A couple of days ago, we republished the Weather Channel's article about the 5 hardest hit U.S. locations over the winter of 2018-2019. Today, we're sharing the places that weathered the winter with the easiest time.
Weather.com's: Where 2018-2019 Winter Wasn't So Bad in the U.S.
Winter 2018-19 wasn't all doom and gloom.We also ranked the five locations with the best winter weather overall, again, relative to what you'd expect in a typical winter in each location.
5. New York City
Central Park only picked up 3.7 inches of snow in December, January and February combined.
About 82 percent of their seasonal snow fell during the mid-November surprise, and a stretch of five straight days of snow from Feb. 28 through March 4.
4. Cleveland
Through March 18, Cleveland Hopkins Airport had picked up roughly half the average seasonal snow, to date – a deficit of almost 30 inches. December through February was also warmer than average.
3. Florida
This may seem like an obvious pick every winter, but the Sunshine State had the second-warmest February and one of their warmest December-through-February periods on record, which undoubtedly thrilled snowbirds.
A car drives down Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019.
(AP Photo/Felicia Fonseca)Heading into the fall, the Four Corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah was the epicenter of the nation's only exceptional drought area.
A season with several notable winter storms left the snowpack well above average by mid-March, filling reservoirs in eastern Arizona and hacking away that stubborn drought area.
The heavy snow led to a series of avalanches in Colorado, burying cars, shutting down highways and isolating one Colorado town.
1. California
We put California on the worst winter list above, but there's also a glass-half-full perspective.
Despite clogging roads and seemingly burying homes at times, a heavy Sierra snowpack was laid down. Melting snowpack – an important water source for the state during the summer dry season – will supply reservoirs already running above average in mid-March.
This wet winter left California completely drought-free for the first time since 2011.
