The Year in Heat & Cold
2020
+1.01°F
ran +1.01°F warmer than the 1996–2025 average across 383 cities — the 6th warmest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Hottest Day of 2020
123.0°F
Needles, CA · Aug 15
Coldest Day of 2020
-54.0°F
Bettles, AK · Jan 26
Records Set in 2020
Daily Heat Records Set
1,991
calendar-day record highs set in 2020 that still stand today
Daily Cold Records Set
535
calendar-day record lows set in 2020 that still stand today
Where the Year Ran Warm & Cold
Each city's 2020 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 2020 — 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.
+3.43J
+1.10F
+2.96M
-0.85A
-0.48M
+0.71J
+1.40J
+1.18A
-0.42S
-0.17O
+2.95N
+0.68D
Warmest Stations & States
Warmest Stations of 2020
| 1 | Cape Hatteras NC | +2.84°F |
| 2 | Savannah GA | +2.81°F |
| 3 | Elizabeth City NC | +2.71°F |
| 4 | Avoca PA | +2.69°F |
| 5 | Charlottesville VA | +2.68°F |
| 6 | Borger TX | +2.63°F |
| 7 | Lynchburg VA | +2.58°F |
| 8 | Norfolk VA | +2.54°F |
| 9 | Augusta GA | +2.50°F |
| 10 | Sarasota-Bradenton FL | +2.36°F |
Coolest Stations of 2020
| 1 | Delta Junction AK | -2.16°F |
| 2 | Fairbanks AK | -1.48°F |
| 3 | Mcgrath AK | -1.44°F |
| 4 | Gulkana AK | -1.42°F |
| 5 | Talkeetna AK | -1.34°F |
| 6 | Anchorage AK | -1.13°F |
| 7 | Little Rock AR | -1.08°F |
| 8 | Bluefield WV | -1.04°F |
| 9 | Oklahoma City OK | -0.93°F |
| 10 | Pine Bluff AR | -0.85°F |
By State
Warmest states of 2020
Vermont+2.03°Georgia+1.85°Maryland+1.74°Delaware+1.72°Virginia+1.71°New Hampshire+1.69°
Coolest states of 2020
Alaska-0.53°Arkansas-0.21°Oklahoma-0.13°Minnesota+0.33°Missouri+0.33°Guam+0.40°
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