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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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.