The Year in Heat & Cold
1996
-1.99°F
ran -1.99°F cooler than the 1996–2025 average across 358 cities — the 33rd coldest of 157 years on record.
Extremes
Coldest Day of 1996
-54.0°F
Brainerd, MN · Feb 2
Hottest Day of 1996
123.0°F
Lake Havasu City, AZ · Jul 23
Records Set in 1996
Daily Cold Records Set
1,159
calendar-day record lows set in 1996 that still stand today
Daily Heat Records Set
920
calendar-day record highs set in 1996 that still stand today
Where the Year Ran Warm & Cold
Each city's 1996 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 1996 — 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.
-2.87J
-1.07F
-4.43M
-1.72A
-0.65M
-0.55J
-1.75J
-1.39A
-2.63S
-1.82O
-4.11N
-0.69D
Coolest Stations & States
Coolest Stations of 1996
| 1 | Helena MT | -5.63°F |
| 2 | Glasgow MT | -5.56°F |
| 3 | Brainerd MN | -5.29°F |
| 4 | Mitchell SD | -5.22°F |
| 5 | Fargo ND | -5.20°F |
| 6 | Minneapolis-St Paul MN | -4.98°F |
| 7 | Saint Cloud MN | -4.98°F |
| 8 | Aberdeen SD | -4.97°F |
| 9 | Bismarck ND | -4.96°F |
| 10 | Mobridge SD | -4.93°F |
Warmest Stations of 1996
| 1 | Klamath Falls OR | +2.93°F |
| 2 | Lake Havasu City AZ | +2.90°F |
| 3 | Palmdale CA | +2.63°F |
| 4 | Lancaster CA | +2.53°F |
| 5 | St Paul Island AK | +1.85°F |
| 6 | San Jose CA | +1.77°F |
| 7 | Los Angeles Downtown CA | +1.54°F |
| 8 | Stockton CA | +1.46°F |
| 9 | Sacramento CA | +1.27°F |
| 10 | Burley ID | +1.19°F |
By State
Warmest states of 1996
Arizona+0.59°California+0.50°Hawaii+0.45°New Mexico-0.01°Utah-0.15°Oregon-0.20°
Coolest states of 1996
North Dakota-4.70°South Dakota-4.68°Minnesota-4.43°Montana-4.34°Nebraska-3.71°Wisconsin-3.55°
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