The Year in Heat & Cold
1972
-2.25°F
ran -2.25°F cooler than the 1996–2025 average across 366 cities — the 138th warmest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Hottest Day of 1972
120.0°F
Needles, CA · Jun 30
Coldest Day of 1972
-63.0°F
Bettles, AK · Jan 10
Records Set in 1972
Daily Heat Records Set
870
calendar-day record highs set in 1972 that still stand today
Daily Cold Records Set
1,932
calendar-day record lows set in 1972 that still stand today
Where the Year Ran Warm & Cold
Each city's 1972 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 1972 — 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.
-1.56J
-2.87F
-1.53M
-2.22A
-1.00M
-2.52J
-2.20J
-1.52A
-1.83S
-2.93O
-3.42N
-3.15D
Warmest Stations & States
Warmest Stations of 1972
| 1 | Gainesville FL | +1.32°F |
| 2 | Challis ID | +1.16°F |
| 3 | Mobile AL | +1.10°F |
| 4 | Greenwood MS | +0.91°F |
| 5 | Austin-Bergstrom Airport TX | +0.84°F |
| 6 | Orlando FL | +0.72°F |
| 7 | Fort Pierce FL | +0.66°F |
| 8 | Gulfport MS | +0.59°F |
| 9 | Brooksville FL | +0.59°F |
| 10 | McCall ID | +0.54°F |
Coolest Stations of 1972
| 1 | Talkeetna AK | -7.05°F |
| 2 | King Salmon AK | -6.30°F |
| 3 | Gulkana AK | -6.15°F |
| 4 | Duluth MN | -6.14°F |
| 5 | Minneapolis-St Paul MN | -6.07°F |
| 6 | Anchorage AK | -5.97°F |
| 7 | Reno NV | -5.84°F |
| 8 | Delta Junction AK | -5.83°F |
| 9 | Homer AK | -5.74°F |
| 10 | Milwaukee WI | -5.49°F |
By State
Warmest states of 1972
Puerto Rico-0.04°Mississippi-0.07°Florida-0.41°Idaho-0.92°Oregon-0.94°Louisiana-1.09°
Coolest states of 1972
Vermont-5.08°Alaska-4.78°Minnesota-4.65°Wisconsin-4.36°New Hampshire-4.16°North Dakota-3.91°
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