PlainClimate

U.S. Climate Rankings

The country's coldest station-mapped locations, ranked from the 6,861 records with temperature in the NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals.

Data updated July 2026

Featured: Hottest locations → Coldest states → Hottest states → Sunniest states →
Warmest Coldest Wettest Driest Snowiest Most Comfortable Biggest Seasonal Swing

Coldest locations, the verdict

The coldest station-mapped U.S. locations top out near 13°F, concentrated in AK - Nuiqsut, AK sits at the top of the 6,861 locations measured for it.

13°F
the coldest reading - Nuiqsut, AK
26
of the 26 displayed locations are in AK
6,861
station-mapped locations with temperature measured
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 station-mapped U.S. locations

The 26 station-mapped U.S. locations with the lowest annual average temperature, including cutoff ties.

°F
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 As of 1991–2020
What this showsBars show each location record's annual mean temperature from the NOAA 1991–2020 normals. Nuiqsut tops the list at 13°F.

The 26 station-mapped U.S. locations with the lowest annual average temperature, including cutoff ties. Full 26-row list below, including every location tied at the 25-place cutoff.

# Location Avg Temp Precip
1 Nuiqsut (AK) 13°F (-10°C) 5.7"
2 Wainwright (AK) 15°F (-10°C) N/A
3 Chicken (AK) 20°F (-7°C) 12.3"
4 Wiseman (AK) 23°F (-5°C) 15.9"
5 Kivalina (AK) 23°F (-5°C) 9.7"
6 Central (AK) 23°F (-5°C) N/A
7 Deering (AK) 23°F (-5°C) N/A
8 Bettles (AK) 24°F (-5°C) 16.0"
9 Tok (AK) 24°F (-4°C) 12.7"
10 Manley Hot Springs (AK) 25°F (-4°C) 14.0"
11 Northway (AK) 25°F (-4°C) 11.3"
12 Glennallen (AK) 26°F (-4°C) 18.7"
13 Galena (AK) 26°F (-3°C) 13.9"
14 Paxson (AK) 26°F (-3°C) N/A
15 Eagle (AK) 26°F (-3°C) 11.5"
16 Ruby (AK) 26°F (-3°C) N/A
17 Nabesna (AK) 27°F (-3°C) N/A
18 Ester (AK) 27°F (-3°C) 14.6"
19 Cantwell (AK) 27°F (-3°C) 16.8"
20 Dry Creek (AK) 27°F (-3°C) 15.7"
21 Delta Junction (AK) 27°F (-3°C) 11.8"
22 Tonsina (AK) 28°F (-2°C) 13.3"
23 Fox (AK) 28°F (-2°C) 15.6"
24 Kaltag (AK) 28°F (-2°C) 21.5"
25 Fairbanks (AK) 28°F (-2°C) 11.7"
26 Gulkana (AK) 28°F (-2°C) 11.8"

Reading these rankings

Climate extremes make headlines, but livability is a balance.

  • Chasing warmth? The warmest station-mapped locations 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 locations
  • Want the full picture for a specific place? Open its location profile 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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which U.S. location record ranks #1 for "Coldest"? ▼
Nuiqsut, AK tops the coldest ranking at 13°F, based on NOAA's 1991-2020 Climate Normals.
What other location rankings does PlainClimate publish? ▼
7 location rankings in total: Warmest, Coldest, Wettest, Driest, Snowiest, Most Comfortable, Biggest Seasonal Swing. Each measures a different NOAA-derived metric, so one record can rank very differently across them.

Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.