The warmer months of the year are often cherished as a time of adventure and excitement, but after a summer scientists have declared the hottest on record, many are ready to embrace the cooler weather autumn and winter typically bring. While not every state gets particularly cold—especially places with notoriously mild winters like Florida—each has a city that is typically colder than the rest.
Citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Stacker identified the coldest city in every state. The list below is based on five-year average temperatures from January 2018 to December 2022 and also includes the average daily minimum and maximum temperatures for each ranked city. Cities are ranked relative to the entire national dataset of 214 cities.
Some of these locations experience a full range of temperatures annually—from very high temperatures in the summer to nail-bitingly cold temperatures in the winter. Others simply experience cooler versions of their typically warm (or cold) weather. But whether you’re looking to hike glaciers and ski down snow-packed mountains or just to enjoy a pleasant reprieve from the heat, there is likely a city here that meets your winter needs.
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Alabama: Huntsville
– #142. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 62.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 73.2 F
– Average daily minimum: 52 F
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Alaska: Utqiaġvik
– #1. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 16.5 F
– Average daily maximum: 22 F
– Average daily minimum: 11.1 F
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Arizona: Flagstaff
– #30. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 47.3 F
– Average daily maximum: 62.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 32.4 F
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Arkansas: Little Rock
– #141. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 62.4 F
– Average daily maximum: 72.7 F
– Average daily minimum: 52.1 F
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California: Eureka
– #76. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 52.5 F
– Average daily maximum: 59.2 F
– Average daily minimum: 45.7 F
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Colorado: Alamosa
– #8. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 43.5 F
– Average daily maximum: 62.5 F
– Average daily minimum: 24.5 F
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Connecticut: Hartford
– #71. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 52.2 F
– Average daily maximum: 62.4 F
– Average daily minimum: 42 F
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Delaware: Wilmington
– #110. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 56.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 65.9 F
– Average daily minimum: 47.3 F
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Florida: Tallahassee
– #177. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 69.7 F
– Average daily maximum: 80.7 F
– Average daily minimum: 58.8 F
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Georgia: Atlanta
– #154. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 64.9 F
– Average daily maximum: 74 F
– Average daily minimum: 55.8 F
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Hawaii: Hilo
– #50. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 76.2 F
– Average daily maximum: 83.5 F
– Average daily minimum: 69.1 F
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Idaho: Pocatello
– #32. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 47.4 F
– Average daily maximum: 61 F
– Average daily minimum: 33.7 F
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Illinois: Rockford
– #53. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 50.2 F
– Average daily maximum: 60.1 F
– Average daily minimum: 40.4 F
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Indiana: South Bend
– #59. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 51.3 F
– Average daily maximum: 60.5 F
– Average daily minimum: 42 F
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Iowa: Dubuque
– #33. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 47.5 F
– Average daily maximum: 56.7 F
– Average daily minimum: 38.3 F
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Kansas: Goodland
– #69. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 52.1 F
– Average daily maximum: 66.9 F
– Average daily minimum: 37.4 F
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Kentucky: Lexington
– #100. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 55.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 65.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 46 F
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Louisiana: Monroe
– #164. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 66.7 F
– Average daily maximum: 77.5 F
– Average daily minimum: 56 F
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Maine: Caribou
– #3. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 41.7 F
– Average daily maximum: 51.6 F
– Average daily minimum: 31.8 F
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Maryland: Baltimore
– #122. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 58.1 F
– Average daily maximum: 68.1 F
– Average daily minimum: 48.1 F
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Massachusetts: Worcester
– #49. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 49.9 F
– Average daily maximum: 58 F
– Average daily minimum: 41.8 F
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Michigan: Sault Ste. Marie
– #7. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 43.1 F
– Average daily maximum: 51.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 34.8 F
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Minnesota: Rochester
– #14. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 44.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 53.7 F
– Average daily minimum: 35.4 F
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Mississippi: Tupelo
– #152. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 64.7 F
– Average daily maximum: 75.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 54.1 F
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Missouri: Kansas City
– #100. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 55.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 65.6 F
– Average daily minimum: 45.6 F
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Montana: Kalispell
– #8. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 43.5 F
– Average daily maximum: 55.9 F
– Average daily minimum: 31.2 F
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Nebraska: Scottsbluff
– #51. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 50 F
– Average daily maximum: 65.2 F
– Average daily minimum: 34.8 F
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Nevada: Ely
– #24. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 46.2 F
– Average daily maximum: 63.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 29.1 F
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New Hampshire: Mount Washington
– #1. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 29 F
– Average daily maximum: 35.2 F
– Average daily minimum: 22.7 F
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New Jersey: Atlantic City
– #106. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 56.1 F
– Average daily maximum: 65.8 F
– Average daily minimum: 46.4 F
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New Mexico: Albuquerque
– #125. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 58.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 71.1 F
– Average daily minimum: 45.9 F
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New York: Binghamton
– #28. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 47.2 F
– Average daily maximum: 55.4 F
– Average daily minimum: 39 F
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North Carolina: Asheville
– #119. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 57.8 F
– Average daily maximum: 67.8 F
– Average daily minimum: 47.7 F
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North Dakota: Grand Forks
– #2. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 39.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 50.7 F
– Average daily minimum: 28.5 F
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Ohio: Cleveland
– #72. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 52.3 F
– Average daily maximum: 60.7 F
– Average daily minimum: 43.9 F
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Oklahoma: Oklahoma City
– #132. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 60.3 F
– Average daily maximum: 71.5 F
– Average daily minimum: 49 F
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Oregon: Astoria
– #65. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 51.7 F
– Average daily maximum: 58.8 F
– Average daily minimum: 44.5 F
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Pennsylvania: Scranton
– #72. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 52.3 F
– Average daily maximum: 61.7 F
– Average daily minimum: 43 F
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Rhode Island: Providence
– #84. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 53.3 F
– Average daily maximum: 62.2 F
– Average daily minimum: 44.3 F
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South Carolina: Columbia
– #156. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 65.4 F
– Average daily maximum: 76.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 54.4 F
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South Dakota: Aberdeen
– #13. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 44.3 F
– Average daily maximum: 56.2 F
– Average daily minimum: 32.5 F
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Tennessee: Johnson City
– #121. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 58 F
– Average daily maximum: 69.6 F
– Average daily minimum: 46.5 F
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Texas: Amarillo
– #126. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 59 F
– Average daily maximum: 73.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 44.7 F
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Utah: Cedar City
– #62. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 51.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 66.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 37 F
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Vermont: Montpelier
– #17. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 45.5 F
– Average daily maximum: 55.5 F
– Average daily minimum: 35.5 F
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Virginia: Washington (Dulles)
– #114. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 57 F
– Average daily maximum: 67.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 46.7 F
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Washington: Spokane
– #44. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 49.2 F
– Average daily maximum: 58.5 F
– Average daily minimum: 39.9 F
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West Virginia: Elkins
– #78. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 52.6 F
– Average daily maximum: 64.3 F
– Average daily minimum: 41 F
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Wisconsin: Wausau
– #19. nationally (tie)
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 45.5 F
– Average daily maximum: 54.8 F
– Average daily minimum: 36.1 F
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Wyoming: Casper
– #15. nationally
– Average temperature, 2018-2022: 45.2 F
– Average daily maximum: 59.6 F
– Average daily minimum: 30.7 F
Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Paris Close.
Stacker
Stacker is a news organization that produces and distributes data journalism to the world’s news organizations. Founded in 2017, Stacker combines data analysis with rich editorial context, drawing on authoritative sources and subject matter experts to drive storytelling. This article has been republished pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.