Best time to visit the United States

Best months by city

Each city name opens its own month-by-month table. Heat is the average daytime high; rainy days are days with at least 1 mm of rain. Cities marked "weather data only" have not yet been checked against crowds, closures or local seasons.

Every month at a glance

Best = the city's best months. Avoid = very hot, very cold or among the wettest months. Okay = neither. Hover or tap a cell for the reason.

The United States month by month

January

At its best in Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Key West (4 of 25). Worth avoiding: Chicago (cold, 33°F (1°C)); Seattle (among the wettest, 19 rainy days); Boston (cold, 39°F (4°C)); Anchorage (cold, 21°F (-6°C)).

February

At its best in Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Orlando and Key West (5 of 25). Worth avoiding: Chicago (cold, 37°F (3°C)); Anchorage (cold, 26°F (-3°C)).

March

At its best in Austin, Washington, DC, Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Orlando, Charleston and Key West (8 of 25). Worth avoiding: Los Angeles (among the wettest, 9 rainy days); San Diego (among the wettest, 10 rainy days); San Francisco (among the wettest, 12 rainy days); Honolulu (among the wettest, 12 rainy days); Anchorage (cold, 33°F (1°C)); Maui (among the wettest, 25 rainy days); Sedona (among the wettest, 10 rainy days).

April

At its best in Philadelphia, Austin, Washington, DC, Nashville, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Honolulu, Maui, Savannah, Charleston, Key West and Sedona (15 of 25). Worth avoiding: New York City (among the wettest, 13 rainy days); Chicago (among the wettest, 14 rainy days).

May

At its best in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Austin, Denver, Washington, DC, Nashville, Boston, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Honolulu, Anchorage, Maui and Sedona (14 of 25). Worth avoiding: Chicago (among the wettest, 13 rainy days).

June

At its best in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver, Boston and Anchorage (7 of 25). Worth avoiding: Las Vegas (very hot, 102°F (39°C)).

July

At its best in Chicago, Seattle, Denver and Anchorage (4 of 25). Worth avoiding: New York City (among the wettest, 14 rainy days); Philadelphia (among the wettest, 14 rainy days); Austin (very hot, 95°F (35°C)); Washington, DC (among the wettest, 15 rainy days); Nashville (among the wettest, 18 rainy days); Boston (among the wettest, 13 rainy days); Las Vegas (very hot, 108°F (42°C)); Atlanta (among the wettest, 18 rainy days); Tampa (among the wettest, 26 rainy days); New Orleans (among the wettest, 24 rainy days); Orlando (among the wettest, 26 rainy days); Charleston (among the wettest, 18 rainy days); Sedona (very hot, 95°F (35°C)).

August

At its best in Chicago, Seattle, Denver and Anchorage (4 of 25). Worth avoiding: New York City (among the wettest, 14 rainy days); Philadelphia (among the wettest, 13 rainy days); Austin (very hot, 97°F (36°C)); Washington, DC (among the wettest, 16 rainy days); Boston (among the wettest, 12 rainy days); Las Vegas (very hot, 104°F (40°C)); Atlanta (among the wettest, 18 rainy days); Miami (among the wettest, 26 rainy days); Tampa (among the wettest, 26 rainy days); Orlando (among the wettest, 26 rainy days); Savannah (among the wettest, 22 rainy days); Charleston (among the wettest, 19 rainy days); Key West (among the wettest, 19 rainy days).

September

At its best in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Washington, DC, Nashville, Boston, Atlanta, Honolulu and Maui (13 of 25). Worth avoiding: Las Vegas (very hot, 98°F (37°C)); Anchorage (among the wettest, 18 rainy days); Key West (among the wettest, 20 rainy days).

October

At its best in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, Austin, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Nashville, Boston, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Tampa, Honolulu, Maui, Savannah, Charleston and Sedona (17 of 25). Worth avoiding: Chicago (among the wettest, 13 rainy days).

November

At its best in Los Angeles, Austin, Washington, DC, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Savannah, Charleston and Sedona (10 of 25). Worth avoiding: Anchorage (cold, 28°F (-2°C)).

December

At its best in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Savannah and Key West (5 of 25). Worth avoiding: San Francisco (among the wettest, 13 rainy days); Seattle (among the wettest, 19 rainy days); Anchorage (cold, 23°F (-5°C)).

Plan your trip

Open a city guide for tours, hotels and what to do there:

• New York City guide
• Los Angeles guide
• Chicago guide
• Philadelphia guide
• San Diego guide
• Austin guide
• San Francisco guide
• Seattle guide
• Denver guide
• Washington, DC guide
• Nashville guide
• Boston guide
• Las Vegas guide
• Atlanta guide
• Miami guide
• Tampa guide
• New Orleans guide
• Honolulu guide
• Orlando guide
• Anchorage guide
• Maui guide
• Savannah guide
• Charleston guide
• Key West guide
• Sedona guide

See today's travel advisory for the United States (government warnings, checked every 2 minutes).

How we worked this out

Temperatures and rainy days come from Open-Meteo ERA5 records for 2019-2024 for each city. Where a city's best months were checked by hand against crowds and local seasons, that is the pick shown; otherwise the pick is based on weather alone and is marked. Weather changes from year to year, so treat this as a planning guide, not a forecast.