Whether you like Forbes never ending lists of city data rankings, there is a new one that has just been released that I find funny. And so do other people because they keep sending me links to the Forbes information. Actually the link is a redirect from the Yahoo! real estate section that eventually takes the viewer to America’s Worst Winter Weather Cities. I was so psyched to go there and find Buffalo on the list so that we could use the ranking to bolster the spirit surrounding the Powder Keg Festival. Where on the list were we going to be?
As I started clicking through snowed-out image after snowed-out image (starting at number ten and climbing to number one) I kept wondering, “Are we next… are we next… did we make number one? There’s Baltimore, Detroit, Columbus, Indianapolis… and then Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York City, Boston… we’re #1?” Nope. As I clicked the last frame I saw the city of Cleveland… all the stats were there… all the data, the images… everything I expected to see, but a different city.
It started with a smile, then a chuckle, then a full belly roar… No Buffalo! Here we are getting ready to showcase our winterfest and now I’m hearing stories about how Buffalo is actually advising Philadelphia, New York and Washington on how to handle their bad weather. And then these stats are released and Buffalo’s not even on the radar. Funny stuff if you think about it. Over the last few years my neighbor and I have actually gotten into fights over who gets to plow the driveway because it’s a God-given right to perform the duty each and every winter. This year I’ve touched the snowplow twice and each time I ended up plowing over twenty of my neighbor’s sidewalks just to get some quality time with the plow.
As we enter the final stretch for the Powder Keg Festival, we are even more thankful that Steve Stepniak, the commissioner of Public Works for the City of Buffalo has offered to help stockpile snow for the Skyway exit ramp tubing event. To think that lack of snow might actually be our biggest stumbling block in pulling off the festival…
America’s Top 5 Worst Weather Cities
1. Cleveland
Average Annual Temperature: 49.6°F
Average Precipitation: 38.7 inches
Average Snowfall: 58.9 inches
2. Boston
Average Annual Temperature: 51.6°F
Average Precipitation: 42.5 inches
Average Snowfall: 43.2 inches
3. New York City
Average Annual Temperature: 54.6°F
Average Precipitation: 49.7 inches
Average Snowfall: 28.9 inches
5. Milwaukee
Average Annual Temperature: 47.5°F
Average Precipitation: 34.8 inches
Average Snowfall: 47.5 inches
5. Chicago
Average Annual Temperature: 49.1°F
Average Precipitation: 36.2 inches
Average Snowfall: 38.2 inches
America’s Worst Winter Weather Cities
10. Baltimore
9. Detroit
8. Columbus
7. Indianapolis
6. Minneapolis
5. Chicago
4. Milwaukee
3. New York City
2. Boston
1. Cleveland