American Cities With Most Uncomfortable Temperatures

Every major city in the United States enjoys many days each year with mild temperatures, but some cities less often than others. Here you'll find temperature data and rankings for the major cities in America that most often feel unpleasantly cold or uncomfortably hot.

These ratings use long-term temperature averages based on weather data collected from 1991 to 2020 for the US National Centers for Environmental Information. The major cities included in these weather rankings represent the 56 metropolitan areas in the United States with the most people, all those with over one million residents in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau.

Most Days With Unpleasant Temperatures

Less that comfortable temperatures are highs that fall outside the pleasant range of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Some cities like Miami are warmer, and commonly have days in the 80s or 90s. Others, like Minneapolis, spend most the time below 60. For people who like their weather either on the hotter or colder side, those cities are ideal. The 60 to 80 degree span though is for most people closer to a pleasant room temperature.

These 15 cities average more than 250 days, over two-thirds of a year, when the day's highest temperature falls outside the ideal range for comfort because it's either too hot or too cold.

Total days per year on average with a maximum temperature below 60 or above 80 °F (16 – 27 °C)

City	Days
Honolulu, Hawaii	330
Miami, Florida	295
Salt Lake City, Utah	271
Orlando, Florida	265
Minneapolis, Minnesota	260
Chicago, Illinois	257
St. Louis, Missouri	256
Grand Rapids, Michigan	254
Tampa, Florida	254
Hartford, Connecticut	254
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	254
Detroit, Michigan	253
Kansas City, Missouri	252
Indianapolis, Indiana	252
Louisville, Kentucky	251

City links take you to more detailed information on temperatures for that location. You can also view a summary of temperature averages for all major US cities and city temperatures in recent years and a complete list of America's 56 largest urban centers.

Most Uncomfortable Nights

Low temperatures at nine US cities enter less than ideal territory for over one-third of the year. Most cities on this list have many nights that remain above 70 °F. For others, it's the number of nights dropping below freezing that put them on the list.

Average days per year with minimum temperature below 32 or above 70 °F (0 or 21 °C)

City	Days a Year
Grand Rapids, Michigan	248
Tulsa, Oklahoma	240
Miami, Florida	226
Tampa, Florida	160
Minneapolis, Minnesota	157
Denver, Colorado	156
Orlando, Florida	149
Jacksonville, Florida	148
Houston, Texas	142
Phoenix, Arizona	140
New Orleans, Louisiana	139

Shortest Frost-Free Season

Major US cities with the shortest frost-free period can usually see frost from October to April. They average less than 200 consecutive days at year without frost. Just three major American cities have a frost-free period that's normally less than six months long.

Average length of frost-free season plus mean dates when the period with no frost begins and ends

City	Days	Last Frost	First Frost
Denver, Colorado	156	Oct 8	May 4
Grand Rapids, Michigan	174	Oct 20	Apr 29
Hartford, Connecticut	177	Oct 16	Apr 21
Minneapolis, Minnesota	177	Oct 18	Apr 23
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	182	Oct 23	Apr 23
Rochester, New York	183	Oct 25	Apr 24
Buffalo, New York	184	Oct 26	Apr 24
Cincinnati, Ohio	189	Oct 25	Apr 18
Detroit, Michigan	189	Oct 27	Apr 20
Columbus, Ohio	191	Oct 27	Apr 18
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	192	Oct 29	Apr 19
Kansas City, Missouri	193	Oct 24	Apr 13
Indianapolis, Indiana	193	Oct 26	Apr 15
Cleveland, Ohio	196	Nov 3	Apr 20