# What Country Has The Worst Weather? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 31, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470 "2004-03-31T05:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/1 "2004-03-31T05:04:03Z")
I was watching a documentary once and the narrator said that the U.S.A. had the worst weather in the world. He gave no real facts to back this up, so I wondered, does the U.S. have the worst weather? ---
**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/2 "2004-03-31T05:14:56Z")
This is more of a subjective question than an objective question. The US certainly gets the most tornadoes, IIRC more than the rest of the world combined, and the occasional hurricane. However countries in southern asia get the monsoon, places near the sahara get huge duststorms, etc. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/3 "2004-03-31T05:32:30Z")
Chile has both the driest and wettest places on earth, which should qualify it for at least “honorable mention.” ---
**Author:** ![Thylacinewas\_taken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Thylacinewas\_taken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thylacinewas_taken)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/4 "2004-03-31T05:39:00Z")
Russia would probably be near the top of the list, if only because it covers so much of the earth and is bound to have bad weather. I think this really depends…worst weather for what? Vacationing? Growing crops? Raising animals? Living in? ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/5 "2004-03-31T05:57:47Z")
Going _strictly_ from various novels/magazines/whatever I have read, I would take a guess it would be Scotland. If not that, England. I say this only because everything I’ve ever read (or sometimes noticed on television) mentions all the rainfall. I’d get really tired of that. I actually have no real idea, having never been to either of those places, although, weather notwithstanding, I have always wanted to visit them both. Down here in the Southern U. S., the weather is either hot, scorching hot or freezing so if we qualify for a country I will change my vote. And yes, I know we do not qualify, but we do have us some hot-ass weather. ---
**Author:** ![Sylkyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@Sylkyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylkyn)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/6 "2004-03-31T06:06:29Z")
And my very humble apologies…I thought this was in IMHO. I had no business guessing in GQ. What am I doing in here anyway?? ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/7 "2004-03-31T06:46:32Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > Chile has both the driest and wettest places on earth, which should qualify it for at least “honorable mention.” Would beg to differ. The driest place on earth is supposed to be the [Dry Valleys in Antartica](http://www.ume.maine.edu/iceage/Research/Contrib/pdf/contrib7.pdf) (with the exception of one of the valleys that gets a bit of summer runoff flow). It has not rained in the Dry Valleys for approximately 2 million years. There is some ice in some of the valleys but ice ain’t wet. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/8 "2004-03-31T07:16:45Z")
Moved to IMHO. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/9 "2004-03-31T08:07:46Z")
[Patagonia](http://climb.mountainzone.com/2002/story/outthere/html/patagonia.html) in Chile is reputed to have the most among the most challenging environments, weatherwise, on earth. > [@](#): > > Patagonia - This area south of Puerto Montt and Chiloé covers about 30% of the total land area of Chile. It is a rugged, mountainous area of tremendous beauty. Westerly winds and storms often drop enormous amounts of snow and rain on the seaward slopes. > > In the Magallanes and Tierra del Fuego areas, temperatures in summer average 52°F (11°C). Dampness and wind chill can make it feel cooler so be prepared by having a number of layers and good waterproof gear with you. The weather year-round is highly unpredictable, and in summer be prepared for incessant winds that do lessen in the winter. In the shoulder season months - November and March - you are likely to find the winds not as strong as they are during the peak of summer ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/10 "2004-03-31T08:20:37Z")
> [@Motog](#): > > Would beg to differ. The driest place on earth is supposed to be the [Dry Valleys in Antartica](http://www.ume.maine.edu/iceage/Research/Contrib/pdf/contrib7.pdf) (with the exception of one of the valleys that gets a bit of summer runoff flow). It has not rained in the Dry Valleys for approximately 2 million years. Very interesting. I did mine from memory and can see that I used the wrong phrasing. Chile has the place with the most rainfall and the place with the least rainfall. Since the Dry Valleys have no rainfall, I guess that means they aren’t the place with the least rainfall. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/11 "2004-03-31T11:10:01Z")
> [@Sylkyn](#): > > Going _strictly_ from various novels/magazines/whatever I have read, I would take a guess it would be Scotland. Hey! > [@](#): > > If not that, England. I say this only because everything I’ve ever read (or sometimes noticed on television) mentions all the rainfall. I’d get really tired of that. To be honest we don’t get THAT much rain. It’s worth remembering that the British are famous for discussing their weather, which may be what’s produced the myriad mentions of rain you’ve come across. George Mikes for one insisted that on the continent the weather was considered a very boring topic - here, it’s practically compulsory. But don’t be fooled. I’m in Scotland and have memories of many scented, decadent summers. The difference is that they stand out in the memory (as does rain) because our default weather in Britain is really a sort of flat grey drab overcast nothing. Precipitation positively excites us, because at least something’s happening. It got unbelievably hot last summer. Hotter than ever I believe. But of course my definition of hot is very different from some - I once went to Florida in July. THAT was a bad idea. Maybe the US has the “worst weather” because being so big it has such a variety of it. All different kinds, surely? I love talking about the weather. I’m so British. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/12 "2004-03-31T11:27:58Z")
Greenland? It ranges from fucking cold to really fucking cold. I hate the cold. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/13 "2004-03-31T15:34:04Z")
> [@Sylkyn](#): > > Going _strictly_ from various novels/magazines/whatever I have read, I would take a guess it would be Scotland. If not that, England. I say this only because everything I’ve ever read (or sometimes noticed on television) mentions all the rainfall. I’d get really tired of that. Ireland’s weather is more miserable than either. It’s very wet and very dreary, and never really gets much warmer than room temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/14 "2004-03-31T16:23:37Z")
Bangladesh would get my vote. You can bitch all you want about the heat and cold, but when storms come in and wash tens of thousands of people away you’re talking bad weather. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Zamboni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Zamboni)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/15 "2004-03-31T16:36:23Z")
If you want to measure worst weather by extremes only, then it is probably the United States. This country can have hurricanes, blizzards, droughts, severe thunderstorms (unassociated with hurricanes), floods, heat waves, and cold snaps at the same time. This is possible in October and November. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/16 "2004-03-31T17:24:00Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Ireland’s weather is more miserable than either. It’s very wet and very dreary, and never really gets much warmer than room temperature. I second that. It’s windy too, so you get that lovely horizontal rain. Last Summer it got to about 28 Celcius and people thought they were going to die of the heath. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![klockwerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/klockwerk/32/6475_2.png) [@klockwerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klockwerk)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/17 "2004-04-01T01:41:22Z")
I love the weather here… _sarcasm_ For winter, we set records for lowest temperature on Earth at least once or twice a year. And for summer, we also tend to become the hottest place on the planet once in awhile. Factor in being at the starting point of tornado alley, huge thunderstorms, feet and feet of snow, extreme wind speeds and general dryness every odd summer and you’ve got yourself a pretty extreme place to live. Honestly though it’s not all that bad. I’m either saying that because I’m used to all the extreme weather here, or that I just seem to think there has got to be someplace worse on this planet than little Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![finn1911](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d78d45/32.png) [@finn1911](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/finn1911)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/18 "2004-04-01T03:37:40Z")
> [@klockwerk](#): > > I love the weather here… > _sarcasm_ > > For winter, we set records for lowest temperature on Earth at least once or twice a year. And for summer, we also tend to become the hottest place on the planet once in awhile. Factor in being at the starting point of tornado alley, huge thunderstorms, feet and feet of snow, extreme wind speeds and general dryness every odd summer and you’ve got yourself a pretty extreme place to live. > > Honestly though it’s not all that bad. I’m either saying that because I’m used to all the extreme weather here, or that I just seem to think there has got to be someplace worse on this planet than little Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada :rolleyes: I was about to go on about how in Edmonton, Alberta the weather goes from one extreme to the other… Then i read your post and yes… poor old Saskatchewan is probably worse off 😉 But, hey… at least you don’t like in Winnipeg… hot and zillions of mosquitos… that must be horrible in the summer. Don’t you just love Canadian weather! ---
**Author:** ![schplebordnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@schplebordnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schplebordnik)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/19 "2004-04-01T04:10:24Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > Very interesting. I did mine from memory and can see that I used the wrong phrasing. Chile has the place with the most rainfall and the place with the least rainfall. Since the Dry Valleys have no rainfall, I guess that means they aren’t the place with the least rainfall. 😕 Actually, I think the place with the most rainfall in the world is in India: [http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content\_pages/record800.asp?recordid=47532](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record800.asp?recordid=47532) And the place with the most rainy days is in the USA. Kauai, to be exact: [http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content\_pages/record800.asp?recordid=47496](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record800.asp?recordid=47496) ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2004, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470/20 "2004-04-01T04:25:06Z")
> [@finn1911](#): > > But, hey… at least you don’t like in Winnipeg… Yeah, well at least our hockey team…oh, wait Well, our provincial sales tax is low…damn Our speed limit… We don’t call the army when it snows! and it’s a dry cold [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-country-has-the-worst-weather/237470.md?page=2)