The warmest counties in the 10 coldest states
Canva
The warmest counties in the 10 coldest states
Climate change has meant more extreme heat days, a rising frequency of major weather events, and extended growing seasons in traditionally cool-weather states.
In colder parts of the country, warmer weather also means expanded territory and population booms for pests such as mosquitoes. Ticks, whose numbers are kept in check in part by deep freezes (10 degrees Fahrenheit or colder), will survive more easily in warmer winters, potentially increasing the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens such as Lyme disease, according to a July 2021 article in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
The seasonal temperature outlook through September 2023 across the vast majority of the U.S. is predicted to be above normal, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stacker ranked nearly 500 counties in the 10 coldest states in the continental U.S. to find the warmest based on average temperature between May 2022 and April 2023, citing National Centers for Environmental Information data. The coldest states included in the analysis are North Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, Maine, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Vermont. Ties are broken based on the average high temperature.
Canva
#50. Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota
– Average temperature: 47.9 F (3.2 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 61.3 F
– Average low: 34.4 F
– #2489 warmest county nationally
Canva
#49. Androscoggin County, Maine
– Average temperature: 47.9 F (3.3 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 57.9 F
– Average low: 37.8 F
– #2487 warmest county nationally
Canva
#48. Grant County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 47.9 F (3.0 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 57.8 F
– Average low: 38.1 F
– #2485 warmest county nationally
Canva
#47. Columbia County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 47.9 F (3.1 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 57.4 F
– Average low: 38.5 F
– #2484 warmest county nationally
Barbara Smits // Shutterstock
#46. Lafayette County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 48.0 F (3.1 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.5 F
– Average low: 37.6 F
– #2478 warmest county nationally
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#45. Lincoln County, Maine
– Average temperature: 48.2 F (3.6 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 57.0 F
– Average low: 39.3 F
– #2471 warmest county nationally
James Meyer // Shutterstock
#44. Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 48.2 F (3.3 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 57.0 F
– Average low: 39.4 F
– #2470 warmest county nationally
Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock
#43. Cumberland County, Maine
– Average temperature: 48.2 F (3.6 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.2 F
– Average low: 38.2 F
– #2468 warmest county nationally
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
#42. Grand Isle County, Vermont
– Average temperature: 48.2 F (2.4 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 57.3 F
– Average low: 39.2 F
– #2467 warmest county nationally
Canva
#41. Jerome County, Idaho
– Average temperature: 48.2 F (5.3 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 60.6 F
– Average low: 35.8 F
– #2464 warmest county nationally
Canva
#40. Weld County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 48.4 F (3.0 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.1 F
– Average low: 33.6 F
– #2453 warmest county nationally
MKStyle // Shutterstock
#39. Gem County, Idaho
– Average temperature: 48.4 F (5.5 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 60.5 F
– Average low: 36.3 F
– #2452 warmest county nationally
Canva
#38. York County, Maine
– Average temperature: 48.5 F (3.9 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.7 F
– Average low: 38.2 F
– #2445 warmest county nationally
Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock
#37. Dane County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 48.5 F (3.6 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.1 F
– Average low: 38.9 F
– #2439 warmest county nationally
spiritbridge // Shutterstock
#36. Jefferson County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 48.5 F (3.7 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.2 F
– Average low: 38.9 F
– #2434 warmest county nationally
Canva
#35. Montezuma County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 48.5 F (3.2 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 61.8 F
– Average low: 35.3 F
– #2432 warmest county nationally
Canva
#34. Sagadahoc County, Maine
– Average temperature: 48.5 F (4.0 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 57.8 F
– Average low: 39.2 F
– #2431 warmest county nationally
Canva
#33. Waukesha County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 48.6 F (3.7 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.1 F
– Average low: 39.1 F
– #2427 warmest county nationally
Canva
#32. Gooding County, Idaho
– Average temperature: 48.6 F (5.7 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 61.2 F
– Average low: 36.0 F
– #2424 warmest county nationally
Canva
#31. Green County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 48.6 F (3.8 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.7 F
– Average low: 38.6 F
– #2420 warmest county nationally
Canva
#30. Washington County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 48.8 F (3.4 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.6 F
– Average low: 33.9 F
– #2412 warmest county nationally
Canva
#29. Walworth County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 48.8 F (3.9 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.4 F
– Average low: 39.2 F
– #2404 warmest county nationally
Canva
#28. Arapahoe County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 48.9 F (3.5 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.8 F
– Average low: 33.9 F
– #2398 warmest county nationally
Canva
#27. Morgan County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 48.9 F (3.5 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.9 F
– Average low: 33.8 F
– #2399 warmest county nationally
Canva
#26. Nez Perce County, Idaho
– Average temperature: 48.9 F (6.0 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 60.2 F
– Average low: 37.6 F
– #2397 warmest county nationally
Bob Pool // Shutterstock
#25. Logan County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 49.0 F (3.6 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.3 F
– Average low: 34.6 F
– #2390 warmest county nationally
Canva
#24. Rock County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 49.1 F (4.2 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.8 F
– Average low: 39.4 F
– #2379 warmest county nationally
Canva
#23. Adams County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 49.2 F (3.9 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 64.3 F
– Average low: 34.1 F
– #2370 warmest county nationally
Canva
#22. Sedgwick County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 49.3 F (3.9 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.0 F
– Average low: 35.7 F
– #2358 warmest county nationally
Canva
#21. Phillips County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 49.7 F (4.3 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 64.0 F
– Average low: 35.3 F
– #2336 warmest county nationally
Canva
#20. Racine County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 49.7 F (4.8 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 59.0 F
– Average low: 40.3 F
– #2335 warmest county nationally
Canva
#19. Lincoln County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 49.7 F (4.3 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 65.5 F
– Average low: 33.9 F
– #2329 warmest county nationally
Canva
#18. Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 49.8 F (4.9 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 58.8 F
– Average low: 40.9 F
– #2319 warmest county nationally
Canva
#17. Kenosha County, Wisconsin
– Average temperature: 50.1 F (5.2 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 59.4 F
– Average low: 40.8 F
– #2285 warmest county nationally
Steve Boice // Shutterstock
#16. Broomfield County, Colorado
People golfing.
– Average temperature: 50.4 F (5.0 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 64.9 F
– Average low: 35.9 F
– #2250 warmest county nationally
Michael Berlfein // Shutterstock
#15. Denver County, Colorado
People at a market in summer.
– Average temperature: 50.5 F (5.2 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 64.9 F
– Average low: 36.2 F
– #2232 warmest county nationally
Canva
#14. Yuma County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 50.6 F (5.2 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 65.0 F
– Average low: 36.3 F
– #2222 warmest county nationally
Canva
#13. Payette County, Idaho
– Average temperature: 51.0 F (8.1 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.5 F
– Average low: 38.5 F
– #2186 warmest county nationally
Canva
#12. Kit Carson County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 51.1 F (5.7 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 66.2 F
– Average low: 36.1 F
– #2176 warmest county nationally
Charles Knowles // Shutterstock
#11. Ada County, Idaho
– Average temperature: 51.2 F (8.3 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 63.6 F
– Average low: 38.9 F
– #2171 warmest county nationally
Canva
#10. Las Animas County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 51.2 F (5.9 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 66.2 F
– Average low: 36.3 F
– #2168 warmest county nationally
Canva
#9. Canyon County, Idaho
– Average temperature: 51.4 F (8.5 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 64.6 F
– Average low: 38.3 F
– #2144 warmest county nationally
Canva
#8. Cheyenne County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 51.5 F (6.1 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 66.7 F
– Average low: 36.3 F
– #2135 warmest county nationally
Canva
#7. Crowley County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 51.7 F (6.4 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 68.3 F
– Average low: 35.2 F
– #2098 warmest county nationally
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
#6. Kiowa County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 52.2 F (6.8 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 67.8 F
– Average low: 36.6 F
– #2034 warmest county nationally
Canva
#5. Pueblo County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 52.2 F (6.8 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 67.5 F
– Average low: 36.9 F
– #2032 warmest county nationally
Canva
#4. Otero County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 52.8 F (7.5 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 69.0 F
– Average low: 36.7 F
– #1953 warmest county nationally
Canva
#3. Bent County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 53.2 F (7.8 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 69.2 F
– Average low: 37.1 F
– #1912 warmest county nationally
Canva
#2. Prowers County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 53.7 F (8.3 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 69.4 F
– Average low: 37.9 F
– #1837 warmest county nationally
Canva
#1. Baca County, Colorado
– Average temperature: 54.1 F (8.7 F higher than state average)
– Average high: 70.1 F
– Average low: 38.1 F
– #1787 warmest county nationally