weatherbycounty

Counties with 4 Distinct Seasons

Published May 2, 2026

There's something magical about places where each season arrives with distinct character — crisp autumns with colorful foliage, snowy winters, blooming springs, and warm summers. These counties offer the full seasonal experience without the extremes that make any one season unbearable.

We identified counties with four distinct seasons using a composite score that rewards significant seasonal temperature variation, reliable snowfall, warm but not scorching summers, and cold but not brutal winters.

The 25 Counties with the Most Distinct Four Seasons

Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT tops our four-season index with a score of 100. The Northeast and upper Midwest dominate, but some mountain counties in the West and Southeast also offer classic seasonal transitions.

RankCountyStateSeason ScoreTemp Swing (°F)Jan (°F)Jul (°F)Snowfall (in)
1Greater Bridgeport Planning RegionCT1004529.09999999999999873.6333333333333436.1
2Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning RegionCT1004231.7888888888888973.9777777777777929.3
3Northeastern Connecticut Planning RegionCT1004430.274.436.6
4Northwest Hills Planning RegionCT1004625.67499999999999772.0557.9
5South Central Connecticut Planning RegionCT1004231.7888888888888973.9777777777777929.3
6Southeastern Connecticut Planning RegionCT1004229.971.87534.5
7New Castle CountyDE1004432.7333333333333376.8999999999999916.1
8Adams CountyIL1005026.276.4333333333333417
9Bureau CountyIL1005221.673.6532.2
10Carroll CountyIL1005220.872.633.4
11Champaign CountyIL1004925.62000000000000574.6000000000000120.95
12Coles CountyIL1004828.276.4333333333333416.75
13Cook CountyIL1005024.07574.437533.575
14DeKalb CountyIL1005120.7572.133.93333333333333
15Douglas CountyIL100492675.117.5
16DuPage CountyIL1005024.174.12535
17Edgar CountyIL1004925.374.119.1
18Ford CountyIL1005024.36666666666666474.1000000000000120.433333333333334
19Fulton CountyIL1005121.97319.2
20Greene CountyIL1004926.975.717.9
21Grundy CountyIL1005123.857521.549999999999997
22Hancock CountyIL1005124.5575.522.900000000000002
23Henderson CountyIL100522476.216.9
24Henry CountyIL1005222.10000000000000574.1666666666666728.666666666666668
25Iroquois CountyIL1005024.173.721.15

Methodology

The four-season index weights five factors: seasonal temperature swing (30% — 40-75°F difference between July and January), snowfall (25% — 15-100 inches), summer warmth (20% — 70-85°F July average), winter cold (15% — 10-35°F January average), and precipitation balance (10% — 25-50 inches annually). All data comes from NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020.

Data source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020. All figures represent 30-year averages and may differ from individual-year observations. Station-level data is aggregated to county level using spatial averaging.

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