Fastest-Warming Cities in the US
66 major US metros, ranked by warming rate in °F per decade over 1970–2025 — the same years for every city, from NOAA station records. Every city links to its full climate profile.
The fastest-warming major city in the US is Las Vegas, NV, at 1.07°F/decade warming trend since 1970. Phoenix, AZ ranks second at 0.85°F/decade. Below, all 66 metros are ranked — tap any city to open its month-by-month climate, rainfall, and temperature records.
Fastest-Warming US cities — all 66, ranked
Not ranked: 9 metros whose station records don't cover 1970–2025 with at least 30 complete years and no gap longer than 10 years (Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; Riverside, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; McAllen, TX; Mission Viejo, CA; Provo, UT; Ogden, UT; New Haven, CT).
How the fastest-warming cities compare
Across the 66 largest US metros with full climate records, warming trend since 1970 ranges from 1.07°F/decade in Las Vegas, NV down to 0.16°F/decade in Cincinnati, OH — the bottom of this leaderboard. Every bar above is drawn on the same labeled scale, so the gap between the leader and the pack is visible at a glance.
These figures are warming rates: the slope of the least-squares trend line through each city’s annual mean temperature, in °F per decade. Every city is fitted over the same years, 1970–2025, using complete years only, so a station record that starts in the 1870s gets no head start over one that starts in the 1950s. A city is ranked only if its station has at least 30 complete years in that window, starts and ends within 3 years of its edges, and has no gap longer than 10 years. A single station’s rate carries roughly ±0.1°F per decade of statistical uncertainty (one standard error), so neighbors a few hundredths apart are effectively tied. Each city’s climate profile also fits a trend to its station’s full record, which can start decades before 1970, so the rate printed there can differ from the one ranked here. The ranking measures the largest U.S. metros only — it is not a claim about every town in the country.
Frequently asked
- What is the fastest-warming city in the US?
- Among the 66 major US metros in this ranking, Las Vegas, NV is the fastest-warming, with 1.07°F/decade warming trend since 1970 through 2025. Phoenix, AZ is second at 0.85°F/decade. Each city in the list links to its full climate profile.
- How is the fastest-warming city ranked?
- Cities are ranked by warming trend since 1970 (in degrees Fahrenheit per decade), highest first. The figures are the least-squares trend through each city's annual mean temperature (complete years only) at its nearest long-term NOAA GHCN-Daily station, all fitted over the same years, 1970–2025, so a longer station record gets no head start. A city is ranked only if its station has at least 30 complete years in that window, starts and ends within 3 years of its edges, and has no gap longer than 10 years; 9 metros fall short and are left out. It covers 66 of the largest US cities, not every town in the country.
- How does Las Vegas compare to the rest of the list?
- Las Vegas, NV tops the list at 1.07°F/decade warming trend since 1970, while Cincinnati, OH sits at the other end with 0.16°F/decade. The gap between them shows how wide the spread is across major US cities. Click any city to see its month-by-month climate, rainfall, and temperature records.
- Which US cities are warming the fastest?
- Las Vegas, NV has the fastest warming trend in this ranking, about 1.07°F/decade over 1970–2025. The figure is a rate — the slope of the trend line through each city's annual mean temperature — measured over the same years for every city, so cities are compared like for like rather than by how far back their station records go. Neighboring cities often differ by only a few hundredths of a degree per decade, which is within the year-to-year noise of a single station.
More US climate rankings
- Hottest cities in the US
- Coldest cities in the US
- Rainiest cities in the US
- Driest cities in the US
- Snowiest cities in the US
- Most Extreme-Heat cities in the US
Or browse every city’s full profile in the city climate hub — weather by month, rainfall, all-time records, and the warming trend for 66 major US metros.