Time to End the Debate

(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

It's a known fact -- everybody thinks their town is the best in the country at dealing with snow.

We hear the trash talk on our social media sites. It's always something like, "They got 6 inches of snow and everything shut down? That's nothing to us ... we still go to work when there's 2 feet on the ground!" However, this winter has humbled a few towns that used to think they couldn't be slowed by extreme winter weather.

Using the guidance of National Weather Service meteorologists -- guys and girls who know the weather in their town better than anyone else -- 10 U.S. towns, from every region of the country, had their claims put to the test, and we found out who really can handle feet of snow without blinking.

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Amarillo, Texas

Heavy snow falls on the town of Amarillo, Texas on Jan. 28, 2010. (iWitness/Ayushman)

Notable:

15 or more inches of snow will shut down the city.Blowing snow can cripple the town even faster.

Amarillo struggles when it comes to heavy snow, but it's not a town particularly well-equipped for massive winter events because it don't see feet of snow all that often. Krissy Scotten from the National Weather Service in Amarillo was quick to mention that it was just a month ago that one of the biggest snowstorms Amarillo has seen on record slammed the Texas panhandle, leaving 19.1 inches of snow and crippling the city for 12 to 18 hours.

(MORE: Winter Storm Rocky Recap)

"A foot of snow shuts down everything fast," she said. "This event shut down the Texas panhandle for 12-18 hours, and our office was closed for two days in a row."

Events like these are rare in Amarillo, but when they happen, there's little the residents can do until the snow stops falling.

Seattle

Gordon Jacobson (R) gives a push to Jaloni, 8, and father Tyrell Fincher at the top of a closed snow-covered street on January 18, 2012. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

Notables

2 or 3 inches of snow will cripple the city.True blizzard conditions have never been observed here.

Seattle has an extremely low threshold for snow because of its steep, hilly terrain. NWS Seattle meteorologist Andy Haner compares it to San Francisco, famous for its steep roads. And if San Francisco were to get snowfall like the kind of storms Seattle sees every couple of years, it would shut that city down as well, he said.

"I've heard trash talk before … calling Seattle snow wimps, but I don't see them dealing with it," said Haner.

During a Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks in late November 2006, 1 to 2 inches of snow fell and the temperature dropped below freezing. Roads iced over and fans couldn't get home. Cars were abandoned and rush-hour traffic didn't budge. The city was closed by a snowfall that some cities would consider routine.

It's just a problem Seattle can't solve, thanks to the way the city is laid out.

Twin Cities, Minnesota

Airport workers clear snow at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport on March 23, 2011. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Notables:

18 inches of blowing snow or more can shut the city down.Truly crippling storms only occur once every 20 to 30 years.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Twin Cities are among the hardest towns in the nation to shut down, says NWS meteorologist Todd Krause. It takes a perfect combination of events that are incredibly rare to create a winter storm strong enough to cripple Minneapolis/St. Paul.

In fact, it's been more than 20 years since the last storm truly shut down the Twin Cities.

"The key thing is that wind is major factor," said Krause. "If there's a foot of snow but it's 30 degrees and the sun is shining the next day, the streets are dry."

Krause added that the last time a storm took down the cities was the Halloween blizzard of 1991, which struck at the same time the Perfect Storm was lashing the East Coast (though the two storms were unrelated). That blizzard dumped a record 28.4 inches of snow, and the city was brought to a standstill until snow plows could clear the roads.

Denver

Halloween decorations lie covered in snow in a front lawn on October 26, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Notables:

6-10 inches of snow can be managed if temperatures are warm enough,1-2 inches could cripple the city if accompanied by ice.

In a city where the weather changes rapidly, Denver can be an interesting case to consider. On one side of the spectrum, there's the snowstorm that rapidly moves into the area and catches the town off guard. When this happens, there's little the city can do to ease the effects, especially if it occurs when a lot of cars are on the road, says NWS Boulder meteorologist Scott Entrekin.

"For Denver, the snowfall rates can play a big role; meaning if I am getting 1-2 inches of snow per hour, it is snowing heavy enough that plows can't handle the intensities," he said.

Conversely, Denver often sees wild temperature swings that don't always keep up with the snowfall. If it's snowing heavily but the temperatures haven't dropped too far below freezing, snow events can be lessened by the snow's inability to stick to pavement. In other words, the schizophrenic nature of the city's weather can often serve as a blessing, but if it turns too fast in the wrong direction, it's a disaster.

Chicago

Mike Davis clears snow from the Millennium Park skating rink on March 5, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Brian Kersey/Getty Images)

Notables:

Takes at least 20 inches to shut down parts of the city.Even when a snowfall closes one section of the city, other parts can usually function.

Chicago residents might have a point when they say it takes a lot to shut down their city. Almost nothing short of 2 feet of snowfall can cripple the Windy City.

NWS meteorologist Jim Allsopp credits lessons learned from past storms as the chief reason why the city is so well-prepared for winter weather. Along with the slew of plows that can keep roadways relatively clear, businesses also have the foresight to send employees home early if a big storm looms. The plows sit on the shoulders of roadways hours before storms begin, which helps in the snow removal process.

The most recent image of a crippled Chicago -- the blizzard of February 2011 that left cars abandoned on Lake Shore Drive -- was the result of 21.2 inches of snow, the third-largest snowfall total on record. Even that event was relatively short-lived.

"Even during the blizzard of February 2011, most roads were open the next morning," said Allsopp.

Thus, the Second City might be first when it comes to handling big snow events.

Boston

A woman walks underneath snowy trees in the Longwood Medical district following a storm that left as much as a foot of snow in some areas March 8, 2013 in Boston. (Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

Notables:

Any total above a foot is crippling inside the city.6 inches during a rush hour can be very dangerous as well.

We don't have to look too far into the past to see an example of Boston being shut down by a winter storm. Nemo's impact was a perfect example of how a hard, steady snowfall can cripple the city. During that event, 24.9 inches of snow fell, making it the fifth-heaviest snowstorm on record.

(MORE: Recap of Winter Storm Nemo)

According to NWS Boston meteorologist Joe Dellacarpini, a poorly-timed snow event slammed the city in December 2007, dropping 6 to 12 inches of snow in one evening. When the snow began to fall, everyone left work at the same time, causing gridlock on the roadways and tripling normal commute times.

"Some lesser storms can cause trouble, especially if they happen in evening," he said.

New York City

A father helps his child after she fell off her sled during Winter Storm Nemo in Juniper Valley Park in the Middle Village section of Queens, N.Y., Feb. 08, 2012. (Charles Eckert/Weather.com)

Notables:

12 inches can be a breaking point for the city, especially in Manhattan.Crews have trouble keeping up if it is snowing at a rate of 2 to 4 inches per hour, or more.

The Big Apple can have major problems with as little as a foot of snow, especially in Manhattan, because there is a limited area to move the snow that falls. With cars lining both sides of most streets, it's hard for the plows to find spots to dump the snow, if they can make it down the roads at all, says NWS New York meteorologist Jeff Tongue.

Several storms have shut down New York City over the last two decades. The Superstorm of 1993 dropped 10.6 inches of snow,andWinter Storm Nemo dumped 11.4 inches of snow in Central Park just this year (much higher totals were observed elsewhere -- more than 30 inches were recorded on parts of Long Island). A winter storm in 1996 dumped 20.2 inches, and the Dec. 26, 2010 winter storm left huge amounts of snow that gave snow plow drivers fits.

"As little as 6 inches of snow can be bad if there's traffic," said Tongue.

And there's always traffic.

Omaha, Neb.

A snow plow spreads salt and sand Wednesday Dec. 19, 2012 in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/The World-Herald, Jimmie Burnett)

Notables:

A foot of snow will cripple the town no matter the conditions.8 to 10 inches will shut down the city if strong winds are present.

Omaha can see some fierce winter storms. Sometimes, those storms line up and pound the city over and over, says NWS Omaha meteorologist Dan Nietfeld.

"Back in 2004, we had three storms in a row, which left a record snow depth," he said.

Indeed, between Jan. 25 and Feb. 6, 2004, Omaha was slammed by three separate winter storms, bringing a total of 31.8 inches of snow. If it only takes a foot of snow to shut down the city, this must have been a rough two weeks for Omaha.

Nietfeld said the local drivers are skilled when it comes to wintry conditions, and local crews are great at pre-treating the roads. When the big storms come, however, the locals just get out of the way and let Mother Nature take her best shot.

Cleveland

A general view of the snow falling during the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans at the Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio on Dec. 17, 2000. (Jamie Squire/Allsport)

Notables:

Snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour for several hours can be troublesome.Very few recent events have crippled the city.

Much like Chicago, Cleveland is a tough city to cripple, but it can be done if a high-intensity snow band comes off Lake Erie at the right time, according to NWS Cleveland meteorologist Gary Garnett.

"Two winters ago (Dec. 8, 2010), a lake-effect band hit during afternoon, and as much as 12 inches fell downtown from one super-squall," said Garnett.

That 2010 event is the one wintry happening Cleveland residents have to look out for -- if it's a strung-out snowstorm, there's no amount of snow the city's plows can't handle, Garnett said. Outside the city, especially on the eastern side, snowfalls that are measured in feet are common, and Garnett said they almost never lead to disruptions.

Atlanta

A snowy and icy view of I-20 in Atlanta is visible from a MARTA train after a snow storm on January 10, 2011 in Atlanta. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

Notables:

Just the threat of snow is enough to shut down the city.Few snow plows make it very tough to clear roads.

Taking a dramatic swing in the opposite direction from Cleveland, Atlanta has never seen a winter storm it could handle. Residents will openly joke about the panic that occurs in the days leading up to a snow shower, only to turn around and panic themselves.

Milk and bread shelves are pillaged and counties cancel school well before the snowflakes begin to fall. It's not the fault of the residents, though -- there simply isn't a way to clear the roads after a winter storm, so everything is shut down for days.

"The January 2011 snow and ice event was a 'perfect storm' for shutting down a southern city," said weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman."Yes, only 4.4 inches of total snow fell on Jan. 9-10. However, some freezing rain mixed in, and temperatures failed to rise significantly above freezing until 4-5 days after, laying down a layer of snow/ice on roads.

"In a southern city that typically doesn't pick up significant snow each winter, justifying greater snow-removal spending in a tight fiscal times seems a hard sell."

(MORE: Send Us Your Vote for the Worst Weather City)