CP Rankings for the USNWR Top 25 I: Weather

College Search & Selection
21

<p>Doesn't the "quality" of the weather entirely depend on what kind of weather you like? People say that San Diego or the Bay Area have "ideal" weather, for example, but for many of us northern folk we would feel cheated by the lack of profoundly distinct seasons, or snow, or even violent thunderstorms. And while I wouldn't mind being in Houston or Phoenix in February, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near them in September.</p>

<p>The weather where I live is very changeable, both from season to season and sometimes from day to day. I like it that way. Winter lasts a month and a half too long, but that's about the only complaint I have.</p>

22

<p>
[quote]
"Houston has to be one of the most miserable cities in the US to live in during the summer. It puts Atlanta and the rest of the Deep South to shame."

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That is true, it is common during the summer for it to be 100+, I can not tell you how many football practices I have had in 100+ weather. But that is why there is air conditioning, inside it feels cool ;)</p>

23

<p>"So yes, I'd say the weather is worse in Chicago than in the Twin Cities"</p>

<p>FWIW, your opinion and the opinion of Places Rated Almanac are at odds.</p>

<p>Here is how they rank the climate of some of these areas, out of 354 metro areas they evaluate:</p>

<p>Binghamton NY ( proxy for Ithaca) 268th
Cleveland- Elyria 296
Chicago 297
Des Moines, IA 324
Manchester, NH 345
Minneapolis, MN 338
Rochester MN 350 (Carleton should be avg of these last two)</p>

<p>This is their 2000 edition.</p>

24

<p>There's no data available on the weather in Berkeley?</p>

<p>It's next to Oakland, rated number one in climate in the Places Rated Almanac.</p>

25

<p>... and to add to the discussion of Houston weather, it's been glorious here lately. Many, many sunny days with highs in the 60's and 70's with low humidity. Yes, the summers are oppressive, but most of the months that students would be in school are very nice. For someone who went to school in Pittsburgh, with the gray freezing snowy winters, I think Houston would be much more favorable.</p>

26

<p>
[quote]
You actually get to see SUN in Nashville

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I wasn't aware that we didn't have sun here in Philly. I wonder what that shiny thing was, when I went outside for class, that made it difficult to see?</p>

27

<p>^^ Take a picture so you can prove it was there.</p>

28

<p>Right......</p>

29

<p>The Places Rated Almanac doesn't live in the midwest all year round. There is no question in my mind that MSP has much sunnier winters than those cities around the great lakes. Cloudy dreary days on end are more depressing then anything else about winter.</p>

30

<p>
[quote]
Also, I wonder what Stanford did to only merit an A-.

[/quote]

Let's just say coastal Southern California is the baseline A+. I would say UCLA and USC earn A+ marks. Pomona and Harvey Mudd earn As because they are inland, smoggier and less temperate. Stanford and Berkeley would get A- marks because the climate is slightly cooler and wetter - which some people actually prefer. But, if you're comparing Bay Area weather to San Diego weather, there is a difference.</p>

31

<p>The Florida and California schools have the best weather during the school year (Sept-May)</p>

32

<p>
[quote]
Let's just say coastal Southern California is the baseline A+....But, if you're comparing Bay Area weather to San Diego weather, there is a difference.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Let's take that analysis a step further - there is a difference within what is "SoCal" weather.</p>

<p>San Diego weather is a strong baseline A+ (along with say, Honolulu) - no question. But downtown LA (e.g. USC) with the traffic and smog? A-/B+.</p>

33

<p>UCB,
I guess I am an easier grader than you. :) I'd give A+ to each of San Diego, LA and SF/Bay Area. For this girl, all are lightyears better than the Midwest and Northeast and better than the South/Southwest in the summer months. </p>

<p>One way to also compare the colleges is their average temperatures in February. Here is how it is for the USNWR Top 40 National Universities </p>

<p>Feb Avg High/Low , College</p>

<p>39-24 , Harvard
41-24 , Princeton
37-19 , Yale
39-24 , MIT
62-43 , Stanford
70-50 , Cal Tech
42-28 , U Penn
40-24 , Columbia
54-30 , Duke
38-24 , U Chicago
34-12 , Dartmouth
35-18 , Northwestern
45-26 , Wash U StL
33-14 , Cornell
47-31 , J Hopkins
39-23 , Brown
67-48 , Rice
57-37 , Emory
52-31 , Vanderbilt
36-19 , Notre Dame
59-46 , UC Berkeley
39-21 , Carnegie Mellon
49-29 , U Virginia
47-30 , Georgetown
70-50 , UCLA
34-19 , U Michigan
70-50 , USC
39-24 , Tufts
55-31 , Wake Forest
54-30 , U North Carolina
39-22 , Brandeis
53-30 , W & M
40-24 , NYU
39-24 , Boston College
57-37 , Georgia Tech
39-21 , Lehigh
66-52 , UCSD
33-17 , U Rochester
33-10 , U Wisconsin
38-21 , U Illinois UC</p>

34

<p>OK, so the coldest as measures by February average lows are:</p>

<ol>
<li>Wisconsin 10</li>
<li>Dartmouth 12</li>
<li>Cornell 14</li>
<li>U Rochester 17</li>
<li>Northwestern 18</li>
<li>(tie) Yale 19</li>
<li>(tie) Notre Dame 19</li>
<li>(tie) Michigan 19</li>
<li>(tie) Carnegie Mellon 21</li>
<li>(tie) Lehigh 21</li>
<li>(tie) Illinois 21 </li>
<li>Brandeis 22</li>
<li>Brown 23</li>
<li>(tie) Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Columbia, Chicago, Tufts, NYU, Boston College 24</li>
<li>WUSTL 26</li>
</ol>

<p>Hey, wait a minute. Why is Chicago in Hyde Park on the South Side 6 degrees warmer than Northwestern in Evanston on the North Side? That can't be more than 12 or 15 miles, tops.</p>

35

<p>more comprehensively, Places Rated Almanac calculates a "Winter Mildness" index, interested parties might look it up.</p>

36

<p>bc,
All numbers are from weather.com. I just rechecked Chicago and Evanston and those are the average Feb lows that they provide for each.</p>

37

<p>^ Oh, I don't dispute that those are the numbers they gave you. I just find it curious that the temperature difference between Chicago and Evanston is as great as, say, the difference between Boston and Chapel Hill. Something just doesn't add up.</p>

38

<p>A+, ucsd, ucsb</p>

39

<p>Some areas are famous for their microclimates. The town where I live in the Bay Area is often ten degrees or more cooler in the summer than the town immediately to our east (and warmer in the winter by a similar margin).</p>

40

<p>I agree, it's probably a microclimate issue. We have some of those disparities in SE Michigan, too.</p>