Minnesota Has Second-Most Extreme Weather in U.S.

It's a list of which we might NOT want to be near the top, but a new survey says our weather here in Minnesota is the second-most extreme in the country.

One of the cool things about living here in Minnesota is that we get to experience all four seasons-- sometimes in the same day, or week it seems like, doesn't it? But I do think the constantly changing seasons-- as the winter cold and snow eventually melts and turns to spring, which then gives way to the heat and humidity of summer only to have the crispness of fall invade our state before Old Man Winter heads back again-- is certainly unique to our neck of the woods.

Why, how boring it must be to have weather that's the same all year long-- like they do in parts of southern California (like San Diego) where it's sunny with high temperatures in the 60's or low 70's everyday! Who wants that?!? Besides, being able to make it through a winter where our temperatures routinely dip below zero, as well as sweating our way through a hot, humid stretch of July weather is kind of a feather in our cap in Minnesota, right?

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It's also why Minnesota just came in ranked #2 on this list of U.S. States With The Most Extreme Weather. It was compiled by the air filter company Filterbuy, using data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. "Researchers created an extreme weather score based on each state’s all-time maximum and minimum temperatures, maximum 24-hour precipitation, maximum 24-hour snowfall, and number of annual tornadoes per 10,000 square miles," the survey said.

Minnesota's second-place finish was driven by our all-time highest temperature (115 degrees!), our all-time lowest temperature (60 degrees below zero!), which, when combined with the other factors (including the likelihood of severe summer weather, including tornadoes) gave us an extreme weather score of 68.6. Only California scored higher than Minnesota, with an extreme weather score of 73.1. (Hawaii was the state with the least extreme weather, coming in at #50 on the list. Wisconsin was 31st, while Iowa was ranked 14th.)

So, be proud of our ability to thrive in ALL four seasons, Minnesota! Only Californians have to put up with more extreme weather than we do! Another category in which we're better than California is our cost of living-- which is way cheaper here in Minnesota. In fact, keep scrolling to check out six different homes you can buy... all for under $50,000!