Thursday, March 12, 2015

Weather

Nothing seems to fuel Rochester's inferiority complex more than the weather.  In fact, the weather is used as an explanation for almost everything, including things that don't exist such as economic decline and population loss.  Even if these nonexistent factors did exist, the link to weather is at best questionable and probably just plain false.  What follows is the standard weather commentary followed by some clarifications:

Standard Commentary: It snows a lot.
Clarification: Yes, that is correct.  But the 99.5 inches of yearly snowfall are spread out over 65.9 snowfall events.  Each snowfall event therefore averages a measly 1.5 inches.  In fact, snowfall events of 10 or more inches occur 0.6 times per year (that's less than once a year.)

Standard Commentary: It is cold.
Clarification: Yes, at times it can be a bit chilly.  But some great cities are even colder.  As of last year, the average December - February temperature in Rochester was 27 degrees.  America's 3rd largest city, Chicago, sits at 26.4 degrees.  Everyone's favorite college town, Madison, WI, finds itself at 21.6 degrees.  And hipster haven Minneapolis comes in at 18.7 degrees.

Standard Commentary: It is cloudy
Clarification: Yes, the clouds occasionally block our view of the sun.  But some great cities have even more cloud viewing pleasure.  62% of days in Seattle have at least 3/4 cloud cover, edging out Portland, OR which comes in at 61%.  Both metro areas have been among the fastest growing in the country.  Rochester has to be content at only 55%, perhaps explaining its slower population growth.




 

2 comments:

  1. I love your commentary! This is a great way to put everything into perspective. Creating a better "aura" for the city has to start within the community. Getting to know and understand these facts should help one think before getting negative.

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  2. 100 yrs latters when water shortages hit the south and heat becomes unbearable, north will raise again.

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