Climate Trivia
U.S. Weather & Climate Higher or Lower
Does Miami really get more rain than Seattle? Duel on rainfall, sunny days, and snowfall using 30-year official NOAA climate normals.
Minneapolis
Annual Days with Min Temp <= 0°F (Sub-Zero)
Fargo
Annual Days with Min Temp <= 0°F (Sub-Zero)
How to play
Duel on 30-year official climate normals recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Compare annual rainfall, snowfall, and extreme 90°F+ temperature days between American cities.
Subtropical downpours vs Pacific Northwest drizzle
Many travelers assume Seattle and Portland are the rainiest cities in America. In truth, Seattle ranks outside the top 40 major U.S. cities for total rainfall volume. While it has frequent cloudy drizzle, Southeastern cities like Miami, Mobile, and Atlanta receive vastly more total precipitation from intense tropical convective storms.
Understanding climate normals is essential for homeowners anticipating flood insurance, winter heating loads, and summer cooling requirements.
Extreme heat corridors, cooling degree days, and urban heat islands
Evaluating American weather requires looking beyond average daily temperatures to examine duration and intensity of climate extremes. Desert Southwest metros like Phoenix and Las Vegas endure dozens of consecutive days exceeding 100°F (38°C), resulting in massive annual Cooling Degree Days (CDD) that dwarf northern cities.
Urban heat islands (asphalt density, reduced tree canopy, and dense concrete structures) further amplify ambient temperatures in metropolitan cores, significantly impacting summer energy bills and resident comfort.
NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals methodology
The climate benchmarks in this duel are derived from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) certified 30-year climate normals (covering the 1991–2020 observation cycle).
Climate normals represent mathematical averages of certified meteorological station readings across three complete decades. This methodology smooths out single-year weather anomalies (such as an unusually dry winter or a record hurricane season) to establish an authoritative climatological baseline.
Official 30-Year Climate Normals Comparison (NOAA 1991–2020)
Certified annual climate data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Useful for calculating home heating, cooling, and flood risk.
| Metropolitan Area | Annual Rainfall | Annual Snowfall | Days Over 90°F | Sunny Days/Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL | 61.9 in. | 0.0 in. | 78 days | 248 days |
| Atlanta, GA | 50.4 in. | 2.2 in. | 44 days | 217 days |
| Seattle, WA | 39.3 in. | 6.3 in. | 4 days | 152 days |
| Chicago, IL | 40.9 in. | 38.4 in. | 21 days | 189 days |
| Minneapolis, MN | 31.5 in. | 51.3 in. | 14 days | 198 days |
| Syracuse, NY | 41.5 in. | 127.8 in. | 9 days | 161 days |
| Phoenix, AZ | 7.2 in. | 0.0 in. | 169 days | 299 days |
| San Diego, CA | 10.3 in. | 0.0 in. | 3 days | 266 days |
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