A Real Cold War

In this time of season we really see the clash between temperatures that led to Green Bay picking up 10 inches of snow this week, while today a tornado went through St. Louis, causing heavy damage to the airport and many homes.  This upcoming week again looks like their is a high potential for more tornadoes and flooding.  I can't make posts every day nor want to continually show destruction.  If I see anything interesting it will get posted otherwise I will be mixing it up a little more.

On to my post...

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There is nothing better then bringing two of my biggest interests together, hockey and weather.  They don't often share the same spotlight other then perhaps on January 1st when the NHL has their annual Outdoor Classic.  But this week they came together in what certainly caught my attention.

It has long been rumored throughout most of this season and even in years past, that Winnipeg would see a return of an NHL team.  At times the rumor involved Atlanta, maybe Nashville or possibly Phoenix.  This year the Phoenix rumored move to Winnipeg began taking shape with Phoenix running into major financial issues.  The ball very slowly began to roll all throughout the season until people quickly felt this was almost a sure thing.  In fact, heading into the playoffs, some media members reported the announced move would come perhaps within weeks of whenever Phoenix was eliminated.  With that kind of talk it was little surprise the Coyotes did not even win one game.  And as soon as that game was over, the Winnipeg talk began.

Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, their four-year starter and upcoming free agent when asked if he'd go to Winnipeg said "probably not" with one reason being it's too cold.  Normally I would not think much of this however, Bryzgalov was born and raised in Russia.  They don't exactly have the warmest weather around. 

It got me at least thinking about some common weather misconceptions, though neither Russia or Winnipeg being cold are on this list.  They are cold. 

1.  Seattle (The Rain City)-  Probably the most popular myth among people is that Seattle receives constant rainfall.  The average rainfall in the city is 37 inches, lower than New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Houston and Chicago to name just a few.  However, with 80% of their days being cloud covered and 40% of the days during the year receiving measurable rainfall, it is easy to see how they got their reputation.

2.  London-  Sticking with the rainy myth, London does not receive a lot of rain.  At just 22 inches, most other major European cities receive more, some twice as much.  Like Seattle though, many days are cloudy and cool and sunshine is almost nonexistent.

3. Chicago (The Windy City)- In many ways somewhat of a mystery, the nickname for Chicago really does not apply.  Both New York and Boston are windier.  Sorry Chicago.  And there are many other areas across the plains and northeast that would bypass Chicago.

4. Allentown- If I told you that Helsinki, Finland and Moscow, Russia both received less annual snowfall than the Lehigh Valley, would you buy it?  You should, cause it's true.