When is the Coldest Day of the Year?

The coldest day of the year on average occurs at least a month earlier on the western seaboard than it does on the eastern seaboard of the United States.According to NOAA's Coldest Day of the Year interactive map the further west you are in the United States then the more likely you are to have already experienced the coldest day of the year.

NOAA's Coldest Day of the Year map uses 30 years of temperature data to show the average coldest day of the year at thousands of weather stations across the United States. NOAA explains that in the East of the country the "coldest day of the year is typically later ... thanks to cold air from snow-covered parts of Canada dipping down into the area". Thanks Canada.

If you click on a marker on the map you can view the exact date of the average coldest day of the year at that station. The map includes a static key for the colors used on the map. Ideally this scale would also be a filter to control the results shown on the map by date. This would enable the user to more clearly see which areas of the country experienced their coldest temperatures on specific days.

If you have already passed your coldest day of the year then you might want to look forward to your last spring freeze. NOAA's Average Date of Last Spring Freeze interactive map visualizes the last day (on average) when there is a chance for freezing temperatures where you live.

NOAA's last spring freeze map uses temperature data from 1991-2020 captured from weather stations across the United States. The colored dots on the map indicate the average date on which the chance of freezing temperatures drops below 50 percent at each location. 

If you click on a dot on the map you can view the actual date of the average last frost for the selected weather station. Shades of purple are used for locations where the last frost normally occurs before the first day of spring (in mid-March). Weather stations colored with a shade of green indicate locations where the last frost usually comes after the first day of spring. 

If all this talk of freezing temperatures leaves you feeling a little cold then you might want to look forward to the hottest day of the year. NOAA's Warmest Day of the Year map shows the warmest day of the year on average across the United States In most of the United States the hottest day normally occurs between mid-July and mid-August - so you've still got a little time left to order in some sun cream.