Toughest Weather City Tournament 2013

Chris Dolce,Jon Erdman Published: Apr 6, 2013, 5:58 AM EDT weather.com

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IWITNESS WEATHER

A dust storm marches through Lubbock, Texas in 2011. (Photo: iWitnessWeather contributor bgoodman0311)

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We started on March 19, 2013 with 64 cities.  After over a quarter million total votes, we've crowned a champion.

By a roughly 2:1 margin, Lubbock, Texas knocked out Fairbanks, Alaska to win the title as 2013 America's Toughest Weather City.

(SEE THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT:  Large, full completed bracket)

Toughest Weather City Championship Result

Fairbanks, Alaska                                 vs.                   Lubbock, Texas 

- Extreme cold, snowy, mild summer                             - Wind, snow, F5 tornado in 1970
- 114 days of subzero cold                                            - Drought-prone, dust storms
- 65" of snow                                                                  - 8.1" snow, 7 days w/ snow
- 90+ heat once every two years                                  - 85 days of 90+ heat

(MORE:  Climate Comparison Tool)

Whose weather is toughest? (Poll Closed)

Fairbanks, Alaska 34.15%  (4,498 votes) 

 

Lubbock, Texas 65.85%  (8,672 votes) 

 

 

Total Votes: 13,170

 

We couldn't have hoped for a more interesting final matchup.

Lubbock once reached 114 degrees....Fairbanks once plunged to -66. Yep, a 180-degree turn from Lubbock to Fairbanks!  

Ice fog vs. a city once clobbered by a tornado.  Nanooks vs. Red Raiders (university nicknames of Univ. of Alaska - Fairbanks and Texas Tech University).

Speaking of that tornado, on May 11, 1970, an F5 tornado carved through Lubbock, killing 28 and injuring 1500.  Over 1000 apartments and homes were destroyed.  Eighty percent of the windows in the downtown Lubbock were broken as the tornado made a loop over the downtown area.  Ten thousand vehicles were damaged.

To be fair, Lubbock does see plenty of sunshine.  

On average, Lubbock sees 72% of its possible sunshine and 160 sunny days each year.  Apparently, it's the severe weather, heat, blowing dust, and, let's not forget, some snow, that resonated with our users in our tournament.  

http://www.weather.com/sports-rec/march-madness/Toughest-Weather-City-Tournament-20130315