The best time to visit United States

Best months by destination

United States month by month

What the seasons are like

• New York City: New York has four distinct seasons: hot, humid summers near 30°C, cold winters around freezing with occasional heavy snowstorms, and mild, changeable springs and autumns.
• Los Angeles: Los Angeles has a dry Mediterranean climate with warm to hot, nearly rainless summers and mild winters, when most of the year's rain falls.
• San Francisco: San Francisco has a cool Mediterranean climate shaped by the Pacific: mild, wet winters, dry summers often blanketed in fog, and a warm spell in September and October, usually the sunniest months.
• Las Vegas: Las Vegas has a hot desert climate: extremely hot, dry summers with highs often above 40°C, mild sunny winters with cold nights, and very little rain.
• Miami: Miami has a tropical climate: hot, humid summers with frequent afternoon thunderstorms, and warm, drier winters with plenty of sun.
• Orlando: Orlando has a humid subtropical climate: long, hot and humid summers with near-daily afternoon thunderstorms, and mild, mostly dry winters with occasional cool snaps.
• Chicago: Chicago has a humid continental climate: long, cold and windy winters with snow, a short and changeable spring, warm and humid summers moderated near the lake, and crisp, often sunny autumns.
• Washington, D.C.: Washington has a humid subtropical climate: hot, sticky summers with afternoon thunderstorms, mild and colourful springs and autumns, and cool winters with occasional snow.
• Boston: Boston has a humid continental climate with a maritime edge: cold, snowy winters with occasional nor'easter storms, a cool and late spring, warm and fairly humid summers cooled by sea breezes, and crisp, colourful autumns.
• New Orleans: New Orleans has a humid subtropical climate: long, hot and very humid summers with near-daily thunderstorms, mild winters with only occasional freezes, and pleasant springs and autumns.
• Honolulu: Honolulu has a warm tropical climate all year, cooled by northeast trade winds.
• San Diego: San Diego has a mild semi-arid Mediterranean climate: warm, dry summers, mild winters with occasional rain, and a coastal marine layer that brings grey skies on many May and June mornings ('May Gray' and 'June Gloom').
• Seattle: Seattle has a mild marine climate: long, grey and drizzly autumns and winters with little snow, and dry, sunny summers that are among the most pleasant in the US.
• Portland: Portland has a mild, wet-winter and dry-summer climate: grey, drizzly days from October to May with occasional snow or ice, and warm, sunny, dry summers with occasional heatwaves.
• Austin: Austin has a humid subtropical climate: long, hot summers often above 35°C, mild winters with occasional freezes, and stormy springs and autumns when heavy downpours and flash floods are possible.
• Nashville: Nashville has a humid subtropical climate: hot, humid summers with thunderstorms, mild springs and autumns, and cool winters with occasional snow or ice.
• Denver: Denver has a semi-arid, four-season climate with low humidity and abundant sunshine.
• Philadelphia: Philadelphia has four distinct seasons: cold winters with occasional snow, warm springs, hot and humid summers with thunderstorms, and crisp, sunny autumns.
• Atlanta: Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, mild winters with occasional cold snaps, and long, pleasant springs and autumns.
• San Antonio: San Antonio has a hot, humid subtropical climate: long, very hot summers, mild winters with occasional cold fronts, and warm springs and autumns.
• Dallas: Dallas has a humid subtropical climate with long, very hot summers, mild winters interrupted by sharp cold fronts, and stormy springs when severe thunderstorms, hail and occasional tornadoes are possible.
• Houston: Houston has a hot, humid subtropical climate with long summers, mild winters and rain spread across the year, often as heavy downpours.
• Phoenix: Phoenix has a hot desert climate with very little rain: mild, sunny winters, very hot summers with highs often above 40°C, and a monsoon season from mid-June to September that brings humidity, dust storms and short, intense thunderstorms.
• Sedona: At about 1,300 metres, Sedona is cooler than Phoenix: hot, dry early summers, a July–September monsoon with afternoon storms, crisp sunny autumns and mild winter days with frosty nights and occasional snow on the red rocks.
• Charleston: Charleston has a humid subtropical climate: mild winters with occasional cold snaps, long hot and humid summers with afternoon thunderstorms, and an Atlantic hurricane season from June to November that peaks from August to October.
• Savannah: Savannah has a humid subtropical climate: short, mild winters, an early and warm spring, long hot and humid summers with afternoon storms, and an Atlantic hurricane season from June to November, most active from August to October.
• Key West: Key West has a tropical savanna climate and has never recorded frost: warm, dry winters, hot and humid summers with afternoon showers, and an Atlantic hurricane season from June to November, most active from August to October.
• Maui: Maui is warm all year, with a wetter winter season from about November to March and a drier summer from April to October.
• Anchorage: Anchorage has a subarctic climate moderated by the sea: cool summers with very long days, and cold, snowy winters with short days that are milder than interior Alaska.
• Salt Lake City: Salt Lake City has a semi-arid continental climate at about 1,300 metres: cold, snowy winters with occasional inversion smog in the valley, hot and dry summers, and pleasant but changeable springs and autumns.
• Big Island (Hawaiʻi): The Big Island has many microclimates: the Kona and Kohala coasts are sunny and dry, Hilo and the east side are wet and green, Volcano Village is cool and misty, and Maunakea's summit can see snow in winter.
• Kauaʻi: Kauaʻi is warm all year, with the main difference between the drier South and West Shores and the wetter North Shore and interior.
• Napa Valley: Napa Valley has a Mediterranean climate: dry, warm-to-hot summers with cool mornings and evenings, and mild, wet winters.
• Palm Springs: Palm Springs has a hot desert climate with more than 300 sunny days a year: warm, dry winters with cool nights, and extremely hot summers when afternoon highs often pass 40°C.
• Minneapolis: Minneapolis has a humid continental climate with some of the coldest winters of any major US city: long, snowy and often below −15°C at night.
• Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh has a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons: cold, often grey winters with snow, warm and humid summers with thunderstorms, and mild springs and autumns.
• Baltimore: Baltimore has a humid subtropical climate with four seasons: hot, humid summers often above 30°C with thunderstorms, mild springs and autumns, and cool winters with occasional snow.
• Asheville: Asheville has a mild mountain climate: warm but not usually hot summers with afternoon thunderstorms, cool winters with occasional snow, and pleasant springs and autumns.
• Memphis: Memphis has a humid subtropical climate: long, hot and humid summers with highs around 33°C, mild winters with occasional ice or snow, and spring storms.
• St. Louis: St.
• Kansas City: Kansas City has a continental climate: hot, humid summers with thunderstorms, cold winters with occasional snow and ice, and short, pleasant springs and autumns.
• Tampa: Tampa is humid and subtropical: warm, mostly dry winters, and hot, wet summers with near-daily afternoon thunderstorms from June to September.
• Fort Lauderdale: Fort Lauderdale has a tropical monsoon climate: warm, sunny and fairly dry from November to April, and hot, humid and wet from May to October, with short afternoon storms.
• Myrtle Beach: Myrtle Beach has a humid subtropical climate: hot, humid summers with afternoon thunderstorms, mild winters with occasional cold snaps, and warm, pleasant springs and autumns.

Crowds and hotel prices

Relative levels from our destination research: when each place is busiest, and when rooms usually cost least.

Events worth timing a trip around

Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.

• New York City, January: Winter Restaurant Week set-price menus (usually late January to February)
• New York City, January: Lunar New Year celebrations in Chinatown and Flushing (late January or February)
• Los Angeles, January: Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena (1 January, or 2 January when the 1st is a Sunday)
• Los Angeles, January: Lunar New Year Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown (late January or February)
• San Francisco, January: Lunar New Year celebrations begin (late January or February)
• San Francisco, February: Chinese New Year Festival and Parade in Chinatown and around Union Square (usually February)
• Las Vegas, January: CES technology trade show (usually early January)
• Las Vegas, January: Lunar New Year display at the Bellagio Conservatory (January or February)
• Miami, January: Art Deco Weekend festival on Ocean Drive (usually mid-January)
• Miami, February: Miami International Boat Show (usually February)
• Orlando, January: Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend (usually January)
• Orlando, January: EPCOT International Festival of the Arts (usually mid-January to February)

Questions travellers ask