From Fargo to Oklahoma, Cities That Will Be Abnormally Cold This Thanksgiving
After a year of abnormally warm weather throughout the country, the United States is forecast to experience a major cold front during the busiest travel week of the year.
A winter storm is moving across the middle of the country, with several inches of snowfall forecast to accumulate throughout Utah and Colorado. Temperatures will drop more than 10 degrees below normal in over a dozen cities throughout the South, West, and Midwest, with temperatures in several North Dakota towns forecast to fall below zero on Thanksgiving night. A look at data from NOAA’s National Digital Forecast Database reveals the cities where Thanksgiving will be abnormally cold this year.
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To determine the cities that will be abnormally cold this Thanksgiving, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data from NOAA’s National Digital Forecast Database. Cities with at least 25,000 residents were ranked based on the difference between the forecast minimum air temperature for November 26 to 28, 2024 and historical monthly temperature normals for November 1901 through 2000. Air temperature forecasts are based on NDFD raster data, while data on historical monthly temperature normals for November are from the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information and are at the county level.
25. Kansas City, MO
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 24.0°F (-8.5°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 32.5°F
- Total population: 505,958
24. Oklahoma City, OK
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 29.0°F (-8.5°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 37.4°F
- Total population: 681,088
23. Enid, OK
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 26.0°F (-8.9°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 34.9°F
- Total population: 50,961
22. Jefferson City, MO
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 24.6°F (-8.9°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 33.5°F
- Total population: 42,644
21. Liberty, MO
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 22.9°F (-9.0°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 31.9°F
- Total population: 30,299
20. St. Joseph, MO
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 22.2°F (-9.1°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 31.3°F
- Total population: 72,198
19. Overland Park, KS
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 23.7°F (-9.1°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 32.9°F
- Total population: 196,676
18. Tulsa, OK
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 28.1°F (-9.3°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 37.5°F
- Total population: 411,938
17. Leavenworth, KS
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 22.6°F (-9.4°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 32.0°F
- Total population: 37,193
16. Lawrence, KS
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 23.1°F (-9.5°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 32.6°F
- Total population: 95,103
15. Springfield, MO
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 24.0°F (-9.5°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 33.5°F
- Total population: 168,873
14. Joplin, MO
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 25.4°F (-10.1°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 35.5°F
- Total population: 51,848
13. Rogers, AR
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 25.6°F (-10.1°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 35.7°F
- Total population: 69,961
12. Fargo, ND
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 8.0°F (-10.4°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 18.4°F
- Total population: 127,319
11. Moorhead, MN
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 7.7°F (-11.0°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 18.7°F
- Total population: 44,443
10. Stillwater, OK
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 25.4°F (-11.1°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 36.5°F
- Total population: 48,644
9. Fayetteville, AR
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 25.0°F (-11.1°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 36.1°F
- Total population: 95,022
8. Muskogee, OK
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 27.6°F (-11.2°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 38.8°F
- Total population: 36,933
7. Bartlesville, OK
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 23.5°F (-12.3°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 35.8°F
- Total population: 37,314
6. Great Falls, MT
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 8.8°F (-13.1°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 21.9°F
- Total population: 60,373
5. Bismarck, ND
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 3.5°F (-13.9°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 17.4°F
- Total population: 73,694
4. Aberdeen, SD
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 4.9°F (-14.0°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 18.9°F
- Total population: 28,388
3. Williston, ND
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 0.1°F (-16.3°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 16.4°F
- Total population: 27,783
2. Dickinson, ND
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: 1.0°F (-17.2°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 18.1°F
- Total population: 25,116
1. Minot, ND
- Minimum forecast temperature, November 26-28: -3.0°F (-19.9°F below normal)
- Historical minimum temperature, November 1901-2000: 16.9°F
- Total population: 48,038
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