The Year in Heat & Cold
1938
+0.29°F
ran +0.29°F warmer than the 1996–2025 average across 300 cities — the 142nd coldest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Coldest Day of 1938
-50.0°F
Fairbanks, AK · Feb 6
Hottest Day of 1938
116.0°F
Las Vegas, NV · Aug 1
Records Set in 1938
Daily Cold Records Set
561
calendar-day record lows set in 1938 that still stand today
Daily Heat Records Set
1,019
calendar-day record highs set in 1938 that still stand today
Where the Year Ran Warm & Cold
Each city's 1938 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 1938 — 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.
+0.18J
+1.81F
+2.74M
+0.26A
-1.04M
-1.40J
-0.82J
+0.82A
-0.27S
+1.79O
-0.96N
-0.11D
Coolest Stations & States
Coolest Stations of 1938
| 1 | Las Vegas NV | -5.90°F |
| 2 | Reno NV | -4.95°F |
| 3 | Phoenix AZ | -4.91°F |
| 4 | Yuma AZ | -3.69°F |
| 5 | San Juan PR | -3.68°F |
| 6 | Miami FL | -3.65°F |
| 7 | Tucson AZ | -3.43°F |
| 8 | Barrow AK | -3.39°F |
| 9 | Riverside CA | -3.18°F |
| 10 | Albuquerque NM | -2.88°F |
Warmest Stations of 1938
| 1 | Quincy IL | +3.41°F |
| 2 | Salina KS | +3.41°F |
| 3 | Dubuque IA | +3.34°F |
| 4 | Sioux Falls SD | +3.32°F |
| 5 | Kansas City MO | +3.31°F |
| 6 | Goodland KS | +3.22°F |
| 7 | Springfield IL | +3.10°F |
| 8 | Bangor ME | +3.10°F |
| 9 | Carbondale IL | +3.08°F |
| 10 | North Platte NE | +2.94°F |
By State
Warmest states of 1938
Iowa+2.38°Kansas+2.29°Illinois+2.17°South Dakota+2.06°Nebraska+1.97°Missouri+1.91°
Coolest states of 1938
Puerto Rico-3.68°Nevada-3.11°Arizona-2.95°Utah-2.43°Vermont-1.92°New Mexico-1.90°
Coldest Since · Browse all states · See where it's hottest → hottestsince.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