The snow is flying and parts of Michigan are already dealing with more than a foot of the white stuff.

The snow is never a surprise for everyone in the Mitten, but how do you think we stack up against other cold weather states.

The people at TipHero put together a list of the Top 10 States with the Most Miserable Winters. This is not a list based on snow fall alone. This list actually tries to rate the level of misery that the cold temps cause. Bad roads, cold weather, long drives, unpredictable weather patterns, and a few more all factor in.

So before you look at the list, where would you rank Michigan? It definitely fell higher on the list than I thought it would.

Michigan came in number 2 on the list of most miserable winters. I think a bunch of factors came into play here. We get a ton of snow, but I doubt that's what landed us near the top of the list. My factors are listed below:

  • Lake Effect Snow / Snow Belts. Unless you are from Michigan those three words make no sense. It's hard to comprehend how squiggly lines that run through the state can get 10 more inches of snow than someone a couple miles outside the line.
  • Winter lasts from summer to summer. This year we had a day in the low 70's, and less than 24 hours later . . . it snowed.
  • Bad roads in the summer = worse roads in the winter. Michigan is notorious for bad roads, and they don't improve when the snow and slush come. You would think that the snow filling the potholes is a good thing, but somehow, it doesn't work like that.
  • It starts to feel like the sun will never come out. Going days and days without seeing a sunny sky takes a toll on people. The fact that Michigan ranked worse than Alaska tells you something. In Alaska you are ready for long periods of nighttime. In Michigan, you just see gray for days and days and days.
  • It doesn't really ever end. Just when you think winter is over . . . you know, in late May . . . A freak snowstorm comes through and drops a few inches on you. Just to remind you that winter will start again in September.

Minnesota was on the top of the list for most miserable winters, and I can only imagine it's because there are only two cities in Minnesota. Those two even have build hamster tunnels from building to building so people don't have to die on the frozen tundra outside.

Check out the complete ranking of every state here.

 

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