Globally, 2023 was the warmest year on record.
The planet's average temperature reached 2.45 F above the pre-industrial average. During the record year, Antarctic sea ice extent hit new lows, a busy Pacific hurricane season rocked the west coasts of the U.S. and Mexico, and Canadian wildfires hurt air quality for millions.
In the U.S., every state's meteorological temperature for 2023 was above their averages in the prior century.
Global warming is measured by land surface temperature, whereas air or meteorological temperature determines the daily weather forecast and how it will "feel" outside.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, surface temperatures are also increasing in the contiguous U.S. Since the late 1990s, these increases have become both more severe and more consistent. The surface temperature has increased every year in the 21st century thus far.
While 2023 was the warmest year on record for the planet, 2024 may yet surpass it. Record-breaking heat waves have scorched much of the United States throughout the summer thus far, bringing historically high temperatures to cities like Las Vegas and Raleigh. Even Death Valley, the hottest place in the U.S., set a new daily heat record when temps climbed to 127 degrees on July 5.
To find out how and where those heat waves break down, Stacker compiled data from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information and determined the warmest states based on their 2023 average temperatures. Each temperature is compared to the 1901-2000 average. Winter refers to December of the preceding year through February of the current year (e.g., in 1919, winter is December 1918 to February 1919), while summer refers to June through August of each year. All temperatures are listed in Fahrenheit, and data was not available for Hawaii.
Although the warmer climate of southern coastal states is often appealing, these regions also deal with meteorological phenomena—from droughts and floods to tropical storms and hurricanes—that can be devastating. Despite this, in recent years, Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas were the four states with the most significant population increase, which suggests a correlation between year-round warm temperatures; mild, short winters; and living preferences.
Read on to find out the temperatures in the warmest U.S. states, and see what the coldest states in America are here.
