North America is made up of more than two dozen countries. Many of those at the southern end, such as Panama and Nicaragua, are tropical. Mexico is the second-largest country on the list based on population. The region has an official United Nations designation.
Many of the countries in the region have extremely warm weather throughout the year. In Panama, the average temperature ranges from 74 to 93 degrees throughout the year.
At the far end of the spectrum, to determine the coldest town in North America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed average temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Towns were ranked based on the average year-round temperature from 2011 to 2020 of the nearest weather station, and only places with populations of at least 1,000 residents were included.
In many of the places we considered, average April temperatures are still well below freezing, and in a few places, even still below 0° Fahrenheit. Of course, during the winter, these towns get even colder. In Pond Inlet, Canada, temperatures in February 2011 averaged almost −25°F. The hottest month in Pond Inlet in the past decade was August 2019, when the average recorded temperature reached 48.5°F.
Most of the coldest places are in Canada, with a few in Greenland. As might be expected, the American cities that make this list are all in Alaska. While they do not make this list, plenty of places in the lower 48 states still get shockingly cold in the winter.
The coldest town in North America is Pond Inlet, Canada. Here are the details:
- Average year-round temperature: 7.6°F
- Average temperature, April: −6.5°F
- Average temperature during coldest month: −28.5°F (February)
- Weather station elevation: 65 meters above sea level
- Population: 1,617
Methodology: To find the coldest town in North America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed average temperature data from the Global Historical Climate Network (Version 4) of the National Centers for Environmental Information of the NOAA. Only weather stations that were within five miles of an American city or town, Canadian population center or Greenlandic town with at least 1,000 residents were considered.
Population data for American cities and towns came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey and are five-year estimates. Population data for Canadian population centers and Greenlandic towns came from online map developer SimpleMaps. All listed average temperatures are for specific weather stations. In the cases where places had multiple weather stations, the figures listed are for the weather station with the lowest average year-round temperature.
Click here to see all 22 coldest towns in North America.
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