The Coldest and Warmest Cities in Every State
If you're looking for a warm getaway this winter, chances are you might first look to Florida or Texas. But the U.S. is a big place, and there's a lot of variation in temperatures even between cities in the same state. We've compiled a list of the warmest and coldest cities in each so you have names to add to your destination list — or cross off. What's your experience like in these cities? Let us know in the comments.
Related: Best Small Towns to Visit in Winter
All average annual temperatures are compiled from weather data collected from 1981 to 2010 and reported on Current Results. In the event of a tie for the coldest or warmest city in a particular state, we've featured the city where both the average high and low beat out other cities.
The average high temperature in Mobile is a balmy 78 degrees. A few other cities, also on the Gulf in the southern part of the state, have the same average, so if you're looking for warmth, head to the coast.
For more great travel guides and fun trivia articles, please sign up for our free newsletters.
The northern part of the state holds the city with the lowest average temperature: Decatur. It gets down to an average of only 50 degrees during the year.
Related: RV Retirement Spots for Snowbirds
Alaska's warmest average high (52) is found on Annette Island. It's in the far southeastern part of the state, near the border with British Columbia.
Related: Best Road Trips in Canada
Not surprisingly, the city with the coldest average temps in Alaska is at its northernmost point. The average in Barrow (increasingly known by the traditional Inupiaq name Utqiagvik) during the winter is just 6 degrees, though that's a far cry from the coldest temperature ever recorded in the U.S.: minus 80 degrees in Alaska's Prospect Creek in 1971.
All of Arizona's hottest average temps come in the very western part of the state. Yuma, Parker, and Bullhead City all have an average annual high temp of 89 degrees, but that's nothing compared with the record high in Arizona of 128 degrees, which was recorded in Lake Havasu City in 1994.
You might think of Arizona as hot all over year-round, but the average low in Flagstaff is a chilly 32 degrees.
The little town of Eudora in the very southeast corner of the state has an average high temp of 77 degrees. You'd have to travel to the city of Ozark to find the spot with the highest record temp at 120 degrees in 1936.
The birthplace of Walmart is the city with the lowest average temps in Arkansas. Bentonville averages 45 degrees in winter.
Just north of the Mexican border on the eastern half of the state you'll find California's highest average temp of 88 degrees in El Centro. The highest recorded temperature in the U.S. was also recorded in California's aptly named Furnace Creek in 1913. It was 134 degrees on July 10.
Related: The Best of California For Budget Vacations
The average low in California doesn't go below 46 degrees in most of the state, including at Petaluma and Santa Rosa. Talk about mild winters.
North of Denver and just east of the Rockies is where you'll find the city of Greeley, where the average temperature in summer is 69 degrees, tied with Pueblo just to the south.
At an elevation of almost 9,000 feet in the Rockies, Crested Butte takes the trophy for coldest average temps at 18 degrees. It's also great for skiing.
Related: Off-the-Radar Mountain Towns Across America
A city on Long Island Sound records the highest average summer temperatures in Connecticut. Stamford reaches an average of only 63 degrees during the hottest months.
Norfolk, in the northwestern part of the state and not far from the border of Massachusetts, is the coolest city. The average low there is 36 degrees.
A city in the northern part of Delaware has the highest average temps at 67 degrees. It's insulated from the Delaware River and Bay, which keeps the southern part of the state cool.
Newark shares the lowest average temperature of 45 degrees with Milford. The coldest temperature recorded in Delaware was -17 degrees, way back in 1893 in Millsboro.
The warmest average temperature of a Florida city is 85 degrees, at Fort Myers and Naples. The Royal Palm visitor center in Everglades National Park records the highest non-city average temp at 89 degrees.
Related: Best Beaches on the East Coast
A city just north of Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle takes the cake for the coldest city in the state, with an average low of 53 degrees. And if you think it never gets below zero in Florida, think again. The coldest temp recorded was -2 degrees in Tallahassee in 1899.
Landlocked Thomasville in the western part of Georgia near the Florida border registers the warmest annual high temperature at 79 degrees, tied with Waycross to the northeast.
Surrounded almost entirely by the Chattahoochee National Forest, Blairsville's average low temperature is a chilly 43 degrees.
Related: Best Products for Surviving Winter
Famous Waikiki on the island of Oahu has the best beach weather in the state, with an average high of 85 degrees.
Related: The Best of Hawaii on a Budget
A town on Maui, Kula, has the coolest average of a city at 56 degrees. Unlike every other state, however, Hawaii's record cold temperature is above zero at 12 degrees.
A tiny town of fewer than 1,000 people has the distinction of being the warmest town in Idaho at an average of 68 degrees. Maybe if more people knew about the weather, they'd move to Bruneau?
Island Park, a city surrounded by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, has the lowest average annual temp in Idaho, bottoming out at just 24 degrees.
A city in the southern part of the state, Cairo takes the lead in average annual temp with 68 degrees. It may not match Egypt's temps, but it's not bad.
Two cities in north central Illinois are tied for the coldest: Dixon and Freeport. Both have an average annual low of 38 degrees.
The southern part of the state on the Kentucky border holds Indiana's warmest city. The average annual high temperature in Evansville is 71, a full 4 degrees higher than the next warmest cities.
Angola, in the very northeastern corner of the state, is Indiana's coldest city. It averages a low of 38 degrees, but that still seems warm compared with the state record low of -36 degrees, recorded in New Whiteland in 1994.
Two cities on opposite sides of Iowa are tied for the warmest: Burlington in the east and Shenandoah in the west have average annual highs of 63 degrees.
Only one city in Iowa holds the spot for coldest temps, however. Cresco, with a population just over 3,800, has an average low of 33 degrees.
Great Bend, near the very middle of Kansas, has warm temps at an average 70 degrees, tied with Liberal and Elkhart to the southwest. Almost directly north of Great Bend, the record high was in Alton in 1936 at a sweat-inducing 121 degrees.
Due west from Alton is Colby, the coldest city in Kansas. Its average low temperature is just 37 degrees.
Two cities are tied for the warmest in Kentucky. Bowling Green and Paducah in the western part of the state have average high temps of 69 degrees.
Related: The Most Christmas-y Towns in All 50 States
Just east of Lexington, Mount Sterling has an average low of 42 degrees, tied with Stearns to the south. That's still much nicer than the record low of -37 recorded in Shelbyville in 1994.
The Gulf Coast region of Louisiana is the place to be if you love hot weather. Lafayette and Houma are tied for the warmest cities, at an average of 79 degrees each.
Head north in Louisiana if you'd prefer cooler weather. Ruston, east of Shreveport in the middle of the state, has an average annual low of 52 degrees, tied with nearby Monroe.
The largest city in Maine is also the warmest, at an average at 56 degrees. The hottest temperature on record was registered not far from Portland, in North Bridgton, at 105 degrees.
Related: Things You Never Knew About New England
The coldest city in Maine is at the very northern tip of the state, on the border with New Brunswick, Canada. Fort Kent averages an annual low of only 27 degrees.
The warmest city in Maryland lies on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. Cambridge averages an annual high of 69 degrees.
The coldest city in Maryland is in the very western edge of the state, where the warming effect of the ocean in winter doesn't reach. Oakland's average low is 37 degrees, and it's also where the record cold temp of -40 degrees was recorded in 1912.
A city south of Boston is the warmest in Massachusetts. Taunton's average annual high temp is 61 degrees, which seems appropriately chilly for New England.
Two towns not far away from each other in the western part of the state are tied for the coldest spot. Both Worthington and Lanesboro have an annual low of 34 degrees.
Benton Harbor, in the southwest part of the Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan, is the warmest city in the state. Its average high is 60 degrees.
Not surprisingly, the coldest city in Michigan is in the Upper Peninsula, on the border with northern Wisconsin. The town of Ironwood has an annual average low of 30 degrees.
If you're not a fan of cool weather, Minnesota is probably not the best state for you. The warmest city on average is Winona, on the banks of the Mississippi, which averages a high of only 58 degrees.
The town of Hibbing in northern Minnesota is the coldest city in the state, with an average annual low of just 25 degrees. That's a heat wave compared with the record low temp of -60 degrees in Tower in 1996.
Related: The Best Cold-Weather Gear on Amazon
The warmest city in Mississippi is on the Gulf Coast. Picayune's average annual high is a humid 78 degrees.
A town at the very northern tip of the state, not far from Memphis, is the coldest city in Mississippi. Holly Springs’ average low is just 46 degrees.
If you're looking for the warmest city in Missouri, you'll have to go to the very southeast corner. Caruthersville, on the Mississippi River, has an average high temp of 69 degrees.
On the exact opposite corner of the state is the coldest city in Missouri, Maryville, with an average low of 40 degrees. Interestingly, the coldest temp recorded in the state was -40 in Warsaw, the same city that has the highest recorded temp record at 118 degrees.
The largest city in Montana is also the warmest. Billings has an average annual high of 60 degrees, which is perhaps why so many people live there.
West Yellowstone, a small town on the western edge of — you guessed it — Yellowstone National Park, is the coldest spot in the state with an average low of only 20 degrees. The second-lowest temperature recorded in the U.S. was -70 degrees in Lincoln (Rogers Pass) in 1954.
Related: Explore the Best National Parks in Every State
Near the border with Kansas is the warmest city in Nebraska, McCook. Its annual average high is 65 degrees.
The coldest city in Nebraska is in the northwest corner of the state. Chadron's average annual low is 32 degrees. The state's record cold temp is well below freezing, however, at -47 degrees in Oshkosh.
If you've been to Las Vegas and thought it was hot, you might want to skip Nevada's hottest city. Laughlin, at the very southern tip of the state, is a full 7 degrees warmer on average than Las Vegas, at 87 degrees. It's also where the highest temp in the state, 125 degrees, was recorded.
Nevada isn't all desert, though. Mountain City, near the border with Idaho, has an average annual low of a frosty 25 degrees.
Two cities that are right next to each other are tied for the warmest in New Hampshire. Durham and Portsmouth have average annual highs of 59 degrees.
The town of Colebrook on the border with Vermont in the northern part of New Hampshire has the lowest annual average temp of 28 degrees.
Moorestown, an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, is the warmest city in New Jersey. Its average annual high is 67 degrees.
Across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania is New Jersey's coldest city. Lambertville has an average annual low of 39 degrees.
Two small cities in New Mexico are tied for the warmest. Hobbs and Carlsbad near the state's southeastern border with Texas, have an average annual high of 77 degrees.
A town in the northern part of the state is New Mexico's coldest. Cuba has an average annual low of only 28 degrees. (That's a far cry from the other Cuba's temps!)
New York City has the highest temps in New York state, recorded at its LaGuardia Airport. The average annual high is 63 degrees, about 1 degree warmer than other parts of the city.
Related: Free or Cheap Things to Do in New York City
A town in upstate New York has the distinction of being the coldest. Old Forge has an average annual low of 31 degrees, just below freezing. That's also where the state's record low of -52 degrees was set in 1979.
A town south of Wilmington on the Atlantic coast called Southport is the warmest in the state of North Carolina. It's got great beach weather, with an average annual high of 76 degrees.
Banner Elk, near the Cherokee National Forest, is the coldest in North Carolina. It has an average annual low of 38 degrees.
North Dakota isn't exactly known for its warm weather. The city with the highest annual temp is Medora, where it averages 58 degrees. That's a huge difference from the record temp of 121 degrees set in 1936.
Not far from the Canadian border, Bottineau is the coldest city in North Dakota. The average annual low temp in the town is only 27 degrees.
Gallipolis, on the southern border with West Virginia, is Ohio's warmest city. It has an annual average high of 69 degrees and holds the record high of 113 degrees, set in 1934.
Near the Pennsylvania border, Youngstown is the coldest city in Ohio. Its annual average low is 40 degrees.
Just southwest of Oklahoma City is the state's warmest city, Chickasha. The city of around 16,000 has an average annual high temp of 75 degrees.
At the very tip of the Oklahoma panhandle is the coldest city in the state. The average annual low in Kenton is a chilly 41 degrees.
Medford, a city near the Cascade Mountains and the northern border of California, is the warmest in Oregon. The average annual high there is 68 degrees.
A tiny town called Seneca in the eastern part of the state is Oregon's coldest, with an annual average low of 25 degrees. It's also home to the coldest temperature ever recorded in the state, -54 degrees in 1933.
Related: Best Beaches on the West Coast
The warmest city in Pennsylvania is the City of Brotherly Love. Whether it's all that love or just the urban heat island effect, the average annual temp in Philly is 65 degrees.
A city in the western part of the state just south of the New York border is the coldest city in Pennsylvania. Bradford's average annual low temp is 42 degrees.
There's not a lot of geographic space for large temperature differences in Rhode Island, but the warmest city is Kingston. The town south of Providence has an annual average high of 62 degrees.
The coldest town in Rhode Island is in the northwestern part of the state. North Foster has an average annual low temp of 39 degrees.
The capital of South Carolina is also its warmest city. Columbia's average annual high is 78 degrees. The record high in the state was set in 2012 in Columbia at 113 degrees.
Longcreek, a town near the Georgia border, is the coldest in South Carolina. Its average annual low temp is only 46 degrees.
A town with a funny name is the warmest in South Dakota. Interior, near Badlands National Park, has an annual average high temp of 64 degrees.
Related: Towns with Oddball Names
Aberdeen in the northeastern part of South Dakota is the coldest city in the state. The average annual low is right at freezing: 32 degrees.
The home of Graceland and delicious barbecue, Memphis is the warmest city in Tennessee. Its average annual high temperature is 73 degrees.
Related: Elvis' Pet Chimp Wasn't the Only Unusual Thing About Graceland
Naming the coldest cities in a state Mountain City seems to be a popular choice. This is the second Mountain City on the list, though the average annual low here is 40 degrees. It's also where the state record low was recorded at -32 degrees in 1917.
The warmest city in Texas is unsurprisingly on the southern border with Mexico. McAllen's average annual high is a steamy 86 degrees.
The largest city in the Texas panhandle is also the coldest in the state. Amarillo's average annual low temperature is only 44 degrees.
The very southwest corner of Utah holds the state's warmest city. St. George has an average annual high of 77 degrees, which isn't shocking when you figure it's so close to Nevada and Arizona.
The small town of Roosevelt in the eastern part of Utah is the coldest city in the state. The average annual low there is 29 degrees.
The warmest city in Vermont is Bennington in the southwest corner of the state. The city, surrounded almost entirely by the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests, has an average annual high of 57 degrees.
Related: Warm Weather Destinations for Reconnecting With Nature
Cavendish, a city near many skiing resorts, is the coldest city in Vermont. Its average annual low is 31 degrees. That's much better weather for skiing than the record low in the state, -50 degrees set in 1933.
A city on coastal Virginia's James River waterway takes the state's top spot as warmest city. Newport News has an annual average high of 71 degrees.
Ironically, the coldest city in Virginia is Hot Springs. In the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, the resort area known for skiing and natural springs has an average annual low of 40 degrees.
Related: Natural Hot Springs to Shake Off Winter's Chill
The warmest city in Washington state is Walla Walla. The average annual high temp there is 63 degrees, which must be just about ideal for growing sweet onions. On June 28, 2021, weather stations at the Sol Duc River near Forks and the Mayfield Power Plant in Lewis County recorded temps of 118 degrees, tying the previous record reached in 1928 and 1961.
Washington's coldest city is also inland from the Pacific coast. Winthrop's average annual low temp is 32 degrees. The state's record low was set here and in Mazama in 1968: -48 degrees.
The warmest city in West Virginia lies at the confluence of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Huntington's average annual high temperature is 67 degrees.
Though it may sound like a sport fisherman's paradise, you're not going to catch too many marlins in West Virginia's coldest city. Marlinton has an average annual low of just 33 degrees.
Related: Top Affordable Destinations for Summer Sun
Popular with tourists from the Chicago area, the resort town of Lake Geneva in southern Wisconsin is the state's warmest city. It averages an annual high of 59 degrees.
Naturally, the coldest city in Wisconsin is in the northern part of the state. Crivitz, north of Green Bay, has an average annual low of just 29 degrees. That's downright balmy compared with the state's record low of -55 degrees, which was recorded in Couderay in 1996.
Thermopolis is heated by a number of natural hot springs, and named after them. In fact, it's even in Hot Springs County. So it's no surprise that Thermopolis takes the top spot for warmest city in Wyoming with 66 degrees.
A small town called Kemmerer is the coldest city in Wyoming, with an average annual low of just 22 degrees. That's still warm compared with the coldest temperature recorded in the state, though: -63 degrees in 1933.
Related: Where to Find Indoor Fun in All 50 States This Winter
Like Cheapism's content? Be sure to follow us.
