With a geography that runs from northern Alaska to the southernmost parts of Texas and Florida and west to tropical Hawaii, America offers countless choices for types of weather. Temperatures across the country can range from well under zero to over 100 F. For anyone who likes a temperate climate, though, the American city with the best weather is Honolulu, Hawaii.
Quite often, where a person chooses to live is based on the weather. There is a broad range of weather options spanning from hot or cold, to rainy or sunny, and sometimes even both depending on the season. Those who enjoy outdoor winter weather tend to live in the northernmost cities of the Northeast or the more mountainous Plains States. People who don’t want temperatures that drop below 60ºF often choose Arizona, Florida, or Southern California. A favorite city among those who want very dry weather is Phoenix. People who like rain (probably a small part of the U.S. population) enjoy cities such as Seattle. (These are the cities with the most unusual weather in 2021.)
To determine the cities with the best weather, 24/7 Wall St. used data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create an index based on numerous factors. In addition to the annual number of normal temperature days (the number of degrees that the daily average temperature falls below 65 F), some of these indexes were based on the averages of:
- the number of days per year with a maximum temperature of 90 F or higher
- amount of days per year with a minimum temperature of 32 F or lower, the average number of days per year with 0.01 inches of precipitation or more
- average wind speed
- mean number of clear and cloudy days per year
Many of the indexes were also based on the absolute difference in:
- average year-round relative humidity in the afternoon from an ideal 40% humidity level
- normal daily maximum temperature from an ideal temperature of 72 F
- normal daily minimum temperature from 72 F
- normal daily mean temperature from 72 F,
- average annual precipitation from an ideal annual rainfall total of 40 inches.
All values were considered equally and of those considered, the cities are concentrated in just five states: Florida, California, Georgia, Hawaii, and Texas. These states all have significant coastlines. The ocean releases heat relatively slowly compared to land, so coastal areas stay warmer in the summer.
Whether it is retirees looking to spend their golden years in the sun or younger working adults who want to avoid snow, this pleasant weather can be a huge driving factor influencing people to move. They would most likely want to avoid the 22 coldest towns in North America.
Here are the cities in the U.S. with the best weather
25. Fresno, California
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- Avg. annual temperature: 64.3 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 45 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 20 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 194 days
24. Bakersfield, California
Source: LPETTET / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
23. Athens, Georgia
Source: JENNIFER E. WOLF / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 62.5 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 111 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 51 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 113 days
22. Atlanta, Georgia
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- Avg. annual temperature: 62.5 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 115 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 44 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 110 days
21. Columbus, Georgia
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 65.6 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 109 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 37 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 110 days
20. Santa Maria, California
Source: stellalevi / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
19. Sacramento, California
Source: Manny Chavez / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
18. Pensacola, Florida
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- Avg. annual temperature: 67.4 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 112 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 14 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 105 days
17. Austin, Texas
Source: RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / iStock via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 69.3 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 84 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 17 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 115 days
16. Augusta, Georgia
Source: Kruck20 / iStock via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 65.2 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 108 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 52 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 112 days
15. Savannah, Georgia
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 66.7 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 110 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 27 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 104 days
14. Jacksonville, Florida
Source: Susanne Neumann / iStock via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 68.5 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 114 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 15 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 94 days
13. West Palm Beach, Florida
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- 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
12. Orlando, Florida
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
11. Miami, Florida
Source: ULora / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
10. Fort Myers, Florida
Source: BobPalosaari / iStock via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 75.1 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 112 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 1 day
- Avg. sunny days per year: 98 days
9. Key West, Florida
Source: felixmizioznikov / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
8. Daytona Beach, Florida
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
7. Tampa, Florida
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
6. Kahului, Hawaii
Source: unclegene / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
5. Lihue, Hawaii
Source: Hotaik Sung / iStock via Getty Images
- 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
4. San Diego, California
Source: Ron and Patty Thomas / E+ via Getty Images
- 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
3. Long Beach, California
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 64.7 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 34 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 1 day
- Avg. sunny days per year: 159 days
2. Los Angeles, California
Source: DutcherAerials / E+ via Getty Images
- Avg. annual temperature: 65.4 F
- Avg. days of rain per year: 35 days
- Avg. days below freezing per year: 0 days
- Avg. sunny days per year: 186 days
1. Honolulu, Hawaii
Source: sorincolac / iStock via Getty Images
- 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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