South Dakota VS. Minnesota: Who Has the Coldest Winters?

Which State Is The Coldest?

I've always been very honest about the fact that I love winter. I imagine it is because winter is, (if you'll pardon the expression), the "polar opposite" of summer, which I abhor. I hate the heat, the humidity, bugs, yard work, etc., all of which are part and parcel of the summer season.

Give me winter, with cold air, snow, warm sweaters, hot toddies, Christmas lights, mittens, and curling up in a cozy blanket in front of a toasty fireplace. No, I'm not entirely crazy, as I really hate ice, but it's the price one pays for cheering for a severely maligned season.

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All of that aside, I realize that most people are not fans of winter and Thrillist found those people and surveyed them. They analyzed weather patterns, average winter season temperatures, amounts of snow, road conditions, and more.

With all that information they ranked all 50 states from best to worst regarding winter. The worst winter was awarded to our neighbor to the north and east, Minnesota.

Minnesota Has the Coldest Winters

Here are the top 10 states with the worst winters:

Minnesota
Michigan
Alaska
North Dakota
Maine
South Dakota
Wisconsin
Idaho
Montana
Massachusetts

As you may imagine Hawaii has the best winter, followed by Arizona, California, Colorado (huh?), Florida, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and Alabama, all in the "best" top 10.

The Coldest Temperatures in Sioux Falls History

When a polar vortex rolls through Sioux Falls, it can get even the heartiest dreaming of indoor fires, baking, and hot chocolate.

Mr. Bendo is tough enough but for the love of Pete, someone put a scarf on the Statue of David!

All this icy chatter had us wondering about the coldest days ever recorded in Sioux Falls. Here is the historical data from the National Weather Service with the coldest temps ever recorded in Sioux Falls since record-keeping began in 1893.