Safest Places to Live to Avoid Severe Weather

We all love the good old U.S.A., but one of the downsides of living here is that it's one of the most dangerous countries for severe weather in the world!  No location in the U.S. is completely safe from weather extremes, but there are some locations that are safer than others.

First let's keep in mind all the types of severe weather threats there are. There's ice/snow storms, thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, tropical cyclones, extreme cold, and extreme heat. When you consider all these threats, it's hard to find a place you can consider truly weather safe, but let's give it a shot.

As a general rule, the farther north you go in the U.S., the safer you'll become.  Yes the threat from extreme cold and ice/snow storms increases, but the colder weather also significantly decreases the threats of excessive heat, thunderstorms, and tornadoes which are far bigger killers than cold weather events.  To avoid the threat of flooding, you want to be far away from a river to avoid traditional flooding and in an area with deep topsoil to avoid flash floods.  To avoid tropical storms and hurricanes, you want to stay away from the coasts.

Considering all the factors above, one particularly safe location is Northern Minnesota.  Thunderstorms are not particularly common, so very few worries about lightning and tornadoes.  It's FAR away from any coastlines so it's essentially immune to tropical cyclones. Heavy rain isn't common and there are no major rivers you have to worry about flooding.  While the threat from extreme cold doesn't get much worse than Northern Minnesota, cold causes the fewest weather related deaths each year.  Snow and ice storms can be a threat as well, but not as great as other locations slightly farther south which typically see greater snowfall. 

So the weather in Northern Minnesota is not likely to kill you, but let's face it, that cold sure is a bummer!  So is there a place with better weather that's even safer?  Yes there is.  May I present, Southern California, the safest place from severe weather in the country!

There's a reason so many people live here...the weather is terrific!  Extreme cold and snow storms?  Forget about it!  While this area would normally be concerned about excessive heat, the Pacific Ocean keeps temperatures moderate even in the summer months.  Rain falls more from showers than thunderstorms which reduces multiple weather threats.  No heavy rain or rivers to worry about flooding.  While this area is on the coast, the cold waters of the Pacific severely limit tropical cyclone activity, making Southern California an exception to the coast rule. 

Yes, Southern California would be far and away the safest place from natural hazards in the country if it weren't for the non-weather threats...wildfires and earthquakes!  Unfortunately, these risks are so great that they start to outweigh all the benefits from the safe weather.  So maybe it's back to Northern Minnesota after all... :(