative humidity are really higher in these same region than in Chicago. At all this lovely picture, you can add that nights during the summers are always cool and never mild !
But if you consider all the 50 States, some spots in Alaska are without any doubt worse than those I described… Then I would choose Juneau, but it’s still another tale…
I was just in Hilo and I think it should be closer to number one worst weather cities in the world! While I was there from Friday March 6th at 4pm it started to rain…it didn’t stop once until 58 hours later. It went from drizzle rain to pouring rain and no breaks or stopping even for a second. Ended up with something like 14 to 16 inches. A friend said it Hilo is known as the armpit of Hawaii and now I know it is true! What a shit hole…why would anyone want/choose to live/go there? I’ll never go back…a total waste of my vacation.
I would like to nominate Ithaca, NY, for that list. It falls exactly between Syracuse and Binghamton, and will be cloudy even when those cities have sun.
Of course, if you haven’t guessed, I am talking about CHICAGO, that toddling town. I put it at the top of the post but it came out as a Website!?
CHICAGO, IL. This is my vote for worst weather in the USA, 48 lower states of course.
I just spent six month, including the summer, in what I consider the worst weather, be it summer, winter, spring or fall!
In the summer it gets into the 80′s and 90′s but the humidity is usually the same or often HIGHER than the temperature. Mosquitos, bees, flies, etc. love it there and breed in the ponds and puddles. A picnic is a challenge and bring the bug killer.
In the spring there are thunderstorms galore. Loud thunder, lightning, hail, and sometimes 2 or 3 straight days of rain and drizzle. There are weeks when you don’t see the sun. The humidity is awful then too.
The fall is actually the best (after the first freeze) It kills most of the wasps, bees, and yellow jackets, etc. if you have a day or two below 32. You may be able to safely sit on your patio.
Winter is either raining, snowing, or there are 2 inches of frozen snow on your car from an ICE STORM. The average high is 17, but with the wind chill factor, below zero is common in January and February. The windchill factor one day during my visit was Minus 51!!! This is true.
Why don’t you ever mention this arm-pit of the US?
Sure, there are rivers and streams and large green trees. Therefore, commerce grew there.
But I dread going back, and so does my car! LOL (undercarriage rots really fast)
Anyone agree?
Thanks,
Judy (worn out just getting to work)
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