I was born and raised in Bethlehem, ended up in Tamaqua, and now I'm in Phoenix. I like it much better here, but as you said, the weather in Tamaqua was interesting to say the least.
Hazleton was better for anyone who loved snow as we did dance on the rain snow line. Many times, it would rain in Tamaqua, but just a few hundred feet higher and five miles away, they'd be plowing snow.
Sometimes it looked like it does out here. Snow on the mountains around town, but a wet, brown backyard for me.