What Are the Warmest Cities in Ohio?
In this article I’m going to share with you my ranking of the warmest places in Ohio.
I created my list by researching data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other climate data providers.
Below I’m listing the top 10 warmest places in Ohio that have the highest average yearly temperatures. Later in the article I share a table with 50 most populous cities in Ohio.
Top 10 Warmest Cities in Ohio
Here are the top 10 warmest places in Ohio ranked by their daily mean temperature. While the average annual temperatures of these places don’t differ that much, they’re still over a few degrees higher than in the coldest Ohio cities.
For the top five cities I also give average winter and summer temperatures.
1. Portsmouth – daily mean temperature of 54.9 °F
According to weather data collected by NOAA, the city of Portsmouth, located on the Ohio River across from Kentucky, is the warmest city in Ohio. It enjoys the highest average temperature in the state, with the mildest winters at 41-46 °F during the day and 23-28 °F at night. In the summer, Ohio’s warmest city records the average high temperatures reaching 83-87 °F (the hottest temperature is in July) while the average temperature at night is 61-65 °F.
The state’s warmest city has a small population of less than 20,000 residents, though. If you want the warmest weather but also the biggest city, then the second warmest city in Ohio is a much better option.
Winter temperatures: highs of 41-46 °F, lows of 23-28 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 83-87 °F, lows of 61-65 °F
2. Cincinnati – daily mean temperature of 54.65 °F
If you’re looking for the warmest Ohio city that’s also a big city, Cincinnati is your best option. The average annual temperature in Cincinnati is over a degree higher than in Columbus and over two degrees higher than in Cleveland. It may not sound like much but in practice that means 7 fewer days of snow than in Columbus and winter daytime temperatures up to 2 degrees higher.
For example, Cincinnati sees average high temperatures of 40 °F in January (the coldest month), while in Columbus that’s 37 °F. If you dislike cold weather, that difference, even though small, will still be noticeable. In addition to that, Cincinnati gets 2,335 sunshine hours compared to 2,183 in Columbus.
Winter temperatures: highs of 40-44 °F, lows of 23-28 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 83-86 °F, lows of 62-66 °F
3. Circleville – daily mean temperature of 54.3 °F
Circleville is a city of 14,000 people, located 29 miles south of Columbus. It features slightly cooler weather than the first two cities, with average temperatures in the winter about 1-2 degrees lower.
Winter temperatures: highs of 39-43 °F, lows of 23-28 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 83-86 °F, lows of 62-65 °F
4. Dayton – daily mean temperature of 53.95 °F
Dayton, the sixth largest Ohio city, is located in the western part of the state, a similar driving distance from Cincinnati and Columbus. It has some of the hottest summers. Meanwhile, winter temperatures are some of the lowest in this ranking, ranging from 36 to 41 °F during the day and dropping to 20-26 °F at night.
Winter temperatures: highs of 37-42 °F, lows of 22-27 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 83-86 °F, lows of 63-66 °F
5. Westerville – daily mean temperature of 53.9 °F
Westerville is a northeastern suburb of Columbus. It sees temperatures similar to other cities before, between 38-42 °F in the winter and 83-86 °F in the summer.
Winter temperatures: highs of 38-42 °F, lows of 22-27 °F
Summer temperatures: highs of 83-86 °F, lows of 61-65 °F
6. Marietta – daily mean temperature of 53.85 °F
Marietta is a small city in Southeastern Ohio, on the border with West Virginia. It has some of the mildest winter temperatures, between 40-44 °F during the day and 23-28 °F at night. Summers are slightly cooler than in the previous cities, with average highs of 82-85 °F and lows of 61-65 °F.
7. Hamilton – daily mean temperature of 53.8 °F
Hamilton is a city of 64,000 people, located in the Greater Cincinnati area. Like Cincinnati, it has some of the mildest winters, with average highs of 40-44 °F. Nights are slightly cooler than in Cincinnati while summer days are slightly hotter.
8. Fairfield – daily mean temperature of 53.6 °F
Fairfield is another suburban city of Cincinnati, located just 4 miles south of Hamilton. According to climate data, it has colder winter days than Hamilton and hotter summer temperatures.
9. Columbus – daily mean temperature of 53.45 °F
Columbus is the largest city in Ohio and the second most populous in Midwest after Chicago. I’ve already discussed its climate in comparison to Cincinnati. What I can add in favor of Columbus is that while it has 5 more days of rain, its annual precipitation is lower than in Cincinnati (41.6 inches compared to 45.3 in Cincinnati). Columbus also has slightly cooler summer weather, with temperatures between 82-85 °F during the day and 62-65 °F at night.
10. Lancaster – daily mean temperature of 53.2 °F
Lancaster is a city of 40,000 people, situated 31 miles southeast of Columbus. It has very similar climate to Columbus, with almost the same temperatures year round. Lancaster may be the tenth warmest city in this ranking but it’s still much warmer than the coldest city in the state, Ashtabula, that has an average annual temperature of 48.85 °F.
Video Summary of the Warmest Ohio Cities
50 Biggest Cities in Ohio Ranked by Daily Mean Temperature
I created the table below by researching data for the most populous municipalities in Ohio. When I couldn’t find data for a given city, I moved on to another. While the list includes 50 cities, some of the bigger cities may be missing because there was no data for them. Please check the closest geographically city then.
| City | Average high temperature (°F) | Average low temperature (°F) | Daily mean temperature (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portsmouth | 66 | 43.8 | 54.9 |
| Cincinnati | 64.4 | 44.9 | 54.65 |
| Circleville | 64.3 | 44.3 | 54.3 |
| Dayton | 63.4 | 44.5 | 53.95 |
| Westerville | 64.1 | 43.7 | 53.9 |
| Marietta | 64.2 | 43.5 | 53.85 |
| Hamilton | 65.1 | 42.5 | 53.8 |
| Fairfield | 64.6 | 42.6 | 53.6 |
| Columbus | 63 | 43.9 | 53.45 |
| Lancaster | 63.3 | 43.1 | 53.2 |
| Mason | 65 | 41 | 53 |
| Zanesville | 63.3 | 42.6 | 52.95 |
| Painesville | 60.5 | 45.1 | 52.8 |
| Piqua | 62.5 | 42.9 | 52.7 |
| Franklin | 63.9 | 41.5 | 52.7 |
| Elyria | 62.1 | 43.2 | 52.65 |
| Wilmington | 62.4 | 42.8 | 52.6 |
| Cleveland | 60.8 | 44 | 52.4 |
| Bucyrus | 62.1 | 42.6 | 52.35 |
| Toledo | 61.9 | 42.6 | 52.25 |
| Athens | 62.5 | 41.9 | 52.2 |
| Xenia | 62 | 42 | 52 |
| Sandusky | 59.2 | 44.8 | 52 |
| Greenville | 62 | 41.8 | 51.9 |
| Washington Court House | 62.1 | 41.5 | 51.8 |
| New Philadelphia | 61.9 | 41.6 | 51.75 |
| Akron | 61.2 | 42.1 | 51.65 |
| Kent | 60 | 43 | 51.5 |
| Findlay | 60.5 | 42 | 51.25 |
| Springfield | 62 | 40.4 | 51.2 |
| Lima | 60.5 | 41.5 | 51 |
| Marysville | 61.4 | 40.5 | 50.95 |
| Sidney | 61.6 | 40.3 | 50.95 |
| Steubenville | 61.2 | 40.6 | 50.9 |
| Tiffin | 60.3 | 41.5 | 50.9 |
| Bowling Green | 59.9 | 41.7 | 50.8 |
| Fremont | 60.6 | 40.9 | 50.75 |
| Newark | 61.9 | 39.4 | 50.65 |
| Marion | 60.6 | 40.6 | 50.6 |
| Mansfield | 59.9 | 41.2 | 50.55 |
| Bellefontaine | 60.1 | 41 | 50.55 |
| Norwalk | 59.6 | 41.4 | 50.5 |
| Defiance | 59.9 | 40.9 | 50.4 |
| Wooster | 59.4 | 41 | 50.2 |
| Youngstown | 59.7 | 40.1 | 49.9 |
| Ashland | 60.2 | 39.3 | 49.75 |
| Stow | 59.2 | 39.3 | 49.25 |
| Ravenna | 59.9 | 38.4 | 49.15 |
| Warren | 60.2 | 37.7 | 48.95 |
| Ashtabula | 58.2 | 39.5 | 48.85 |
Check the Warmest Cities in Neighboring States
If you’re interested in learning about the warmest cities in states neighboring Ohio, check out the following articles:
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Indiana?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Kentucky?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Michigan?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in Pennsylvania?
- What Are the Warmest Cities in West Virginia?
Also check my article on the warmest cities in the US in every state.