Hawaii Holds Out Against Alaska in America’s Coldest Temperature Standoff
KEY POINTS
- •Alaska set the national record for lowest temperature with -80°F on January 23, 1971, at Prospect Creek Camp.
- •Hawaii remains the only state never to record below zero, with its coldest temperature of 12°F on May 17, 1979, at Mauna Kea Observatory.
- •Other states have notable lows such as Alabama's -27°F recorded by postmaster Lucille Hereford in 1966 and Colorado's -61°F in tiny Maybell in 1985.
In the great American cold war, the US proudly boasts Alaska’s -80°F record set January 23, 1971, at Prospect Creek Camp, impressively verified despite rumors of even colder unofficial temps like -85°F in Hughes in the ’90s. Meanwhile, Hawaii clings stubbornly to its warm-ish claim with a 'balmy' 12°F on May 17, 1979, recorded at Mauna Kea Observatory, a place that sounds like a fancy ski resort but would rather snap frozen toes than serve mai tais. Other contenders: Alabama’s -27°F remembered by Lucille Hereford, a dedicated postmaster/weather volunteer, who had to patiently correct a mistaken warmer temp discovered years later, and Colorado’s Maybell—home to 76 tough residents who wore newspapers in their shoes back in that frigid 1985 -61°F freeze. Apparently, we’ve all been lousy drivers on the thermostat, refusing to keep consistent records or temperatures in check.
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America's coldest states compete like stubborn siblings: Alaska flexes with -80°F glory, while Hawaii prefers to pretend 12°F is 'chilly enough,' leaving us to ponder if climate records are just elaborate pranks.
It’s comforting that while the nation freezes, Hawaii’s temperature record is basically a lukewarm afterthought from 1979, like that one friend who never joins winter hikes.
People in Maybell, Colorado, froze so hard in 1985 they resorted to stuffing newspapers in shoes. Now that’s dedication or just poor footwear choices.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 1/24/2026 | Author: Gabbi Shaw
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