The traditional portrait of a picture-perfect Christmas Day includes neighborhoods covered in soft snow, smoke wafting from homes' chimneys, and families gathering together to celebrate one of the most highly anticipated holidays of the year. While many hope for a white Christmas, keeping track of weather patterns during December can be tricky in a large country like the United States, with significant weather variations among regions and coastlines.
Stacker consulted data from 214 available U.S. cities in the National Centers for Environmental Information Climate at a Glance database to uncover which cities have endured some of the chilliest Christmases. The data is aggregated monthly. Stacker identified the 50 coldest cities by long-term average temperature from 1991-2020 in December. Additional temperature data in 2022 is also included.
The data shows that while parts of states like Illinois and Nebraska certainly get cold, their December weather might seem like a walk in the park compared to other areas. Regardless, residents are wise to be prepared for severe cold if their hometown or holiday vacation destination appears in this article. Keep several layers of warm clothes handy, including a pair of thick gloves or mittens—and plenty of hot cocoa.
Read on to see which cities in the U.S. have historically endured the coldest Decembers.
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James BO Insogna // Shutterstock
1 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 28.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: 24.4 F (4 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 34 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 14.8 F
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock
2 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 28.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: 30.6 F (2.3 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 39.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 21.4 F
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
3 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 28.1 F
- December 2022 temperature: 23.2 F (4.9 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 35.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 11 F
vermontalm // Shutterstock
4 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 28.1 F
- December 2022 temperature: 31.7 F (3.6 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 37.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 25.5 F
Henryk Sadura // Shutterstock
5 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 27.8 F
- December 2022 temperature: 26.3 F (1.5 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 34.5 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 18.9 F
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jmw22679 // Shutterstock
6 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 27.7 F
- December 2022 temperature: 19.5 F (8.2 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 28.2 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 10.9 F
Henryk Sadura // Shutterstock
7 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 27.7 F
- December 2022 temperature: 24.5 F (3.2 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 32.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 16.2 F
Teresa Otto // Shutterstock
8 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 27.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: 24.8 F (2.6 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 38 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 11.6 F
E Fehrenbacher // Shutterstock
9 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 27 F
- December 2022 temperature: 26 F (0.9 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 34.5 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 16.6 F
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
10 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 26.5 F
- December 2022 temperature: 22.3 F (4.2 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 31.3 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 13.2 F
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Victoria Ditkovsky // Shutterstock
11 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.9 F
- December 2022 temperature: 17.3 F (8.6 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 25.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 8.8 F
Tammy Bashore // Shutterstock
12 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.8 F
- December 2022 temperature: 20.1 F (5.7 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 31.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 8.3 F
Sandra Foyt // Shutterstock
13 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.6 F
- December 2022 temperature: 25.6 F (0.1 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 37.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 11.6 F
Felix Mizioznikov // Shutterstock
14 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.6 F
- December 2022 temperature: 31 F (5.4 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 38.6 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 23.4 F
Michael Gordon // Shutterstock
15 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.5 F
- December 2022 temperature: 23.9 F (1.6 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 32 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 15.8 F
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Justine Emm // Shutterstock
16 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: 22.6 F (2.8 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 30.1 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 15.2 F
Keith Schmidt // Shutterstock
17 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.3 F
- December 2022 temperature: 23.5 F (1.8 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 31.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 17 F
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
18 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.2 F
- December 2022 temperature: 22.1 F (3.1 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 30.6 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 13.6 F
Ezekiel1986 // Shutterstock
19 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.1 F
- December 2022 temperature: 24.6 F (0.5 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 31 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 18.1 F
Ann Hull // Shutterstock
20 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 25.1 F
- December 2022 temperature: 30.2 F (5.1 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 37.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 23.1 F
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Maarten Daams // Shutterstock
21 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24.9 F
- December 2022 temperature: 21.6 F (3.3 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 28.9 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 14.3 F
Doug Tunison // Shutterstock
22 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24.7 F
- December 2022 temperature: 23.6 F (1.1 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 34.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 12.5 F
Gerald Marella // Shutterstock
23 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24.6 F
- December 2022 temperature: 23.2 F (1.4 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 30.9 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 15.5 F
Ems Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24.5 F
- December 2022 temperature: 18.4 F (6.2 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 28.3 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 7.6 F
6015714281 // Shutterstock
25 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24.3 F
- December 2022 temperature: 18.4 F (5.9 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 27.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 9 F
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davidmarxphoto // Shutterstock
26 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24.1 F
- December 2022 temperature: 17.5 F (6.7 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 24.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 10.5 F
Ricardo Reitmeyer // Shutterstock
27 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24 F
- December 2022 temperature: 19.5 F (4.5 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 28.1 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 12.1 F
Canva
28 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 24 F
- December 2022 temperature: 26.4 F (2.4 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 31.6 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 21.2 F
Tom Reichner // Shutterstock
29 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 22.8 F
- December 2022 temperature: 16.2 F (6.6 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 25.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 6.9 F
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
30 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 22.6 F
- December 2022 temperature: 17.3 F (5.3 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 25.2 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 9.3 F
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Michael Tatman // Shutterstock
31 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 22.3 F
- December 2022 temperature: 20.6 F (1.7 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 27.2 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 14 F
Greg Lundgren // Shutterstock
32 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 22 F
- December 2022 temperature: 18.1 F (3.9 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 24.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 11.8 F
Jeff Futter // Shutterstock
33 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 21.6 F
- December 2022 temperature: 20 F (1.6 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 31 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 6.7 F
Ventu Photo // Shutterstock
34 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 21 F
- December 2022 temperature: 17.3 F (3.7 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 24.2 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 10.4 F
travelinlenz701 // Shutterstock
35 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 20.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: 9.7 F (10.7 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 18.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 1 F
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Ann Stryzhekin // Shutterstock
36 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 19.9 F
- December 2022 temperature: 26.4 F (6.5 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 33 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 19.8 F
BILD LLC // Shutterstock
37 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 19.5 F
- December 2022 temperature: 14.8 F (4.7 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 21 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 8.5 F
jo Crebbin // Shutterstock
38 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 19.1 F
- December 2022 temperature: 7.6 F (11.5 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 16.1 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: -1 F
Phillip Schultz // Shutterstock
39 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 18.8 F
- December 2022 temperature: 8.7 F (10.2 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 16.9 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 0 F
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
40 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 18.8 F
- December 2022 temperature: 11.3 F (7.4 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 20.5 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 2.1 F
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Tom Reichner // Shutterstock
41 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 18.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: 8.1 F (10.3 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 16.3 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: -0.1 F
marekuliasz // Shutterstock
42 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 18.3 F
- December 2022 temperature: 23.6 F (5.3 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 42.3 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 4.8 F
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
43 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 16.7 F
- December 2022 temperature: 14.1 F (2.6 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 21 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 7.3 F
FiledIMAGE // Shutterstock
44 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 15.9 F
- December 2022 temperature: 10.5 F (5.5 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 18.8 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 3.1 F
Ryzhkov Oleksandr // Shutterstock
45 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 12.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: 8.7 F (3.8 F below long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 16.1 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 1.2 F
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46 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 11.8 F
- December 2022 temperature: 14.8 F (3 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 20.4 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 9.2 F
Jorge Moro // Shutterstock
47 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 10 F
- December 2022 temperature: 12.1 F (2.1 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 17.3 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 6.9 F
Benjamin Nocerini/U.S. Coast Guard // Getty Images
48 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: 9.1 F
- December 2022 temperature: 14.5 F (5.5 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 22.1 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: 7 F
Chollada.p // Shutterstock
49 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: -4.4 F
- December 2022 temperature: -4.3 F (0.1 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 4.1 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: -12.7 F
Gabriel Johnson // Shutterstock
50 / 50- Long-term average temperature, 1991-2020: -6.3 F
- December 2022 temperature: 4.9 F (11.2 F above long-term average)
- Long-term average daily maximum: 12 F
- Long-term average daily minimum: -2.2 F
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