weatherbycounty

Counties with the Mildest Winters

Published May 2, 2026

For retirees, snowbirds, and anyone who despises scraping ice off their windshield, mild winters are a top priority. The mildest winter counties in America barely see freezing temperatures in January, receive little to no snow, and offer outdoor dining and recreation straight through the coldest months of the year.

Using NOAA 30-year climate normals, we identified the 25 counties with the warmest January temperatures — the single best indicator of winter mildness.

The 25 Counties with the Mildest Winters

Monroe County, FL has the mildest winters in America with an average January temperature of 69.40909090909092°F. These counties offer relief from harsh winter conditions that plague most of the country.

RankCountyStateJan Avg (°F)Winter Avg (°F)Snowfall (in)
1Monroe CountyFL69.4090909090909270.842424242424240
2Broward CountyFL67.7569.216666666666650
3Miami-Dade CountyFL67.5846153846153969.110256410256410
4Palm Beach CountyFL65.0428571428571466.742857142857150
5Collier CountyFL64.8428571428571466.69523809523810
6Martin CountyFL64.3000000000000165.966666666666670
7Charlotte CountyFL63.7565.533333333333330
8Okeechobee CountyFL63.264.800000000000010
9Indian River CountyFL63.1564.850
10Hendry CountyFL62.8564.783333333333330
11St. Lucie CountyFL62.564.283333333333330
12Hillsborough CountyFL62.264.050000000000010
13Glades CountyFL62.163.988888888888890
14Polk CountyFL62.163.8399999999999960
15Sarasota CountyFL62.163.916666666666670
16Manatee CountyFL61.3563.150
17Highlands CountyFL61.33333333333333663.3333333333333360
18Cameron CountyTX61.30000000000000463.166666666666660.10000000000000002
19Pinellas CountyFL61.2666666666666763.077777777777780
20Orange CountyFL61.0562.8499999999999940
21Brevard CountyFL60.4666666666666762.344444444444440
22DeSoto CountyFL60.362.1666666666666640
23Hardee CountyFL60.262.033333333333330
24Osceola CountyFL60.161.733333333333330
25Seminole CountyFL6061.816666666666660

Methodology

Counties are ranked by average January temperature, the coldest month in most of the United States. Winter average (December-February) and snowfall are shown for context. All data comes from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 climate normals. Counties missing January temperature data are excluded.

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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