The Year in Heat & Cold
2003
-0.94°F
ran -0.94°F cooler than the 1996–2025 average across 386 cities — the 53rd warmest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Hottest Day of 2003
121.0°F
Needles, CA · Jul 10
Coldest Day of 2003
-55.0°F
Bettles, AK · Dec 2
Records Set in 2003
Daily Heat Records Set
1,084
calendar-day record highs set in 2003 that still stand today
Daily Cold Records Set
500
calendar-day record lows set in 2003 that still stand today
Where the Year Ran Warm & Cold
Each city's 2003 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 2003 — 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.
-1.71J
-2.98F
-0.40M
-0.78A
-1.26M
-2.17J
-0.52J
+0.42A
-1.88S
+0.17O
+0.04N
-0.64D
Warmest Stations & States
Warmest Stations of 2003
| 1 | Talkeetna AK | +4.37°F |
| 2 | Bethel AK | +2.09°F |
| 3 | Burns OR | +1.64°F |
| 4 | King Salmon AK | +1.61°F |
| 5 | Pocatello ID | +1.57°F |
| 6 | Pendleton OR | +1.52°F |
| 7 | Ontario OR | +1.49°F |
| 8 | Helena MT | +1.47°F |
| 9 | St Paul Island AK | +1.45°F |
| 10 | Challis ID | +1.36°F |
Coolest Stations of 2003
| 1 | Baltimore Downtown MD | -3.35°F |
| 2 | Hagerstown MD | -3.15°F |
| 3 | Louisville KY | -3.15°F |
| 4 | Bluefield WV | -2.91°F |
| 5 | Washington DC | -2.85°F |
| 6 | Middletown-Harrisburg PA | -2.84°F |
| 7 | Manchester NH | -2.82°F |
| 8 | Salisbury MD | -2.82°F |
| 9 | Saginaw MI | -2.75°F |
| 10 | Charlottesville VA | -2.70°F |
By State
Warmest states of 2003
Alaska+0.95°Idaho+0.84°Oregon+0.83°Nevada+0.79°Montana+0.65°Utah+0.58°
Coolest states of 2003
Maryland-2.91°District of Columbia-2.85°Vermont-2.48°New Hampshire-2.44°Massachusetts-2.33°Delaware-2.33°
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