I really dont think there's a specific speed where wind becomes unsafe. For me, gusts of 30-40 get scary. The wind REEEEALLY pisses me off some days, too, but if you ride a week in 20-25 mph wind, once the wind is gone, you just fly. It's awesome. I've learned that wind is a great (although frustrating) training tool, especially when there isn't much climbing around.
It doesn't rain very often, but when it does, we (the midwest) get thunderstorms (and sometimes tornadoes) that nowhere else in the country comes close to matching. If I ever left the midwest, that's probably what I'd miss the most. I love to sit on the porch and watch a good storm.