Coldest Days Warming Up

Analysis of 244 U.S. weather stations shows that 86% of locations have seen an increase in extremely warm winter days since 1970, with the coldest day of the year warming by an average of 7°F across 242 locations.

• The coldest day of the year has increased in temperature by an average of 7°F across 242 U.S. locations between 1970 and 2023, with 97% of locations seeing a rise of at least 1°F.
• Extremely warm winter days—defined as those with maximum temperatures warmer than 90% of all winter daily highs from 1970 to 2025—have increased in 86% (210) of the 244 analyzed U.S. locations, adding six such days on average.
• The Upper Midwest experienced the most significant increase in extremely warm winter days, averaging seven more days than in the 1970s. Specific cities with the largest increases include Miami, Fla. (+20 days), San Jose, Calif. (+13 days), and Beaumont, Texas (+13 days).
• Winter is the fastest-warming season for 76% of the analyzed U.S. locations, with the most rapid warming occurring in the Northeast and the Great Lakes region.
• Other winter trends include a decrease in freezing nights (averaging 15 fewer in 210 locations) and a reduction in the length of winter cold streaks, which are now six days shorter on average across 98% of 240 analyzed locations.

APA

Climate Central (2026). Coldest Days Warming Up. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/winter-warming-2026

Chicago

Climate Central. Coldest Days Warming Up. 2026. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/winter-warming-2026.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Coldest Days Warming Up |date=28 January 2026 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/winter-warming-2026 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2026coldest, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Coldest Days Warming Up}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/winter-warming-2026}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }