The Weather Channel ranks America’s top five coldest cities

To provide a little comfort for U.S. cities that are bearing the brunt of frigid temperatures and record snowfall this winter season, Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist for The Weather Channel, compiled a list of the top five coldest cities in America, and International Falls made the cut.

Although only the No. 1 coldest city on the list beat the Falls’ record low temperature of -55 by one degree, “The Icebox of the Nation” earned itself the No. 3 spot.

Erdman said he is not at all surprised to see International Falls on the list.

“Frankly, I would have been surprised if I Falls was not on the list,” he said.

Erdman said Old Man Winter has a tight grip across parts of the country with the Northeast being a favorite target. In order to assemble an accurate list, Erdman examined a 30-year average of annual temperatures in cities with a population of 5,000 or more.

He said his goal was to look not only at winter record lows, which can be fleeting events, but also to look at the entire year’s temperatures, as reflected by the “average annual temperature” statistic. 

“This way, we’re capturing which cities are persistently cold over long periods of time,” he said.

To keep the list from being dominated by one or two states, Erdman picked the coldest locations in each of the states, then took the top five coldest of that list. The top five are: Barrow, Alaska; Gunnison, Colo.; International Falls; Jackson, Wyo., and Caribou, Maine. See box for details on each location.

International Falls Mayor Shawn Mason said that she and the rest of the city is “very proud of our winter season.”

Mason added the she is unable to put a price on the recognition The Icebox of the Nation has received over the years. “Without our extreme cold, we wouldn’t have frozen lakes to fish or drive on, we wouldn’t be able to snowshoe or cross country ski. We would simply be another town in Midwest America waiting for the next season,” she said.

TWC meteorologist Jim Cantore visited The Icebox of the Nation last year to film an episode of his show “Cantore Stories” and to see just what the cold fuss was all about. On his visit, Cantore saw residents plunge into a frozen Rainy Lake, learn and experience what it takes to be a dedicated ice fisherman and other chilly traditions.

Mason said the cold gives the community an opportunity to communicate and promote itself.

“Some may think it’s not good to be known for cold,” she said. “I see it as something that creates great opportunity.”

Record lows for chilly cities that almost made Jonathan Erdman’s list:

• Fairbanks, Alaska: -66 degrees Jan. 14, 1934

• Prospect Creek, Alaska: -79.8 degrees (U.S. record) Jan. 23, 1971

• Island Park Dam, Idaho: -60 degrees Jan. 18, 1943

• Maybell, Colo.: -61 degrees Feb. 1, 1985

• Tower, Minn.: -60 degrees Feb. 2, 1996

• Rogers Pass, Mont.: -70 degrees Jan. 20, 1954

• Parshall, N.D.: -60 degrees Feb. 15, 1936

• McIntosh, S.D.: -58 degrees Feb. 17, 1936

• Peter’s Sink, Utah: -69 degrees Feb. 1, 1985

• Moran, Wyo.: -63 degrees Feb. 9, 1933

America’s top five coldest cities:

1. Barrow, Alaska

Barrow, Alaska’s population may be under 5,000, but a list of the nation’s coldest cities without Barrow as number one would be an understatement, so this is an exception. Unlike other U.S. cities, Barrow experiences “polar night,” during which the sun does not rise above the horizon, from mid-late November through the first three weeks of January — a period of over 60 consecutive days. The average temperature over the entire year in Barrow is a mere 10 degrees. That’s in its own league relative to other cities on this list, and even in the state of Alaska. The all-time record low for Jackson is -56 degrees set Feb. 3, 1924.

2. Gunnison, Colo.

The city of Gunnison is situated in a high mountain valley of southwest Colorado, with an elevation of 7,640 feet. Refrigerated air from the surrounding mountains pools in the valley at night, leading to some bone-chilling low temperatures. Occasionally, these lows will be the coldest in the Lower 48 States. The all-time record low for Jackson is -47 degrees set on Christmas Day in 1924.

 3. International Falls, Minn.

Perhaps no town or city in the U.S. has the cold cachet like International Falls, Minn. Proud locals boast about the city’s nickname “Icebox of the Nation,” where subzero cold has been observed as early as Nov. 2 and as late as Apr. 7. There was once a freeze the week after July 4 and as early as Aug. 20. The all-time record low for the Falls was set Jan. 6, 1909 with a temperature of -55 degrees.

4. Jackson, Wyo.

Jackson has had a freeze in every month. Roughly 250 days each year have at least a morning freeze. The city of Jackson is surrounded by mountains on three sides and since cold air is dense, it will settle in valley locations at night and in the morning. Not to mention, the proximity of western Wyoming to Arctic blasts of air plunging southward out of Canada. The all-time record low for Jackson is -50 degrees set Jan. 1, 1979.

5. Caribou, Maine

Location is the culprit  for Caribou’s cold reputation. The “Most Northeastern City in America”  is roughly the same latitude as Quebec City, and farther north than Montreal. Caribou sits in the Aroostook River valley, where cold air is dense and frequently settles in river valleys, particularly in the night and early morning hours. The all-time record low for Caribou is -41 degrees set Feb. 1, 1955.