50 cities with most extreme weather
While residents of temperate climates enjoy the warm spring weather, others around the country are preparing for the worst.
Spring daffodils can easily be buried by spring blizzards.
Those who live in cities with unpredictable weather are no strangers to drastic temperature swings.
They are typically well prepared with an adaptable wardrobe andadequate equipment.
Although areas with huge yearly temperature swings might require taking extra precautions, they provide the benefit of entertaining weather that will keep residents guessing.
The data experts at WeatherDB determined the city in each state that have the largest temperature swings using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In order to determine differences in temperature throughout the year, we subtracted each city’s coldest monthly average minimum temperature from its hottest monthly average maximum temperature. This is based on 1981-2010 temperature normals. We also provide the population of each city, according to the 2014 American Community Survey data. The cities are ranked with the temperature differences in ascending order.
Note: All temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit. Some ties occurred when we rounded to the nearest tenth but none exist in the original calculations.
#50. Pupukea, Hawaii
Temperature Difference: 27.5
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 87.6
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 60.1
Population: 5,498
County: Honolulu County
#49. Tallahassee, Florida
Temperature Difference: 55.5
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 92.9
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 37.4
Population: 185,395
County: Leon County
#48. Monroe, Louisiana
Temperature Difference: 60.7
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 93.8
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 33.1
Population: 49,455
County: Ouachita Parish
#47. Cleveland, Georgia
Temperature Difference: 61.7
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 85.9
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 24.2
Population: 3,624
County: White County
#46. Hickory Flat, Mississippi
Temperature Difference: 63.6
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 90.6
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 27.0
Population: 763
County: Benton County
#45. Kershaw, South Carolina
Temperature Difference: 63.6
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 90.3
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 26.7
Population: 2,239
County: Lancaster County
#44. Statesville, North Carolina
Temperature Difference: 63.8
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 87.2
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 23.4
Population: 25,132
County: Iredell County
#43. Newark, Delaware
Temperature Difference: 64.2
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 88.2
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 24.0
Population: 32,278
County: New Castle County
#42. Hohenwald, Tennessee
Temperature Difference: 64.8
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 89.4
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 24.6
Population: 3,716
County: Lewis County
#41. Hamilton, Alabama
Temperature Difference: 65.8
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 92.0
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 26.2
Population: 6,842
County: Marion County
#40. Summer Shade, Kentucky
Temperature Difference: 66.1
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 88.8
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 22.7
Population: 339
County: Metcalfe County
#39. Cumberland, Maryland
Temperature Difference: 66.3
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 88.7
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 22.4
Population: 20,557
County: Allegany County
#38. Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Temperature Difference: 66.3
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 82.8
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 16.5
Population: 41,136
County: Providence County
#37. Chesapeake, Virginia
Temperature Difference: 67.2
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 89.9
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 22.7
Population: 228,168
County: Chesapeake City
#36. Bryan, Ohio
Temperature Difference: 67.9
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 84.5
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 16.6
Population: 8,523
County: Williams County
#35. Evening Shade, Arkansas
Temperature Difference: 68.3
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 93.0
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 24.7
Population: 606
County: Sharp County
#34. Omak, Washington
Temperature Difference: 68.5
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 88.1
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 19.6
Population: 4,835
County: Okanogan County
#33. Mansfield Center, Connecticut
Temperature Difference: 68.9
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 82.3
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 13.4
Population: 1,055
County: Tolland County
#32. Marlinton, West Virginia
Temperature Difference: 69.3
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 82.7
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 13.4
Population: 1,039
County: Pocahontas County
#31. Lambertville, New Jersey
Temperature Difference: 69.4
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 87.3
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 17.9
Population: 3,876
County: Hunterdon County
#30. Lowell, Massachusetts
Temperature Difference: 70.2
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 84.3
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 14.1
Population: 108,491
County: Middlesex County
#29. Palmerton, Pennsylvania
Temperature Difference: 71.5
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 87.4
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 15.9
Population: 5,382
County: Carbon County
#28. Albany, Missouri
Temperature Difference: 73.6
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 88.6
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 15.0
Population: 2,125
County: Gentry County
#27. Ontario, Oregon
Temperature Difference: 74.1
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 93.7
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 19.6
Population: 11,148
County: Malheur County
#26. Fredonia, Arizona
Temperature Difference: 75.4
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 94.5
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 19.1
Population: 1,670
County: Coconino County
#25. Lafayette, Indiana
Temperature Difference: 75.5
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 90.5
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 15.0
Population: 69,982
County: Tippecanoe County
#24. Lipscomb, Texas
Temperature Difference: 75.9
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 94.0
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 18.1
Population: 29
County: Lipscomb County
#23. Streamwood, Illinois
Temperature Difference: 76.1
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 86.7
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 10.6
Population: 40,746
County: Cook County
#22. Lancaster, New Hampshire
Temperature Difference: 76.8
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 78.9
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 2.1
Population: 1,514
County: Coos County
#21. Freedom, Oklahoma
Temperature Difference: 77.1
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 94.1
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 17.0
Population: 275
County: Woods County
#20. Amasa, Michigan
Temperature Difference: 77.7
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 78.2
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: .5
Population: 351
County: Iron County
#19. Glens Falls North, New York
Temperature Difference: 77.8
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 83.4
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 5.6
Population: 8,645
County: Warren County
#18. Furnace Creek, California
Temperature Difference: 78.2
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 116.5
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 38.3
Population: 187
County: Inyo County
#17. Dulce, New Mexico
Temperature Difference: 78.4
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 86.5
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 8.1
Population: 2,537
County: Rio Arriba County
#16. Russell Springs, Kansas
Temperature Difference: 79.6
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 92.6
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 13.0
Population: 22
County: Logan County
#15. Rock Rapids, Iowa
Temperature Difference: 79.7
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 84.9
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 5.2
Population: 2,579
County: Lyon County
#14. Golconda, Nevada
Temperature Difference: 80.0
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 94.7
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 14.7
Population: 271
County: Humboldt County
#13. Enosburg Falls, Vermont
Temperature Difference: 80.0
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 80.6
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: .6
Population: 1,322
County: Franklin County
#12. Lynch, Nebraska
Temperature Difference: 80.3
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 87.8
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 7.5
Population: 244
County: Boyd County
#11. Stanley, Idaho
Temperature Difference: 80.9
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 79.1
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: -1.8
Population: 96
County: Custer County
#10. Hayward, Wisconsin
Temperature Difference: 82.3
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 81.5
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: -.8
Population: 1,951
County: Sawyer County
#9. Van Buren, Maine
Temperature Difference: 83.2
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 76.0
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: -7.2
Population: 1,999
County: Aroostook County
#8. Pollock, South Dakota
Temperature Difference: 83.2
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 86.3
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 3.1
Population: 172
County: Campbell County
#7. Wolf Point, Montana
Temperature Difference: 85.8
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 88.9
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 3.1
Population: 2,730
County: Roosevelt County
#6. Willow City, North Dakota
Temperature Difference: 86.4
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 80.3
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: -6.1
Population: 204
County: Bottineau County
#5. Rangely, Colorado
Temperature Difference: 87.5
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 91.0
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 3.5
Population: 2,205
County: Rio Blanco County
#4. Hallock, Minnesota
Temperature Difference: 88.1
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 79.8
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: -8.3
Population: 883
County: Kittson County
#3. Greybull, Wyoming
Temperature Difference: 88.3
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 89.8
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 1.5
Population: 2,116
County: Big Horn County
#2. Ballard, Utah
Temperature Difference: 89.8
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 92.5
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: 2.7
Population: 748
County: Uintah County
#1. Chicken, Alaska
Temperature Difference: 100.9
Hottest Monthly Average Maximum Temperature: 71.0
Coldest Monthly Average Minimum Temperature: -29.9
Population: 12
County: Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
Population estimate for Chicken, Alaska comes from 2010 census data.
This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 8:58 AM with the headline "50 cities with most extreme weather."