Hottest Cities in United States

Two major cities contend for the title of hottest city in the United States. The city that comes out on top depends on how you measure heat.

Phoenix Arizona excels at extreme hot weather. It consistently ranks number one for the most days a year when temperatures rise above 89 °F or 99 °F.

Miami challenges Phoenix for top spot on hottest year-round temperatures. Miami doesn't get regular 100-degree weather. But the southern Florida city stays hot enough all year to run an average mean temperature that's a couple of degrees above Phoenix's.

For annual maximum temperatures, the rankings are flipped. Phoenix's daily high averages out to several degrees above Miami's.

Where the two cities stand closest is on the number of days a year with temperatures of at least 50 °F (10 °C). Miami and Phoenix, along with a few California cities, normally make at least 50 degrees every day.

Highest Temperatures

Large US cities where the temperature most often climbs to 100 °F (37.8 °C) or higher.

City	Days a Year Above 99 °F
Phoenix, Arizona	107
Las Vegas, Nevada	70
Riverside, California	24
Dallas, Texas	17
Austin, Texas	16
Sacramento, California	11
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	11
San Antonio, Texas	8
Salt Lake City, Utah	5
Houston, Texas	4
Kansas City, Missouri	3

These rankings of hottest cities use long-term temperature averages, based on weather data collected from 1981 to 2010 for the NOAA's National Climatic Data Center.

The major cities included in the weather rankings represent the 51 metropolitan areas in the United States with the most people, all those with over one million residents in 2010, according to the US Census Bureau. A complete list of America's largest urban centers is available here.

Warmest Climates

Twelve major US cities have a daily mean temperature above 65 °F (18 °C)

City	Daily Average
	°F	°C
Miami, Florida	77	25
Phoenix, Arizona	75	24
Tampa, Florida	73	23
Orlando, Florida	73	23
Houston, Texas	70	21
New Orleans, Louisiana	70	21
San Antonio, Texas	70	21
Austin, Texas	69	21
Las Vegas, Nevada	69	21
Jacksonville, Florida	69	20
Dallas, Texas	67	20
Riverside, California	67	19

Cities with temperatures of at least 50 °F (10 °C) nearly every day

City	Days a Year Above 49 °F
Los Angeles, California	365
Miami, Florida	365
San Diego, California	365
Riverside, California	365
Phoenix, Arizona	365
Orlando, Florida	364
Tampa, Florida	364
San Jose, California	362
Jacksonville, Florida	360
San Francisco, California	360

Hottest Days

Cities with the highest average daily maximum temperature

City	Average High
	°F	°C
Phoenix, Arizona	87.2	30.7
Miami, Florida	84.3	29.1
Orlando, Florida	82.8	28.2
Tampa, Florida	81.7	27.6
Riverside, California	80.9	27.2
San Antonio, Texas	80.3	26.8
Las Vegas, Nevada	80.1	26.7
Austin, Texas	79.8	26.6
Houston, Texas	79.7	26.5
Jacksonville, Florida	79.3	26.3
New Orleans, Louisiana	78.2	25.7
Dallas, Texas	77.0	25.0
Los Angeles, California	75.2	24.0