Weather News
By Quincy Vagell
November 09, 2016
At a Glance
- Tolerance for cold weather varies in different parts of the country.
- One way to look at this was to ask our users at what temperature they typically start wearing sweaters.
Fall is in the air, or at least it is on the calendar. Depending on where you live, it may be close to “sweater weather,” and that begs the question: What exactly is considered sweater weather?
(MORE: When Does Fall's Chill Typically Arrive?)
The Weather Channel conducted a survey of people in the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) to find out what temperature makes people bust out their sweaters. The results were interesting and uncovered that different parts of the country had contrasting answers.
The warmest region is the West, where an average of 62 degrees is cool enough to signal sweater time. More specifically, both Arizona and Nevada were the states with the highest temperature, needing just 65 degrees to grab a sweater. For the warmest metro areas, locals in Jacksonville and Tampa in Florida also require a sweater at 65 degrees.
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(MORE: Warmth May Last Into October)
The most tolerant area fell across the northern Plains and northern Rockies, where the temperature has to drop to 55 degrees before residents reach for a sweater. South Dakota had the lowest temperature threshold at just 51 degrees.
Across the northern tier of the U.S., several metropolitan areas tied for the coolest cutoff, placing it at 55 degrees in Buffalo, Burlington, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle.
What about men versus women? There is a statistically significant difference between the genders, where women need a sweater at 60 degrees, while men hold out until the temperature falls to 58 degrees. Age did not seem to be much of a factor.
The results in this survey use the median temperature across the range of answers. By definition, half the respondents in each state gave a "sweater weather" temperature at or above the median temperature, and half gave a temperature at or below the median.
| State | "Sweater Weather" |
| Arizona | 65ºF |
| Nevada | 65ºF |
| Florida | 63ºF |
| Alabama | 62ºF |
| California | 61ºF |
| Delaware | 60ºF |
| Georgia | 60ºF |
| Indiana | 60ºF |
| Iowa | 60ºF |
| Kansas | 60ºF |
| Louisiana | 60ºF |
| Maryland | 60ºF |
| Michigan | 60ºF |
| Mississippi | 60ºF |
| Missouri | 60ºF |
| New Jersey | 60ºF |
| North Carolina | 60ºF |
| Ohio | 60ºF |
| Oregon | 60ºF |
| Pennsylvania | 60ºF |
| South Carolina | 60ºF |
| Tennessee | 60ºF |
| Texas | 60ºF |
| Utah | 60ºF |
| Virginia | 60ºF |
| West Virginia | 60ºF |
| Wyoming | 60ºF |
| Arkansas | 59ºF |
| Illinois | 59ºF |
| New Mexico | 59ºF |
| Connecticut | 58ºF |
| New York | 58ºF |
| Rhode Island | 58ºF |
| Colorado | 58ºF |
| Massachusetts | 57ºF |
| Kentucky | 56ºF |
| Idaho | 55ºF |
| Maine | 55ºF |
| Minnesota | 55ºF |
| Montana | 55ºF |
| Nebraska | 55ºF |
| New Hampshire | 55ºF |
| North Dakota | 55ºF |
| Oklahoma | 55ºF |
| Vermont | 55ºF |
| Washington | 55ºF |
| Wisconsin | 55ºF |
| South Dakota | 51ºF |
MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Highest and Lowest Temperatures in All 50 States
