Is International Falls a worthy contender for the title of ‘America’s Toughest Weather City,’ a contest held by The Weather Channel?
International Falls is the Icebox of the Nation for a reason.
The small isolated community has an average of 64 days of subzero cold, a number of which dip to -40 to -50 below. The community also gets more than 68 inches of snow annually.
Although it is most known for its cold, the Borderland city also has hot, humid summer days that bring the thermometer to temperatures up in the 90s. Spring is brief, but often wet from melting snow. And autumn experiences both warm and cool days, sometimes back-to-back.
Keeping these factors in mind, it’s up to an online audience to decide if the northern Minnesota city is a worthy contender for the title of “America’s Toughest Weather City,” a contest held by The Weather Channel.
International Falls Mayor Shawn Mason feels the term ‘toughest’ is a harsh one to use for the community she loves so much.
“I think we’re blessed with the colder temperatures and four distinct seasons,” she said. “I don’t know if I would call International Falls the toughest weather city.”
International Falls was one of 64 cities nationwide selected to battle for the title.
Cities were divided into four regions and matched up against each other at random in a series of elimination rounds — International Falls is included in the Midwest region.
Based on popular vote, the city that is determined to have the toughest weather will be announced on The Weather Channel’s website April 4.
The Weather Channel advises voters to consider cold, heat, humidity, rain, snow, wind, fog, severe t-storms, tornadoes and, hurricane risk when selecting their pick for the toughest city.
International Falls may not be a typical city at risk for hurricanes, yet all other conditions are all too familiar for the area.
“International Falls does have extreme weather,” Mason said. “It is tough when winter temps reach -40 or -50 below, plus a wind chill. Still, call it what you want, this is a great place to live. All of our seasons are phenomenal.”
International Falls out-weathered Green Bay, Wis., in the first round of the contest, and moved on to face Duluth, in which voting ended after press time Friday.
Both International Falls and Duluth had similar weather-related highlights noted by The Weather Channel, however, the Borderland city triumphs when it comes to the number of days harboring sub-zero temperatures.
If International Falls advances past Duluth, it will challenge the winner of a contest between Marquette, Mich., and Fargo, N.D.
Should the Falls move on to the next round, anyone with Internet access can vote by visiting www.weather.com and searching ‘toughest weather city.’
