Mildest Winter of 2013-14: 10 Surprising Cities This Winter Spared

It's been a rough winter for tens of millions of Americans, with heavy snow and bitterly cold weather repeatedly sweeping the northern, central, and eastern U.S.

(MORE: 10 Worst Winter Cities of 2013-14 | Top 10 Coldest March in Some Cities | Top 5 Snowiest Winter in Some Cities)

But there are some cities that have enjoyed a much tamer winter than usual, with far less snowfall than a typical winter brings.

We combed through 2013-14 snowfall data for every metropolitan area in the country, as defined by the Census Bureau. For each metropolitan area we selected a representative location – usually the local airport – with the most complete snowfall data this season, as well as an official 1981-2010 climate benchmark for average snowfall as defined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

On the following pages are the 10 metropolitan areas that saw snowfall totals farthest below their expected seasonal average through and including April 5, 2014. While some of them have suffered brutally cold temperatures at times, these cities have had a mild winter in the sense that they have missed out on more snow, relative to normal, than any others in America.

That's why you won't see San Diego or Miami on this list. You will, however, see some surprising cities that are nestled in between other cities that have been buried with snow this year. Winter truly skipped over these cities in 2013-14.

Bear in mind, of course, that snow can fall in April and even May in some parts of the country, so these rankings are changing slightly as the actual and season-to-date averages change. Winter Storm Xeniaand Winter Storm Yona brought snow to several of the cities on this list in the past two weeks.

Since we first published this list March 26, winter storms have knocked Bismarck, N.D. and Pocatello, Idaho, both previously in the top 5, out of the top 10 entirely. That means there are two new cities on the list compared to the original list.

For now, let's start with the current number 10 city on our list – coincidentally, the hometown of this article's author.

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/mildest-winter-2013-2014-least-snow-20140327