Actually logbutcher is technically correct, the mean annual temperature for Maine is 7[sup]o[/sup] colder than Iowa (Maine = 41[sup]o[/sup], Iowa = 48[sup]o[/sup]). BUT, it ain’t so much ‘cause Maine has colder winters… rather it has very cool summers when compared to Iowa. Because of these (relatively) cool summers Maine gets ranked as the third coldest stated while Iowa is ranked fifteenth when comparing mean annual temperature.
Most other “cold winter” states (especially those in the interior) will see summer temperatures in excess of 90[sup]o[/sup] for several days each year, and many see over 100[sup]o[/sup] for at least a handful of days. The average summer high temperature in Maine is 64[sup]o[/sup], the average summer low temperature in Iowa is 65[sup]o[/sup]. Get it? During the summer, our average overnight lows are warmer than Maine’s average midday highs. It is possible for Maine to see frost 10 months of the year… the only other state that can claim that is Alaska.
Where logbutcher goes wrong is assuming that also means Maine has colder winters… which is an incorrect assumption. For comparison, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Maine was -48[sup]o[/sup] (Van Buren, 1925) and in Iowa it was -47[sup]o[/sup] (Elkader, 1996). And for reference, neither Maine nor Iowa even place on the top-ten list for coldest ever temperatures in the lower 48… In actuality, Maine is only slightly colder than Iowa during winter months (November – March)... where the northern third of Iowa is the same, or slightly colder than Maine.
But we can’t rank winter severity on temperature alone… the length of winter weather, the number of snow and ice storms, as well as wind must be considered. Maine surely beats Iowa on the length (compared to southern Iowa, winter never ends in Maine LOL). Maine may not always necessarily have more storms, but on average they certainly dump more snow and ice. Where Iowa out-steps Maine by a long-shot is blizzards and wind, and the average daily wind-chill temperature… most of Maine doesn’t even come close. And for reference, Iowa just barely makes the top-ten list for winter wind… heck, even Minnesota beats Iowa on that count.
Yeah, the winters in Maine are nasty… but Iowa winter sure the heck ain’t “tropical” by any stretch! And really, it is debatable whether-or-not one is worse than the other. If’n ya’ really want to experience horrible winter weather, spend a January in someplace like North Dakota or Montana… Rogers Pass, Montana hit -70[sup]o[/sup](without the wind-chill) in 1954… and the wind never stops blowing in Montana. The only U.S. location to ever record a colder temperature was Prospect Creek, Alaska at -80[sup]o[/sup] in 1971.