U.S. Climate Rankings
The country's coldest cities, ranked from 6,915 U.S. cities on NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals.
Data updated July 2026
Coldest cities, the verdict
The coldest U.S. cities top out near 13°F, concentrated in AK - Utqiagvik Formerly Barrow, AK sits at the very top of all 6,915 cities.
- 13°F
- the coldest reading - Utqiagvik Formerly Barrow, AK
- 25
- of the top 25 are in AK
- 6,915
- U.S. cities ranked
- 1991–2020
- NOAA 30-year normals window
Rankings reflect 30-year climate normals, long-run typical conditions, not any single recent year.
Top 10 coldest U.S. cities
The 25 U.S. cities with the lowest annual average temperature.
- Utqiagvik For…
Utqiagvik Formerly Barrow, AK
12.7 °F
- Colville Vill…
Colville Village, AK
13.2 °F
- Deadhorse
Deadhorse, AK
13.3 °F
- Nuiqsut
Nuiqsut, AK
13.4 °F
- Kuparuk
Kuparuk, AK
13.5 °F
- Barrow Post R…
Barrow Post Rogers, AK
13.7 °F
- Alpine
Alpine, AK
14.4 °F
- Wainwright
Wainwright, AK
14.8 °F
- Toolik Lake
Toolik Lake, AK
18.9 °F
- Chandalar Lake
Chandalar Lake, AK
19.1 °F
What this shows Bars show each city's annual mean temperature from the NOAA 1991–2020 normals. Utqiagvik Formerly Barrow tops the list at 13°F.
The 25 U.S. cities with the lowest annual average temperature. Full top 25 below.
| # | City | Avg Temp | High | Low | Precip | Snow | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utqiagvik Formerly Barrow (AK) | 13°F (-11°C) | 18°F | 7°F | 6.2" | N/A | 37/100 |
| 2 | Colville Village (AK) | 13°F (-10°C) | 19°F | 7°F | 5.6" | 57.6" | 27/100 |
| 3 | Deadhorse (AK) | 13°F (-10°C) | 20°F | 7°F | 5.7" | N/A | 37/100 |
| 4 | Nuiqsut (AK) | 13°F (-10°C) | 20°F | 7°F | 5.7" | N/A | 37/100 |
| 5 | Kuparuk (AK) | 14°F (-10°C) | 20°F | 7°F | 4.7" | 35.5" | 32/100 |
| 6 | Barrow Post Rogers (AK) | 14°F (-10°C) | 19°F | 8°F | 5.4" | 45.8" | 32/100 |
| 7 | Alpine (AK) | 14°F (-10°C) | 20°F | 8°F | 8.1" | N/A | 37/100 |
| 8 | Wainwright (AK) | 15°F (-10°C) | 21°F | 9°F | N/A | N/A | 42/100 |
| 9 | Toolik Lake (AK) | 19°F (-7°C) | 28°F | 10°F | N/A | N/A | 42/100 |
| 10 | Chandalar Lake (AK) | 19°F (-7°C) | 31°F | 7°F | N/A | N/A | 42/100 |
| 11 | Chandalar Shelf Dot (AK) | 20°F (-7°C) | 26°F | 13°F | N/A | N/A | 42/100 |
| 12 | Chicken (AK) | 20°F (-7°C) | 33°F | 8°F | 12.3" | 36.6" | 42/100 |
| 13 | Circle Hot Springs (AK) | 21°F (-6°C) | 33°F | 10°F | 12.1" | N/A | 47/100 |
| 14 | Wiseman (AK) | 23°F (-5°C) | 34°F | 11°F | 15.9" | N/A | 47/100 |
| 15 | Kivalina (AK) | 23°F (-5°C) | 29°F | 16°F | 9.7" | N/A | 34/100 |
| 16 | Central (AK) | 23°F (-5°C) | 34°F | 12°F | N/A | N/A | 39/100 |
| 17 | Deering (AK) | 23°F (-5°C) | 31°F | 16°F | N/A | N/A | 42/100 |
| 18 | Bettles (AK) | 24°F (-5°C) | 34°F | 14°F | 16.0" | 97.9" | 34/100 |
| 19 | Kotzebue Ralph Wein (AK) | 24°F (-4°C) | 30°F | 18°F | 11.4" | 64.2" | 34/100 |
| 20 | Port Alcan (AK) | 24°F (-4°C) | 35°F | 14°F | 11.0" | 27.4" | 39/100 |
| 21 | Tok (AK) | 24°F (-4°C) | 37°F | 12°F | 12.7" | N/A | 47/100 |
| 22 | Goldstream Creek (AK) | 24°F (-4°C) | 36°F | 12°F | 14.3" | N/A | 47/100 |
| 23 | Manley Hot Springs (AK) | 25°F (-4°C) | 38°F | 12°F | 14.0" | N/A | 47/100 |
| 24 | Northway (AK) | 25°F (-4°C) | 36°F | 13°F | 11.3" | 42.9" | 39/100 |
| 25 | Tok (AK) | 25°F (-4°C) | 37°F | 14°F | N/A | N/A | 39/100 |
Reading these rankings
Climate extremes make headlines, but livability is a balance.
- Chasing warmth? The warmest cities cluster in Florida, Hawaii, and the desert Southwest, but check humidity and summer extremes too. Most comfortable
- Avoiding snow and cold? Compare the driest and warmest lists against the snowiest before deciding. Driest cities
- Want the full picture for a specific place? Open its city page for monthly tables, frost dates, and degree days. Browse by state
NOAA normals describe the typical 1991–2020 year; they are not forecasts and do not capture post-2020 warming.
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). For informational purposes only.
Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.