Fifteen cities that beat the cold this winter, from Green Bay to Albany

The Daily Beast finds the cities that have had the mildest winters.

Tom Hauck / Getty Images ; Scott Boehm / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/green-bay-tease_ltyhtl — The winter of 2011–12 hasn’t merely been one of unseasonable warmth and little snow—it’s the fourth-warmest winter ever in the contiguous United States and the warmest in more than a decade.

To find the cities that benefited (or suffered, depending on your perspective) most, we weighed three data points. First, the difference between average temperatures and this season’s temperatures in more than 200 U.S. cities during December, January, and February, as recorded by the National Climatic Data Center. Second, average winter snowfall in those cities, in inches, compared to this winter’s snowfall. And third, the Heating Degree Day index, which measures the number of degrees, for each day, below the point at which most people would use heat. (Setting 65 degrees as an average below which most people will turn on the heat, a 55-degree day would equal 10 heating degree points.) For further explanation, see the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Tom Hauck / Getty Images ; Scott Boehm / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/rochester-ny-cheat_f7ygyg — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 32 (+6)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 51 (-14)

Heating degrees below average: -554
Richard Stockton / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/springfield-cheat_rbgnre — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 36 (+7)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 6 (-11)

Heating degrees below average: -693
VisionsofAmerica / Joe Sohm-Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/concord-cheat_hgxkfo — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 29 (+6)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 12 (-34)

Heating degrees below average: -573
VisionsofAmerica / Joe Sohm-Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/Binghamton-cheat_aa0hta — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 31 (+6)

Snowfall in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 34 (-22)

Heating degrees below average: -547
LCDM Universal History Archive / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/allentown-cheat_nkzyjq — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 37 (+6)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 5.2 (-19.8)

Heating degrees below average: -543
Image courtesy Thomas Grim / Flickr

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/hartford-cheat_klr6o9 — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 35 (+7)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 11 (-24)

Heating degrees below average: -609
Steve Dunwell / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/topeka-cheat_sfpvhz — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 37 (+7)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 2 (-13)

Heating degrees below average: -671
VisionsofAmerica / Joe Sohm-Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/worcester-ma-cheat_q3s3xz — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 32 (+7)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 17 (-29)

Heating degrees below average: -621
Denis Tangney Jr / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/green-bay-cheat_j51w2o — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 29 (+8)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 21 (-10)

Heating degrees below average: -782
Scott Boehm / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/Minneapolis-cheat_btzpjd — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 28 (+8)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 17 (-11)

Heating degrees below average: -843
Richard Cummins / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/rochester-mn-cheat_uvzqs7 — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 27 (+9)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 19 (-10)

Heating degrees below average: -894
Richard Cummins / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/burlington-cheat_eimwas — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 30 (+7)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 25 (-29)

Heating degrees below average: -630
Stan Honda / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/duluth-mn-cheat_hao84j — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 23 (+8)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 32 (-13)

Heating degrees below average: -856
Walter Bibikow / Getty Images

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/syracuse-ny-cheat_x63kwv — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 33 (+8)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 41 (-42)

Heating degrees below average: -683
USGS

galleries/2012/03/09/fifteen-cities-that-beat-the-cold-this-winter-from-green-bay-to-albany-photos/albany-ny-cheat_tbtuxu — Median average temperature, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 32 (+6)

Snowfall, in inches, 2011–12 (departure from normal): 12 (-33)

Heating degrees below average: -940
Mike Groll / AP Photo

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