The Year in Heat & Cold
1961
-1.65°F
ran -1.65°F cooler than the 1996–2025 average across 373 cities — the 102nd warmest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Hottest Day of 1961
120.0°F
Needles, CA · Jun 23
Coldest Day of 1961
-67.0°F
Mcgrath, AK · Dec 27
Records Set in 1961
Daily Heat Records Set
819
calendar-day record highs set in 1961 that still stand today
Daily Cold Records Set
1,157
calendar-day record lows set in 1961 that still stand today
Where the Year Ran Warm & Cold
Each city's 1961 average temperature versus its 1996–2025 normal — blue where the year ran cool, red where it ran hot.
Hottest & Coldest at Every City
Each city's single hottest and coldest reading of 1961 — the number is the temperature, coloured hot-to-cold. Toggle between the two.
Month by Month
National temperature anomaly by month — red above the line is a warm month, blue below is cool.
-2.79J
+1.25F
-0.16M
-3.65A
-2.97M
-1.31J
-1.62J
-0.90A
-1.39S
-0.91O
-1.81N
-3.48D
Warmest Stations & States
Warmest Stations of 1961
| 1 | Hibbing MN | +3.57°F |
| 2 | Tri-Cities WA | +2.55°F |
| 3 | Challis ID | +1.91°F |
| 4 | Williston ND | +1.80°F |
| 5 | Hillsboro OR | +1.76°F |
| 6 | Burns OR | +1.76°F |
| 7 | Great Falls MT | +1.68°F |
| 8 | Saranac Lake NY | +1.57°F |
| 9 | Jerome ID | +1.42°F |
| 10 | Rapid City SD | +1.29°F |
Coolest Stations of 1961
| 1 | Barrow AK | -6.24°F |
| 2 | Phoenix AZ | -5.76°F |
| 3 | Mcgrath AK | -5.66°F |
| 4 | Delta Junction AK | -5.59°F |
| 5 | Bethel AK | -5.57°F |
| 6 | King Salmon AK | -5.29°F |
| 7 | Talkeetna AK | -5.22°F |
| 8 | Reno NV | -5.17°F |
| 9 | Fairbanks AK | -5.10°F |
| 10 | Roswell NM | -4.62°F |
By State
Warmest states of 1961
North Dakota+0.47°Montana+0.34°Idaho+0.25°Oregon+0.07°Washington-0.03°South Dakota-0.48°
Coolest states of 1961
Vermont-4.22°Alaska-3.80°New Mexico-3.72°Kansas-2.91°Louisiana-2.80°Kentucky-2.74°
Hottest Since · Browse all states · See where it's coldest → coldestsince.com
part of Weather Trader · supported by Substack Subscribers · data: NWS NDFD forecast + NOAA/ACIS ThreadEx records · updated 2026-07-12 22:52Z
© 2026 Weather Trader · All rights reserved
part of Weather Trader · supported by Substack Subscribers · data: NWS NDFD forecast + NOAA/ACIS ThreadEx records · updated 2026-07-12 22:52Z
© 2026 Weather Trader · All rights reserved