Everyone has different weather preferences. Some people enjoy the crisp, cool air of an autumn morning, while others look forward to a hot summer day so they can go to the beach. But nearly everyone can agree that sweltering temperatures over 100 degrees, or blizzards occurring in sub-zero temperatures are no fun.
Most people enjoy their weather in a Goldilocks zone — not too hot, not too cold; not too rainy, but not too dry either. 24/7 Wall St. reviewed weather records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Historical Climatology Network to determine the cities with the best weather. We selected places with climates that rarely get excessively hot, cold, rainy, or dry, among other factors.
While the cities on this list may have the most pleasant weather in the country right now, that may not be the case for much longer. We are already feeling the effects of climate change, as winters grow more intense and summer heat waves get hotter and longer than ever before. In fact, June 2019 was the hottest month in world history. While some effects will be felt the world over, certain areas will face major changes. These cities will have unrecognizable weather in 30 years.
Severe weather events are not just unpleasant, but they can also be dangerous and even deadly. States spend millions of dollars ensuring that their infrastructure can withstand high winds, heavy rains, or huge snowfalls. But not every place is equally prepared to deal with a natural disaster. These are the states least prepared for a weather emergency.
Click here to see the cities with the best weather
Methodology
To determine the cities with the best weather, we created an index of minimum, maximum, and average temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, wind, humidity, and more. While many people would choose a warm climate over a freezing cold one, for many there are some climates that are just too hot. We rewarded places with fewer rainy days per year, as most people prefer a precipitation-free, sunny day over rain or snow. We also penalized places that get too little precipitation, however, as an arid climate can hurt vegetation and lead to wildfires and water restrictions. All values were indexed using min-max normalization to create a composite score for each city. Any city missing data for five or more measures was excluded from consideration. All data was derived from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 2018 Comparative Climate Data and The 30-Year Climate Normals for 1980-2010, maintained by the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN).
Source: f11photo / Getty Images
25. Washington, D.C.
> Avg. annual temperature: 58.1 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 114 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 67 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 96 days
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Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
24. El Paso, Texas
> Avg. annual temperature: 64.5 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 48 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 54 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 193 days
Source: dszc / Getty Images
23. Tucson, Arizona
> Avg. annual temperature: 69.2 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 51 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 16 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 193 days
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
22. West Palm Beach, Florida
> Avg. annual temperature: 75.4 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 133 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 75 days
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Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
21. Brownsville, Texas
> Avg. annual temperature: 74.5 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 72 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 2 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 96 days
Source: Betty4240 / Getty Images
20. Oak Ridge, Tennessee
> Avg. annual temperature: 58.5 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 129 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 83 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 109 days
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Source: SpVVK / Getty Images
19. Sacramento, California
> Avg. annual temperature: 61.0 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 57 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 18 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 188 days
Source: LUNAMARINA / Getty Images
18. Orlando, Florida
> Avg. annual temperature: 73.3 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 117 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 2 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 89 days
Source: LPETTET / Getty Images
17. Bakersfield, California
> Avg. annual temperature: 65.2 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 37 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 13 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 191 days
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Source: LPETTET / Getty Images
16. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Avg. annual temperature: 68.3 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 26 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 26 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 210 days
Source: Kruck20 / Getty Images
15. Greensboro, North Carolina
> Avg. annual temperature: 59.1 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 116 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 81 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 109 days
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Source: LUNAMARINA / Getty Images
14. Fort Myers, Florida
> Avg. annual temperature: 75.1 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 112 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 1 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 98 days
Source: bluejayphoto / Getty Images
13. San Francisco, California
> Avg. annual temperature: 58.2 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 67 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 160 days
Source: ULora / Getty Images
12. Miami, Florida
> Avg. annual temperature: 77.2 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 133 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 74 days
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Source: CHBD / Getty Images
11. Tampa, Florida
> Avg. annual temperature: 73.4 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 107 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 2 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 101 days
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
10. Daytona Beach, Florida
> Avg. annual temperature: 70.8 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 116 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 5 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 97 days
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Source: ferrantraite / Getty Images
9. Key West, Florida
> Avg. annual temperature: 78.0 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 107 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 104 days
Source: JulieHewitt / Getty Images
8. Santa Maria, California
> Avg. annual temperature: 57.5 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 46 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 15 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 176 days
Source: 7Michael / Getty Images
7. Lihue, Hawaii
> Avg. annual temperature: 75.8 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 196 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 56 days
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Source: 7Michael / Getty Images
6. Kahului, Hawaii
> Avg. annual temperature: 75.8 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 88 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 131 days
Source: Ron_Thomas / Getty Images
5. San Diego, California
> Avg. annual temperature: 63.6 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 41 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 146 days
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Source: Ron and Patty Thomas / Getty Images
4. Long Beach, California
> Avg. annual temperature: 64.7 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 34 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 1 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 159 days
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
3. Charleston, South Carolina
> Avg. annual temperature: 65.8 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 107 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 10 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 102 days
Source: Art Wager / Getty Images
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
> Avg. annual temperature: 77.7 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 93 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 90 days
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1. Los Angeles, California
> Avg. annual temperature: 62.6 °F
> Avg. days of rain per year: 35 days
> Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
> Avg. sunny days per year: 147 days
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