Methodology of popular coldest cities list questioned
By KRISTI EATON, Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Ask anyone who's endured a Dakotas winter, and you'll be assured it's mighty cold, so it's perhaps no surprise that a recent ranking shows that six of the eight coldest cities in the country are here.
But one meteorologist with the National Weather Service questions the methodology.
John Martin says that surely more Dakota cities should have been on the Daily Beast list that claims to use 2009 winter data to identify the country's 25 coldest cities.
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The list has made rounds on social networks, but the news site hasn't returned emails questioning the veracity.
Martin says Williston and Minot, which didn't make the list, are typically colder than Bismarck, which ranked third.
Regardless, he says, one thing's certain: Anyone who can survive a Dakota winter deserves bragging rights.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)