Friday: The 6 Most Snowiest Cities in the US

Looking at a 30 year annual average snowfall from the National Climate Center of the National Weather Service, the Weather Channel compiled a list of the top 6 cities that receive the most snow on average. To add dramatic effect I put them in reverse order.

Number 6: Boonville, New York
Claiming to be the "Snow Capital of the East", Boonville, which is located smack dab in Lake Ontario's snow belt, receives an average of 197.3" of snow per year. Cool westerly winds and some help from Orographic lifting, as known as mountains, help make this particular area prone to get tons and tons of snow.

Number 5: Lead, South Dakota
Lead, which is pronounced Leed, is located in the Northern region of the Black Hills. Influenced by many Canadian low pressure systems it's no wonder that Lead receives an average of 201.4" of snow per year. Pictured below is one of Lead snow storms in 2011.

Number 4: Truckee, California
Located near the north shore of Lake Tahoe, Truckee receives an average of 202.6" of snow per year. Most of the snow that falls in Truckee comes from strong Pacific storms. Truckee most infamous storm came in 1880, when a storm dropped a whopping 16 feet, yes I said FEET of snow, in a four day period. This is thought to be a world record. Truckee is also known for is frigid temperatures. Below is a picture of Truckee Christmas of 2011.

Number 3: Hancock, Michigan
Coming in at number 3, Hancock, located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, receives an average of 211.7" of snow per year. Influenced by both Lake Effect snowfall and strong Canadian low pressure systems it's no wonder they get all of this snow. And I suppose if you are going to live in the cold snow harsh environment, might as well celebrate it. Below is a Keweenaw County 1978 snow marker. Hancock is also known for their snowfall guessing contest.

Number 2: Crested Butte, Colorado
Located about 4 hours South West of Denver, Crested Butte receives an average of 215.8" of snow per year.  Sitting at an elevation of 8860 snow is quite common from November through March and is also not unheard of to have snow occur as late as June.
Number 1: Valdez, Alaska
Coming in at number one is Valdez, Alaska! Valdez receives an average of 326.3" of snow per year.  326.3 inches of snow is about 27 feet of snow per year. In 2012, they had a snow storm that buried the town alive. For more information about this event check out my earlier post Throwback 2012.


Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Stay warm!



Photo/ Info From:
weather.com
the-lovgrens.com
nilaewhite.wordpress.com