U.S. Climate Rankings
The country's biggest seasonal swing cities and Census-designated places, ranked from the 3,917 places with a complete 12-month series in the NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals.
Data updated August 2026
Biggest Seasonal Swing cities, the verdict
The biggest seasonal swing U.S. cities and Census-designated places top out near 76.7°F swing, concentrated in AK, ND, MN - Central, AK sits at the top of the 3,917 places measured for it.
- 76.7°F swing
- the biggest seasonal swing reading - Central, AK
- 17
- of the 25 displayed places are in AK
- 3,917
- ranked cities/CDPs with a complete 12-month series measured
- 1991–2020
- NOAA 30-year normals window
Rankings reflect 30-year climate normals, long-run typical conditions, not any single recent year. The list includes incorporated places and Census-designated places only, not airports, parks, or other station sites.
Top 10 biggest seasonal swing U.S. cities and Census-designated places
The 25 U.S. cities and Census-designated places with the widest gap between their warmest and coldest month.
- Central
Central, AK
76.7 °F swing
- Chicken
Chicken, AK
76.1 °F swing
- Northway
Northway, AK
73.2 °F swing
- Ruby
Ruby, AK
71.3 °F swing
- Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK
71.2 °F swing
- Bettles
Bettles, AK
70.4 °F swing
- Galena
Galena, AK
70 °F swing
- Manley Hot Springs
Manley Hot Springs, AK
69.1 °F swing
- Ester
Ester, AK
68.2 °F swing
- Tok
Tok, AK
67.4 °F swing
The 25 U.S. cities and Census-designated places with the widest gap between their warmest and coldest month. Full 25-row list below.
| # | Location | Warmest-vs-coldest-month swing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central (AK) | 76.7°F |
| 2 | Chicken (AK) | 76.1°F |
| 3 | Northway (AK) | 73.2°F |
| 4 | Ruby (AK) | 71.3°F |
| 5 | Fairbanks (AK) | 71.2°F |
| 6 | Bettles (AK) | 70.4°F |
| 7 | Galena (AK) | 70.0°F |
| 8 | Manley Hot Springs (AK) | 69.1°F |
| 9 | Ester (AK) | 68.2°F |
| 10 | Tok (AK) | 67.4°F |
| 11 | Wiseman (AK) | 67.4°F |
| 12 | Dry Creek (AK) | 67.0°F |
| 13 | Eagle (AK) | 66.9°F |
| 14 | Mcgrath (AK) | 66.6°F |
| 15 | Two Rivers (AK) | 65.4°F |
| 16 | Nuiqsut (AK) | 65.2°F |
| 17 | Hallock (MN) | 63.9°F |
| 18 | Pembina (ND) | 63.9°F |
| 19 | Grafton (ND) | 63.6°F |
| 20 | Petersburg (ND) | 63.4°F |
| 21 | Rolette (ND) | 63.4°F |
| 22 | Kaltag (AK) | 63.3°F |
| 23 | Edmore (ND) | 63.2°F |
| 24 | Esmond (ND) | 63.2°F |
| 25 | Warroad (MN) | 63.2°F |
Reading these rankings
Climate extremes make headlines, but livability is a balance.
- Chasing warmth? The warmest ranked 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 places
- 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
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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.