Buffalo, New York, is set to be 2025's 'hottest' market once again, according to Zillow.
John Greim/LightRocket/Getty Images
Zillow has released its forecast for the hottest housing markets of 2025.
The metros are spread across the Northeast, Great Lakes, South, Midwest, and West regions.
Buffalo, New York, is projected to be the hottest market in 2025, followed by Indiana.
High home prices, rising mortgage rates, and inflation have sharply reduced buyer demand in the US real estate market, leading to a slowdown in home sales over the past few years โ even in previously booming areas like Austin and the Bay Area.
Some areas are poised to see more action than others. Zillow has forecasted 10 metros where homebuyer competition will be the fiercest, taking into account factors like price growth, new construction, and job growth in each area.
Buffalo earned the title of Zillow's hottest market for the second year in a row. Located on Lake Erie and somewhat close to Niagara Falls, the metro has become an appealing choice for buyers thanks to its relatively affordable homes and strong job market, according to Zillow.
"Common threads among 2025's hottest markets are affordability โ or at least relative affordability compared to nearby markets โ and inventory shortages that have not been able to keep up with demand," Anushna Prakash, a data scientist at Zillow, told Business Insider. "An inventory shortfall of course limits sales, but it also means competition for each home on the market is ratcheted up."
Here are 10 metro areas forecast to see the most homebuying competition in 2025, according to Zillow.
Building tiny backyard homes can be expensive. The units can range in cost โ from under $100,000 to over $300,000.ย
Three states will help with the cost by providing homeowners with grant money.ย
Here are the programs, how much homeowners can receive, and who is eligible to apply.ย
If you've looked into building aย tiny homeย in your backyard, you've probably discovered what many have: While they may save you money in the long run, they can be expensive to build.
These backyard homes, called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are small housing units ranging from 150 square feet to 1,200 square feet, depending on where you live.
In California, where most backyard homes are being built, ADU building permits cost anywhere from $450 to $15,000 โ even before construction starts, Backyard Unlimited, a company that builds ADUs, said.
That's not all: Other costs could include site preparation, which includes anything from inspections to running utility lines.ย
All this to say, if you don't have cash lying around or the ability to access financing for the project, it can be cost prohibitive โย making it harder for middle- and low-income homeowners to actually build one, studies have shown.
To combat this disparity, promote equity,ย and ultimately propel the construction of much-needed housing,ย some states โ and nonprofits in some cities โ have created grant programs to help.
The deadlines for these programs vary from state to state. Those interested in building an ADU should be prepared for next year's application cycles, as they often experience high demand.
Here are the ADU programs available nationwide.
California: Up to $40,000 per grantee
The funding for 2024 has already been allocated. The state previously provided $40,000 to Californians for pre-construction ADU costs, such as design, permitting, and soil inspections. In 2024, several legal changes were made regarding ADU size, owner occupancy requirements, and more.
An ADU in San Jose, California.
Courtesy of Abodu
Who can apply? Californians that fall in the range of low- to moderate-income limits.
Total funding available: $100 million was allocated in 2021, but by 2023, the money had been fully distributed. The program's funds were infused with $25 million in grant funding for 2023 to 2024, but those have also been fully allocated.
When are applications open? The program is no longer accepting applications for 2024, and applications for 2025 have not yet been announced.
Requirements:
Homeowners do not need to live in the primary home or the ADU they build.
For single-family lots, you can be approved for one ADU (attached or detached) up to 1,200 square feet and one Junior ADU up to 500 square feet.
For multi-family lots, you can build multiple ADUs attached to existing structures and up to two detached ADUs on the property.
Homeowners can build an ADU at least 800 square feet, up to 16 feet high, and must be set back 4 feet from side and rear yards.
Agency or Department in charge of distribution: California Housing Finance Agency
Julie Fornasero and her husband, Tim Logan, built an ADU in their backyard for $170,000.
Courtesy of Julie Fornasero
New York: Up to $125,000 per grantee
The Plus One ADU Program provides eligible New Yorkers up to $125,000 to build or convert an ADU on their property.
In 2024, as part of Mayor Eric Adams's 'City of Yes' housing initiative, New York Stateย legalizedย permitting ADUs on one- and two-family residential properties in low-density housing districts. However, whether a locality in New York allows ADUs depends on its land use and zoning regulations.
A residential neighborhood in Monroe, New York, in the Hudson Valley.
Kelsey Neubauer/Insider
Who can apply? Homeowners who meet the income requirement of 100% or below the area median income.
Total funding available: The 2022-2023 NYS Capital Budget provided $85 million for theย Plus One ADU Program over the next five years. Of the total, $60 million has been distributed across 50 municipalities, with the remaining $25 million available through a competitive RFP.
When are applications open? There are 50 participating localities, all accepting homeowner applications on a rolling basis.
Requirements:
The ADU can be within the existing home, such as a basement or attic apartment, an in-law suite, or a completely independent and detached structure.
A 10-year restrictive covenant is in place to ensure the home remains the owner's primary residence and that the ADU is kept in a livable condition.
The ADU must be occupied by a tenant or a family member, and it cannot be rented out short term.
Agency or Department in charge of distribution: New York State's Homes and Community Renewal
A welcome sign to Boxwill's town.
Courtesy of Helen Boxwill
Vermont: Up to $50,000 per grantee
This program allows Vermonters to receive up to $50,000 to build an ADU on their property. Both landlords and owner-occupied homes with plans to rent are eligible.
A residential neighborhood in Burlington, Vermont.
Kelsey Neubauer/Insider
Who can apply?ย Any Vermont homeowner can apply through these five regional organizations: RuralEdge, Champlain Housing Trust, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, Downstreet Housing and Community Development, and Windham and Windsor Housing Trust. These organizations review applications and oversee projects.
Total funding available: As of 2023, Vermont had a $15 million budget.
When are applications open? Open now, on a rolling basis.
Requirements:
Those who receive a grant must abide by certain stipulations, such as complying with local ordinances, maintaining HUD Fair Market rent, and matching at least 20% of the grant funds.
The project must be completed within 18 months of signing the grant agreement.
Those using their ADU as a rental must sign a rental covenant or forgivable loan agreement, committing to charge rent at or below Fair Market Rent for the entire duration of the agreement.
Agency or Department in charge of distribution: Vermont Housing Improvement Program
Marni Leiken and the apartment she built over her backyard carriage barn, visible on the far right of this photo.
Courtesy of Marni Leiken
Colorado: A new grant program still rolling out
In 2024, Colorado passed HB24-1152 to assist homeowners in building ADUs.
Who can apply? The Accessory Dwelling Unit Fee Reduction and Encouragement Grant Program will offer down payment assistance, low-interest loans, and interest rate reductions to eligible lowโand moderate-income Coloradans building ADUs.
Total funding available: The General Assembly allocated $5 million for the program. Currently, grants are available to "accessory dwelling unit supportive jurisdictions," meaning local governments actively supporting ADU development. The Department of Local Affairs will manage the grant program created by the bill.
When are applications open? It has not yet been announced when applications will open to local governments or residents.
Requirements: The qualification requirements are still being finalized.
Agency or Department in charge of distribution: The Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government
Have you built an ADU on your property? We want to hear from you. Email the reporter, Alcynna Lloyd, at [email protected] to share your story.
While some states' coldest temperatures were recorded recently, others were documented decades ago.
Hawaii remains the only state in the US yet to report a temperature below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in the US was -80 degrees in Alaskaย in 1971.
Despite record-breaking temperature drops across the US over the last century, the world continues to get hotter. In fact,ย only three states have recorded their lowest-ever temperatures in the 21st century.
In Alaska, the coldest temperature ever recorded was -80 degrees Fahrenheit in Prospect Creek Camp in 1971 โ and all but one of the 50 states has reported a temperature below zero. What's the holdout? Hawaii, which recorded its lowest temperature of 12 degrees Fahrenheit at the Mauna Kea Observatory on May 17, 1979.
Melissa Wells contributed to a prior version of this story.
Alabama's lowest recorded temperature was -27 degrees Fahrenheit at New Market on January 30, 1966.
New Market is located near the Alabama/Tennessee border.
Melissa Bobo/Shutterstock
On this snowy January day, it was Lucille Hereford, the postmaster and town volunteer weather observer, who recorded the -27-degree temperature, calling it a "terribly cold" morning in a 1988 interview with an Alabama State climatologist.
Per a 2021 news report by WHNT, a local news outlet, the official story comes with a caveat: The temperature was initially erroneously recorded as warmer than the -24 degrees Fahrenheit reported at Russellville the same day. It wasn't until years later that a Birmingham reporter uncovered the truth, and the National Climatic Data Center finally issued a correction in its records.
Alaska's lowest recorded temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp on January 23, 1971.
Prospect Creek Camp is located five hours north of Fairbanks.
Troutnut/Shutterstock
The Anchorage Daily News reported in 2013 that there have been unofficial measurements of even lower temperatures. On the National Weather Service Alaska website, Phil Schaefer said it hit -84 degrees Fahrenheit in Coldfoot in 1989, and Joe Cochran said the temperature in Hughes dropped to -85 degrees Fahrenheit in the '90s, The Daily News reported.
However, the Prospect Creek Camp temperature is the only one that's been verified.
This is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the US.
Arizona's lowest recorded temperature was -40 degrees Fahrenheit at Hawley Lake on January 7, 1971.
Hawley Lake is located on the San Carlos Reservation.
Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock
Hawley Lake isn't a town so much as a remote weather station, but it's important in Arizona's meteorological history. In addition to setting a state record for 91 inches of snow in 1968, the overseer of Hawley Lake, Stan Bryte, recorded the state's lowest temperature of -40 degrees Fahrenheit in 1971, per AZCentral.
In fact, on the morning of January 7, 1971, Bryte's chief meteorologist told him, "You need to get up to Hawley Lake. I have a suspicion this is going to be a real record."
Arkansas' lowest recorded temperature was -29 degrees Fahrenheit in Brook Farm Pond near Gravette on February 13, 1905.
Gravette is a small town in Arkansas.
Michael t. Morrison/Shutterstock
Brook Farm Pond is near the town of Gravette, which has just over 3,500 residents, according to census data.
It is located in Benton County, which has the motto "The Heart of Hometown America." At one time, it also bore the name of "Gate Community" for serving as a gateway to northwest Arkansas from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.ย
California's lowest recorded temperature was -45 degrees Fahrenheit in Boca on January 20, 1937.
Boca is close to the border of Nevada.
AJ9/Shutterstock
The Los Angeles Times reported in 1937 that the low temperatures had brought "influenza, frozen toes, broken water pipes and automobile radiators, icy streets and traffic disruption."
Colorado's lowest recorded temperature was -61 degrees Fahrenheit in Maybell on February 1, 1985.
Maybell is in the northwest corner of Colorado.
Teri Virbickis/Shutterstock
CBS News reported in January 2023 that Maybell, located 25 miles west of Craig, is home to just 76 people.
ย Maybell resident of 56 years Georgia McIntyre told 9News in 2015, "You don't think about how cold it is. You just put all the clothes you've got on, and we even put newspapers in our shoes because we didn't have all these fancy things you have now."
Connecticut has recorded temperatures of -32 degrees Fahrenheit twice: First in Falls Village on February 16, 1943, and then again in Coventry on January 22, 1961.
Falls Village and Coventry are 66 miles apart.
Michael Macsuga/Shutterstock
In 1943, a National Weather Service observer noted February was a "relatively mild month" in Connecticut, only for the state to record its coldest temperature in the state's history 16 days into the month, per a 2023 CT Insider article.
A freezing day in January just 18 years later would hit that same low temperature.
Delaware's lowest recorded temperature was -17 degrees Fahrenheit in Millsboro on January 17, 1893.
Millsboro is around 16 miles north of the Maryland border.
Khairil Azhar Junos/Shutterstock
Thirty-seven years later, a Millsboro weather station recorded a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit on a scorching July day, according to the National Weather Service.
Florida's lowest recorded temperature was -2 degrees Fahrenheit in Tallahassee on February 13, 1899.
Tallahassee is the state's capital.
Jesse Kunerth/Shutterstock
WTXL Tallahassee reported in 2020 that in Tallahassee 124 years ago, an inch of snow coated the city (its third biggest snowfall ever), and a record low of -2 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded.
Headlines at the time read "All Previous Records Broken," and editors were calling the storm, "The Snow King," "The Ice King," and "the Great Blizzard of 1899," Tallahassee Democrat reported in 2018.
Georgia's lowest recorded temperature was -17 degrees Fahrenheit in CCC Fire Camp F-16 near Beatum on January 27, 1940.
Snow-covered mountains in Georgia.
PaulDaniel5010/Shutterstock
Not even 12 years later, on July 24, 1952, Georgia recorded its highest temperature at 112 degrees Fahrenheit in Louisville and again on August 20, 1983, in Greenville, according to NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee.
Hawaii's lowest recorded temperature was 12 degrees Fahrenheit at the Mauna Kea Observatory on May 17, 1979.
Mauna Kea is located on the Big Island.
Alexey Kamenskiy/Shutterstock
Forecasters think this record may have changed because, on February 11, 2019, several sensors at the Mauna Kea Observatory reported temperatures between 8 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit, Khon2 reported in 2022, but it has yet to be confirmed.
Idaho's lowest recorded temperature was -60 degrees Fahrenheit in Island Park Dam on January 18, 1943.
Island Park Dam is located on Crow Creek.
Grimm Film/Shutterstock
Island Park Dam is located in the Targhee National Forest in the northeast corner of the state. It's tied for the eighth coldest temperature ever recorded in the US.
Illinois' lowest recorded temperature was -38 degrees Fahrenheit in Mount Carroll on January 31, 2019.
Mount Carroll is on the western border of Illinois, close to Iowa.
Randy R/Shutterstock
Frigid temperatures across Illinois in late January 2019 led to a startling discovery: On the morning of January 31, the weather observer at Mount Carroll in Carroll County recorded a temperature drop to -38 degrees Fahrenheit.
Only after an extensive review did the State Climate Extremes Committee collectively validate the reading as the new state record low temperature, The State Journal-Register reported in 2019.
Indiana's lowest recorded temperature was -36 degrees Fahrenheit in New Whiteland on January 19, 1994.
New Whiteland is outside Indianapolis.
Waldos photo/Shutterstock
ABC57 reported in 2020 that all temperatures across Indiana dropped below zero on the morning of January 19, 1994.
In a newscast from 1994 for WRTV Indianapolis, a mail carrier told former Channel 6 meteorologist David James, "Well, I'll tell you, it's better today than it was yesterday, 'cuz there's not that wind. So, I don't mind this at all."
Iowa's lowest recorded temperature was -47 degrees Fahrenheit in Elkader on February 3, 1996. Previously, it was in Washta on January 12, 1912.
Washta and Elkader are 240 miles apart.
Lisa J Loewen/Shutterstock
Iowa was one of many states in the Midwest that experienced the "1996 Cold Wave," as KCRG-TV9 described it in 2016.
Kansas' lowest recorded temperature was -40 degrees Fahrenheit in Lebanon on February 13, 1905.
Lebanon is just south of Nebraska.
Julie Denesha /Getty Images
The winter of 1905 was reportedly so bitterly cold that "it was impossible for one to face the storm," according to "Reno County Kansas, Its People, Industries, and Institutions," by B.F. Bowen & Co. Inc. of Indianapolis, published in 1917 and reported in 2014 by The Kansas City Star.
Kentucky's lowest recorded temperature was -37 degrees Fahrenheit in Shelbyville on January 19, 1994.
Shelbyville is a suburb of Louisville.
Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock
According to meteorologist John Belski, January 19, 1994, "was certainly a day for the history books."ย
"Those who were not around in 1994, it was the only time I can remember when grocery stores in parts of Louisville ran out of food and gas stations ran out of gas that week since no deliveries were able to be made for several days. It was so strange to see people walking in the middle of Bardstown Road and also Broadway," he recalled for WLKY News in 2020.
Louisiana's lowest recorded temperature was -16 degrees Fahrenheit in Minden on February 13, 1899.
Minden is 32 miles east of Shreveport.
Logan Rhoads/Shutterstock
Over two weeks in February 1899, freezing weather swept over the US, with record-low minimum temperatures recorded in 12 states. According to weather historian David Ludlum in "The Great Arctic Outbreak and East Coast Blizzard of February 1899," this was "the greatest arctic outbreak in history" at the time.
Maine's lowest recorded temperature was -50 degrees Fahrenheit in Big Black River on January 16, 2009.
This area is just over the US/Canadian border.
Andrew Siegel/Shutterstock
After a month of scrutinizing weather data, scientists said in February 2009 that Maine had reached a record low: 50 below freezing.
After much evaluation by the State Climate Extreme Committee, "It turned out [the -50 reading] was spot on," Bob Lent, Maine director of the US Geological Survey, said, as reported by NBC News in 2009.
Maryland's lowest recorded temperature was -40 degrees Fahrenheit in Oakland on January 13, 1912.
Oakland is in the northwest corner of Maryland.
Richard Bizick/Shutterstock
Oakland, Maryland, is home to 1,851 people, according to census data. It was established in 1849 and became a well-known tourist spot when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad built a rail line that traveled through the town, according to Britannica.
Massachusetts's lowest recorded temperature was -35 degrees Fahrenheit in Chester on January 12, 1981; in Coldbrook on February 15, 1943; and in Taunton on January 5, 1904.
Chester is located in western Massachusetts.
scott conner/Shutterstock
The same temperature was previously recorded in Coldbrook on February 15, 1943, and in Taunton on January 5, 1904.
Michigan's lowest recorded temperature was -51 degrees Fahrenheit in Vanderbilt on February 9, 1934.
Vanderbilt is on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
John McCormick/Shutterstock
Only 11 states have recorded colder temperatures than Michigan: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Minnesota's lowest recorded temperature was -60 degrees Fahrenheit in Tower on February 2, 1996.
Tower is close to the Canadian border.
JordanSchopper/Shutterstock
The average low in this sparsely populated former mining town is usually around 4 degrees Fahrenheit in February, according to WorldClimate.com.
Mississippi's lowest recorded temperature was -19 degrees Fahrenheit in Corinth on January 30, 1966.
The town of Corinth borders Tennessee.
Barbara Windham / 500px/Getty Images
By contrast, Mississippi's highest recorded temperature was recorded 36 years prior on July 29, 1930, when the mercury in Holly Springs hit 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
Missouri's lowest recorded temperature was -40 degrees Fahrenheit in Warsaw on February 13, 1905.
Warsaw is just over 100 miles outside Kansas City.
Tara Ballard/Shutterstock
Interestingly enough, the coldest and hottest temperatures recorded in Missouri have both been in Warsaw, according to the University of Missouri Climate Center. The hottest temperature was a whopping 118 degrees Fahrenheit on July 14, 1954.
Montana's lowest recorded temperature was -70 degrees Fahrenheit in Rogers Pass on January 20, 1954.
Rogers Pass is located on the Continental Divide.
Urban Images/Shutterstock
"It's a day that will probably live in American history forever," Corby Dickerson, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said of the record, NBC Montana reported in February 2023. "It was the coldest day ever observed in the lower 48 states."
Nebraska's lowest recorded temperature was -47 degrees Fahrenheit in Oshkosh on December 22, 1989. Previously, it was in Bridgeport on February 12, 1899.
Oshkosh is located in western Nebraska.
Diana Robinson Photography/Getty Images
The biggest snowstorm on the southeast US coast was known as the "Christmas Snowstorm of 1989," according to The National Weather Service, and it was felt all the way to Nebraska. It broke snowfall records in several states, and unheard-of temperatures followed.
Nevada's lowest recorded temperature was -50 degrees Fahrenheit in San Jacinto on January 8, 1937.
San Jacinto is a ghost town.
Neil Lockhart/Shutterstock
Fifty-seven years after the state's cold temperature, a weather station in Laughlin recorded a temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit in June, per data from NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee.
New Hampshire's lowest recorded temperature was -50 degrees Fahrenheit in Mount Washington on January 22, 1885.
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeast.
Ed Dods/Shutterstock
More recently, sensors on Mount Washington logged the US' coldest windchill on record: -108. The Weather Service office serving Mount Washington posted in February 2023 that its recording software refused to log the reported low number.
New Jersey's lowest recorded temperature was -34 degrees Fahrenheit in River Vale on January 5, 1904.
River Vale is not far from New York City.
Andrew F. Kazmierski/Shutterstock
"That was a very cold morning in northeastern New Jersey," David Robinson, a New Jersey State Climatologist, told NJ.com in 2019.
"A deep fresh snow cover, the valley location, adjacent to a pond that was used to make ice, and a generally treeless landscape near the station all helped contribute to the excessive cold."
New Mexico's lowest recorded temperature was -50 degrees Fahrenheit in Gavilan on February 1, 1951.
Gavilan is in northern New Mexico.
Roschetzky Photography/Shutterstock
Conversely, the hottest temperature in New Mexico was recorded on June 27, 1994, at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Loving, where it reached a blazing 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
New York's lowest recorded temperature was -52 degrees Fahrenheit in Old Forge on February 18, 1979.
Old Forge is not far from the Canadian border.
PureADK/Shutterstock
Jane Tormey, the official weather watcher for Old Forge for CNY Central, recalled in 2013, "People were saying their milk froze on the way home from the store to home. A lot of cars obviously couldn't get started. My car window driver's side was shattered."
North Carolina's lowest recorded temperature was -34 degrees Fahrenheit in Mount Mitchell on January 21, 1985.
Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in the Appalachian Mountains.
Bonita R. Cheshier/Shutterstock
One of the past century's most extreme arctic outbreaks occurred between January 18ย and January 22, 1985. According toย the National Weather Service, newspapers at the time reported at least 165 deaths related toย the weather.
North Dakota's lowest recorded temperature was -60 degrees Fahrenheit in Parshall on February 15, 1936.
Parshall is located in the Fort Berthold Reservation.
CJ Cagney/Shutterstock
Coincidentally, both the hottest and coldest temperatures recorded in North Dakota's history happened in the same year, with Steele hitting 121 degrees Fahrenheit on July 6, 1936, KYFR-TV reported in 2023.
Ohio's lowest recorded temperature was -39 degrees Fahrenheit in Milligan on February 10, 1899.
Milligan is 60 miles outside Columbus.
Michael Shake/Shutterstock
Ohio was another state affected by the unprecedented cold of February 1899. The US Weather Bureau reported 105 fatalities between January 29 and February 13 from the arctic temperatures and avalanches brought on by "the Great Arctic Outbreak."
Oklahoma's lowest recorded temperature was -31 degrees Fahrenheit in Nowata on February 10, 2011.
Nowata is near the Osage Reservation.
Wichakorn Kitrungrot/Shutterstock
2011 was reportedly Oklahoma's third snowiest year, and the state's record for most snowfall in 24 hours was reached in Spavinaw, with 27 inches, FOX23 News reported in 2020.
Oregon's lowest recorded temperature was -54 degrees Fahrenheit in Ukiah on February 9, 1933, and in Seneca on February 10, 1933.
Ukiah and Seneca are 100 miles apart.
Wasim Muklashy/Shutterstock
Ukiah and Seneca are occasionally known as "Oregon's Icebox" due to their icy winter conditions. That said, Meacham residents have said the temperature once plummeted to -62 degrees Fahrenheit, but it has never been proven officially, The Oregonian wrote in 2010.
Pennsylvania's lowest recorded temperature was -42 degrees Fahrenheit in Smethport on January 5, 1904.
Smethport is near the Pennsylvania/New York border.
Marcello Sgarlato/Shutterstock
By contrast, in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, two consecutive days of 111 degrees Fahrenheit were recorded on July 9, 1936 and July 10, 1936, in the hottest temperature ever recorded in the state.
Phoenixville is five hours from Smethport, where the coldest temperature was recorded 32 years prior.
Rhode Island's lowest recorded temperature was -28 degrees Fahrenheit in Wood River Junction on January 11, 1942.
Wood River Junction is 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
JonPeckham/Shutterstock
According to NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee, -25 degrees Fahrenheit was previously reported at Greene, Rhode Island, on February 5, 1996, but it could not be verified.
South Carolina's lowest recorded temperature was -19 degrees Fahrenheit in Caesar's Head on January 21, 1985.
Caesar's Head is close to North Carolina.
Casual Creation/Shutterstock
In 1985, in the Carolinas, the coldest temperatures ever recorded were dubbed "The Coldest Day," WMBF News reported in 2020.
South Dakota's lowest recorded temperature was -58 degrees Fahrenheit in McIntosh on February 17, 1936.
McIntosh is around 170 miles from South Dakota's capital, Pierre.
Byron Banasiak/Shutterstock
McIntosh was home to just 111 people in 2020. It is the county seat of Corson County.
Tennessee's lowest recorded temperature was -32 degrees Fahrenheit in Mountain City on December 30, 1917.
Mountain City is in the northeast corner of Tennessee.
RichardBarrow/Shutterstock
The two days of 113 degrees Fahrenheit were recorded in Perryville on July 29, 1930, and August 9, 1930, making them the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Tennessee.
Texas' lowest recorded temperature was -23 degrees Fahrenheit in Seminole on February 8, 1933. The same temperature was also recorded in Tulia 6NE on February 12, 1899.
Tulia and Seminole are 150 miles apart.
Chris Jeans/Shutterstock
Texas is known for its heat, but even this state has seen severe drops in temperatures โ the best known was during the Great Blizzard of 1899.
Some unofficial reports even claim temperatures reached -30 degrees Fahrenheit in February 1899 at Wolf Creek, Texas. Either way, the Concho Valley Homepage reported in 2022 that newspapers in 1899 described the temperatures as "the worst freeze ever known in the state."
Utah's lowest recorded temperature was -50 degrees Fahrenheit in Strawberry Tunnel (East) on January 5, 1913.
A hiker ventures along the snowy trails of Utah.
Ashley Hadzopoulos/Shutterstock
By contrast, the city of St. George has been home to the state's record for hottest temperature โ twice. A temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded in July 1985 and again in July 2021.
Vermont's lowest recorded temperature was -50 degrees Fahrenheit in Bloomfield on December 30, 1933.
Bloomfield is just 25 miles from the Canadian border.
andrew12832/Shutterstock
Bloomfield, a town in Essex County, had a population of 217 in the 2020 US census. The weather station existed from 1906 to 1968, according to Century 21 Farm & Forest.
Virginia's lowest recorded temperature was -30 degrees Fahrenheit in Mountain Lake Biological Station on January 21, 1985.
The Mountain Lake Biological Station is outside Roanoke.
mbell/Getty Images
Centered in the Allegheny Mountains is Mountain Lake, one of only two freshwater lakes in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Just a year after this temperature was recorded in 1985, Mountain Lake was made famous again for "Dirty Dancing," which is where the movie was filmed.
Washington's lowest recorded temperature was -48 degrees Fahrenheit on December 30, 1968, in two different towns: Mazama and Winthrop.
Mazama and Winthrop are just 14 miles apart.
Marina Poushkina/Shutterstock
On June 29, 2021, Hanford, Washington, reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest recorded temperature in that state.ย
West Virginia's lowest recorded temperature was -37 degrees Fahrenheit in Lewisburg on December 30, 1917.
Lewisburg is the county seat of Greenbrier County.
Malachi Jacobs/Shutterstock
Just 13 years later, the highest temperature recorded was 112 degrees Fahrenheit in Moorefield, West Virginia, on August 4, 1930.
Wisconsin recorded the lowest temperature in the state's history on February 2, 1996, in Couderay. Two days later, it broke its own record at -55 degrees.
Couderay is 150 miles northeast of Minneapolis.
Michael Tatman/Shutterstock
The coldest temperature recorded in Wisconsin ranks ninth in the nation.
Wyoming's lowest recorded temperature was -66 degrees Fahrenheit in Riverside Ranger Station in Yellowstone National Park on February 9, 1933.
Yellowstone National Park is one of the largest national parks in the US.
Bruce Beck/Shutterstock
Although Yellowstone's temperatures in Wyoming haven't plummeted to the levels they once did in 1933, "since most of the park lies at an elevation of 6,000 feet above sea level or higher, unpredictability characterizes Yellowstone's weather," the National Park Service has said.
Correction: January 9, 2024 โ An earlier version of this story included an image that was mislabeled as Minden, Louisiana. The photoย has been replaced with one of Minden.
Former President Jimmy Carter's casket at the Capitol.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Former US President Jimmy Carter died on December 29 at the age of 100.
His casket arrived at the US Capitol for a lying-in-state ceremony on Tuesday.
Politicians, Supreme Court justices, and members of the Carter family were in attendance.
On Tuesday, former US President Jimmy Carter's casket arrived at the US Capitol, where it will lie in state until his state funeral on Thursday.
Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981, died on December 29 at the age of 100.
Photos show lawmakers and members of the public paying their respects to the 39th president of the United States.
Ahead of former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral, his casket arrived at the Capitol to allow the American people to pay their respects.
A photo of former President Jimmy Carter at the US Capitol.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Carter's casket will lie in state at the Capitol until his state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday.
Lawmakers attended a lying-in-state ceremony on Tuesday before the Capitol Rotunda opened to the public.
Former President Jimmy Carter's lying-in-state ceremony at the Capitol.
Kent Nishimura/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
President Abraham Lincoln was the first president to lie in state at the Capitol after his assassination in 1865. Carter's casket lay on the catafalque, or raised platform, designed for Lincoln, according to the Architect of the Capitol.
Carter's flag-draped casket was carried into the Capitol by military service members.
Former President Jimmy Carter's casket at the Capitol.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The casket was first brought to the US Navy Memorial in a tribute to Carter's Navy service on the first fleet of nuclear submarines, then transported to the Capitol on a horse-drawn carriage.
Members of the Carter family watched as his casket was placed in the center of the Capitol Rotunda.
Members of the Carter family attended the lying-in-state ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter.
Tierney Cross/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Carter's four children โ Jack Carter, Chip Carter, Jeff Carter, and Amy Carter โ were all in attendance at the lying-in-state ceremony.
Lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle put their differences aside to pay tribute to Carter's legacy.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader John Thune at former President Jimmy Carter's lying-in-state ceremony.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader John Thune placed their hands over their hearts as they approached Carter's casket.
Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi greeted Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming while gathered with members of Congress.
Members of Congress and guests at former President Jimmy Carter's lying-in-state ceremony.
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Pelosi, who is recovering from hip replacement surgery, entered the Rotunda using a walker and remained seated for the ceremony.
Politicians from Carter's home state of Georgia attended the ceremony.
Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Raphael Warnock at former President Jimmy Carter's lying-in-state ceremony.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Sen. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff, both Democrats from Georgia, joined other members of Congress at the Capitol.
Supreme Court justices paid their respects.
Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, and Elena Kagan at former President Jimmy Carter's lying-in-state ceremony.
Tierney Cross/AFP via Getty Images
Justices Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts, and Elena Kagan stood quietly by Carter's casket with their heads bowed in respect.
In her speech, Vice President Kamala Harris memorialized Carter as "that all-too-rare example of a gifted man who also walks with humility, modesty, and grace."
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris at former President Jimmy Carter's lying-in-state ceremony.
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
"Throughout his life and career, Jimmy Carter retained a fundamental decency and humility," Harris said in her remarks at the event. "James Earl Carter, Jr., loved our country. He lived his faith, he served the people, and he left the world better than he found it."
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune also delivered eulogies.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson at the lying-in-state ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter.
Ricky Carioti/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
"In the face of illness, President Jimmy Carter brought lifesaving medicine," Johnson said. "In the face of conflict, he brokered peace. In the face of discrimination, he reminded us that we are all made in the image of God."
Crowds formed at the US Capitol Visitor Center as members of the public waited for their turn to enter the Rotunda.
Members of the public waited to view the casket of former President Jimmy Carter at the US Capitol.
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
After Carter's state funeral, he will be buried at his home in Plains, Georgia.
Visitors signed a guest book with condolence notes.
A guest book at former President Jimmy Carter's lying-in-state ceremony.
My husband and I spent six months moving around Europe.
Emily Pogue
As an American who spent six months moving around Europe, I encountered lots of surprises.
I learned the hard way that not every country in the European Union uses euros.
Not being able to understand background conversations was a bizarre feeling.
When I traveled around Europe, visiting places like France, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic, several things instantly stood out about how different living in Europe was from living in the US.
However, there were also some "slow burn" realizations I discovered the longer I was immersed in different cultures. Although some of them were pleasant surprises, others were less-welcome eye-openers.
Here are the five things that surprised me most about life in Europe.
A close trip for me was considered exceptionally far by some locals.
I took a few long train rides.
Emily Pogue
Like many Americans, I'm used to taking long road trips. In my opinion, anything less than 12 hours is reasonable to drive in a day.
So, I applied this same mindset to traveling around Europe. Instead of driving, though, I enjoyed the passing hours on trains.
However, I noticed several times that my travels shocked the locals. For example, my eight-hour train ride from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam surprised one hotel worker, who couldn't believe I'd be traveling that far in a day.
When I tried to explain my experience with road trips in the States, I'd often receive blank looks in return. One woman was shocked when I told her you could drive for 12 hours in Texas and still be in the same state.
A Google search later, we realized she could drive for the same amount of time from her hometown of Brussels all the way to Milan.
I realized how much your perspective changes when traveling between countries, not states.
Not every country in the European Union takes euros.
Although the Czech Republic is in the European Union, the country does not use euros.
Emily Pogue
I rarely carry cash anymore. However, I knew some remote areas I'd be visiting in the Czech Republic may not take credit cards. So, I pulled out some euros.
However, I received a bewildered look from a Czech takeout worker when I tried to pay with this currency.
I learned that although the Czech Republic is part of the European Union, it doesn't use the euro. In fact, of the 27 nations in the EU, seven countries don't use euros: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden.
Although some of these countries may adopt the use of euros in the future, I'll double-check before traveling to these places.
Not being able to understand background conversations was a bizarre feeling.
I sometimes felt lonely because I didn't speak the local language.
Pandora Pictures/Shutterstock
I spent three months in areas where English wasn't the primary language. At first, it was exciting to try my hand at broken French or German to communicate with a shop owner.
I also met locals who spoke fluent English, allowing me to still have rich conversations in my native tongue.
However, around two months in, I realized that I was desperately missing something that I'd never given much thought to: background conversations.
These are the discussions that you pass by, but you're not in: a couple figuring out dinner plans, a mom and child choosing which apples to buy, or a worker helping a customer find a certain size.
Although I was often surrounded by people, I didn't anticipate the loneliness that set in when I couldn't understand the everyday conversations happening around me.
I was impressed by how well-behaved the dogs were.
Many of the dogs I saw weren't on leashes.
Emily Pogue
Living in Colorado, I'm used to dog-friendly shops and restaurants. However, if I see a dog in public, that pup is on a leash.
This wasn't the case for much of Europe. Whether in a quiet neighborhood, park, or busy city center, people would go about their business with their dogs next to them โ without leashes.
Although the dog might straggle behind, one whistle and they'd promptly return to their owner's side.
I'm not sure what the Europeans are doing to train their pooches so well โ but it's obviously working.
I couldn't get over the sheer age of everyday places.
I visited a pub that opened in 1360.
Emily Pogue
Europe is famous for its centuries-old churches and landmarks, but what I enjoyed most was finding history in ordinary properties. I'd wander into a deli or bookshop and spot a small sign revealing that the building was older than my home country.
My favorite instance of this was a pub in Edinburgh that I was told to check out. Before walking in, I did a double take when I saw the year the pub opened: 1360. As I sipped on my drink, I couldn't help but wonder who else enjoyed a pint in this very same spot throughout the years.
But that was a discovery for another day. There are only so many surprises a gal can take.
LeBron James, Chase Daniel, and more athletes have offered support for California in the wake of the devastating wildfires that are sweeping the state.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced a five-day-a-week return-to-office policy in September.
REUTERS/Mike Blake; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI
Internal documents show Amazon workers in the UK can apply to work from home for up to two days a week.
Staff in the Netherlands are following previous guidance for three days in the office, BI has learned.
Amazon implemented a global five-day-a-week return-to-office policy on January 2.
Amazon's five-day-a-week return-to-office policy appears to be more flexible for some European employees than their US-based counterparts.
Employees in the UK can apply to work from home for one or two days a week, while Amazon workers in the Netherlands are currently following previous guidance allowing them to work from home for up to two days a week, Business Insider has learned.
A copy of Amazon's "Flexible Work Arrangement" policy document for the US, seen by BI, does not explicitly state that employees can request to work from home for one or two days a week. The document, last updated on December 17, states that Amazon "may grant exceptions for work arrangements" to staff in the US "who are in good standing on a case-by-case basis."
It follows Amazon's September announcement that employees globally would be required toย work from the officeย five days a week, starting January 2. Some locations have delayed a five-day RTO policy because of insufficient office space, BI previously reported. In other cases, it appears to have been delayed by local employment requirements.
Amazon's management team in the Netherlands sent employees an email, seen by BI, on December 20 that says it entered into discussions with its works council โ an organization representing employees โ to define and introduce a flexible working arrangement.
It says, "Until further notice, while everyone is welcome and encouraged to work from the office for five days per week, you may continue to follow the current in-office guidance for your role and team into the new year."
Under that guidance, employees in the Netherlands can work up to two days a week from home until they have been notified of the outcome of ongoing discussions between the works council and management, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Nafsika Karavida, an attorney at law firm Reavis Page Jump, told BI that the differences between Amazon's RTO rollout in Europe compared to the US are "most likely due to cultural, legal, and operational differences" that could limit its "ability to act unilaterally."
Karavida added that employers in the Netherlands cannot legally enforce an RTO policy without the approval of a works council.
Like Amazon employees in Germany, staff in the UK can make a formal application to work from home for one or two days a week, according to an internal policy document seen by BI. It states employees based in the UK have a "statutory right to make a formal application" to change their work location, among other working conditions. If an application is approved, it will be subject to a three-month trial period, the document says.
Karavida said that Amazon's policy in the UK is shaped by flexible working regulations that took effect last April. "Although these regulations do not grant employees an automatic right to work from home, they obligate employers to consider such requests reasonably on a case-by-case basis," she said.
Amazon faces RTO delays
The UK, Netherlands, and Germany are the latest examples of Amazon's five-day RTO being implemented in different ways and at different speeds. An internal list shows more than 40 locations where Amazon's full five-day RTO policy is delayed, including Santa Clara, California; Hamburg, Germany; and Belfast, UK.
Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy, said in a September blog post that the decision to return full-time to the office was to help the company "further strengthen" its culture and teams.
An Amazon spokesperson referred BI to that same blog post, in which Jassy also said"it was not a given" that staff could work remotely two days a week before the pandemic, and "that will also be true moving forward."
In the US, Amazon employees can submit requests for offsite work for the entirety of a week or more than 90 days, which are also reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
However, unlike the policies for the UK and Germany, the US flexible working document does not specifically mention the option for employees to formally apply to work from home for one or two days a week. It only details the offsite work arrangements and part-time work arrangements.
An internal Amazon FAQ document circulated at the time of the RTO announcement last year says that employees with existing approval, such as a "Military Spouse Remote Work Exception," do not need to change where they work.
One of the two biggest blazes, the Palisades Fire, could turn out to be the costliest in US history.
The fires have spread so fast in part because of a windstorm and flood-drought whiplash.
All was well in Los Angeles at around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Less than 24 hours later, 2,925 acres of the Pacific Palisades were ablaze in what is being called the worst wildfire in Southern California since 2011.
Three more blazes have ignited in the area, with one, the Eaton Fire, engulfing another 2,000-plus acres.
Firefighters were unable to contain any of the burning area as of Wednesday morning, the LA Fire Department reported.
More than 1,000 structures have burned, at least two people have died, and the blazes could get even worse in the coming hours.
The UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain declared it an "urban firestorm" as he assessed live imagery of the developing Eaton Fire on Tuesday morning.
Perhaps the best historical comparison, the 1991 Tunnel Fire that raged through more than 1,500 acres of Oakland, was smaller than either of the two giant blazes in Los Angeles. It killed 25 people and injured 150, and ranks as the third-deadliest and third-most-destructive fire in California history.
The true toll of this week's fires won't be clear until later.
Swain said that he and multiple colleagues have estimated that the Palisades Fire could turn out to be the costliest on record in the US, due to the number of structures burning and the fact that those homes are some of the most expensive in the world.
"We are looking at what is, I think, likely to become the costliest wildfire disaster in California, if not national history, along with a number of other superlatives," Swain said.
A historic windstorm spread the fire fast
Homes at risk are some of the most expensive real-estate in the world.
AP Photo/Eugene Garcia
A powerful windstorm buffeted the flames throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, with gusts of wind reaching up to 90 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
During a two-and-a-half hour period overnight, the Palisades Fire's size more than doubled, per the fire service's reports.
On Tuesday evening the winds were so powerful that water- and retardant-dropping aircraft could not fly.
It's a phenomenon that scientists have warned about: A deadly combination of high winds and dry, open land โ such as the brushland currently being swept by flames in Los Angeles โ amounting to fires that can move faster than emergency responders can keep up with.
"It's certainly unusual how fast it's grown," Douglas Kelley, an expert in wildfires at the UK's Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, told Business Insider. "It's definitely a lot faster than I guess a lot of people were expecting in the area at the time."
A study published in Science in October last year has found that while only about 3% of US fires over a nearly two-decade period could be considered "fast fires," they did disproportionate amounts of damage.
"The most destructive and deadly wildfires in US history were also fast," wrote the study's authors, led by University of Colorado Boulder's Jennifer Balch.
Between 2001-2020, fast fires accounted for 78% of fire-destroyed buildings and a full 61% of suppression costs โ or $18.9 billion, the scientists wrote. And they are getting more frequent, the study said.
The windstorm was bad luck. But the other primary factor in the fires' rapid explosions โ the fuel โ is strongly linked to the climate crisis.
Weather whiplash made abundant fire fuel
The remains of a beautiful staircase in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
AP Photo/Ethan Swope
The last two winters in Southern California have actually been quite wet with heavy rainfall and flooding, which is a huge part of the problem.
Abundant rainfall spurred an explosion of grasses and brush, which is the primary fire fuel in Southern California. Then the last few months saw very little precipitation in the area, flash-drying all that vegetation.
Kelley said those dry conditions made the Palisades especially susceptible to fast-spreading fire.
This is part of a growing phenomenon that Swain calls "hydroclimate whiplash" or weather whiplash. As global temperatures rise, many parts of the world, especially California, are seeing more violent swings between extreme wet and extreme dry conditions.
The same confluence of weather whiplash and extreme winds was behind the Camp Fire, Swain said. That November 2018 blaze in Paradise, California was the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history, destroying 18,804 structures and killing 85 people.
