The coldest cities in the nation
Winter is nearly at an end, and for many people, spring can't come soon enough. Cities as far south as Washington, D.C., have seen subzero temperatures while others have been ravaged by snow.
But many places in the United States experience extreme cold virtually every year. Fairbanks, Alaska, for example, averaged Fahrenheit temperatures of nearly 17 degrees below zero between 1981 and 2010.
And severe cold is not confined to Alaska. In fact, almost all of the coldest cities in the United States are located in the lower 48 states.
None of these cities are strangers to snow, with many of them historically receiving more than four feet. Marquette, Mich., one of the coldest cities, has historically averaged more than 12 feet of snow. In 2014, Marquette got nearly 350 inches of snow.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: The best (and worst) states for business]
Even in the summer months, most of these cities do not get very hot. Average monthly maximum temperatures in most of these cities are below 60 degrees.
To determine the coldest cities, 24/7 Wall St. used data on the minimum monthly temperature between 1981 and 2010 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2012 “Comparative Climatic Data” report. The cities listed have medium to large populations and are near weather stations classified as Local Climatological Data stations. Maximum monthly temperature and average annual snowfall come from the same NOAA report. We also used population data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey to ensure that each city list has at least 10,000 people.
25. Dubuque, Iowa
Average monthly minimum temperature: 11.2 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 62.1 F
Population: 57,826
Average annual snowfall: 43.7 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: The richest county in each state]
24. North Platte, Nebraska
Average monthly minimum temperature: 11.1 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 60.4 F
Population: 24,609
Average annual snowfall: 30.7 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: The poorest county in each state]
23. Madison, Wisconsin
Average monthly minimum temperature: 11.1 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 61.0 F
Population: 237,395
Average annual snowfall: 46.0 in.
22. Anchorage, Alaska
Average monthly minimum temperature: 11.1 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 52.2 F
Population: 295,237
Average annual snowfall: 72.8 in.
21. Sheridan, Wyoming
Average monthly minimum temperature: 10.6 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 53.0 F
Population: 17,584
Average annual snowfall: 71.4 in.
20. Concord, New Hampshire
Average monthly minimum temperature: 10.4 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 57.7 F
Population: 42,590
Average annual snowfall: 65.9 in.
19. Burlington, Vermont
Average monthly minimum temperature: 10.2 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 60.3 F
Population: 42,331
Average annual snowfall: 80.9 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: The poorest county in each state]
18. Sioux City, Iowa
Average monthly minimum temperature: 10.2 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 63.2 F
Population: 82,602
Average annual snowfall: 33.2 in.
17. Waterloo, Iowa
Average monthly minimum temperature: 9.5 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 62.8 F
Population: 68,327
Average annual snowfall: 33.5 in.
16. Green Bay, Wisconsin
Average monthly minimum temperature: 9.0 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 58.4 F
Population: 104,393
Average annual snowfall: 49.9 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: States with the best (and worst) schools]
15. La Crosse, Wisconsin
Average monthly minimum temperature: 8.9 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 63.2 F
Population: 51,421
Average annual snowfall: 44.2 in.
14. Rochester, Minnesota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 7.7 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 61.3 F
Population: 108,179
Average annual snowfall: 49.6 in.
13. Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Average monthly minimum temperature: 7.6 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 54.5 F
Population: 14,171
Average annual snowfall: 116.7 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: The safest cities in America]
12. Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 7.5 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 64.1 F
Population: 677,914
Average annual snowfall: 50.4 in.
11. Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 6.9 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 61.9 F
Population: 157,675
Average annual snowfall: 41.6 in.
10. Huron, South Dakota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 6.6 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 61.4 F
Population: 12,782
Average annual snowfall: 41.2 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: The most dangerous states in America]
9. Marquette, Michigan
Average monthly minimum temperature: 5.2 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 54.6 F
Population: 21,399
Average annual snowfall: 149.1 in.
8. Bismarck, North Dakota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 2.2 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 57.4 F
Population: 63,353
Average annual snowfall: 44.9 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: The worst states for black Americans]
7. St. Cloud, Minnesota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 1.8 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 58.4 F
Population: 65,996
Average annual snowfall: 44.9 in.
6. Aberdeen, South Dakota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 1.5 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 59.0 F
Population: 26,506
Average annual snowfall: 37.8 in.
5. Duluth, Minnesota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 1.5 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 55.4 F
Population: 86,234
Average annual snowfall: 81.5 in.
[Related on 247WallSt.com: America's most (and least) healthy states]
4. Williston, North Dakota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 0.1 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 55.8 F
Population: 16,917
Average annual snowfall: 43.8 in.
3. Fargo, North Dakota
Average monthly minimum temperature: 0.1 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 59.5 F
Population: 108,371
Average annual snowfall: 42.4 in.
2. Grand Forks, North Dakota
Average monthly minimum temperature: -3.1 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 56.3 F
Population: 53,315
Average annual snowfall: Data unavailable
1. Fairbanks, Alaska
Average monthly minimum temperature: -16.9 F
Average monthly maximum temperature: 52.3 F
Population: 31,891
Average annual snowfall: 66.1 in.