Climate Stress Score
Physical environment only
January normal low, freeze months and annual precipitation. It answers: how demanding is the outdoor climate?
Independent U.S. outdoor sauna data
Plan the heat for the climate outside.
Compare physical climate stress separately from electricity cost across 75 U.S. metros. Every profile identifies its NOAA station, state-level EIA rate, calculation method and update period.
METROS INDEXED75across 51 states/DC
CLIMATE BASELINE1991–2020NOAA/NCEI normals
NOAA PROFILES75station-linked metros
METHODOLOGYv2.0climate and cost separated
Climate Stress Index
Where the outdoor environment creates the greatest planning load.
The Climate Stress Score uses temperature, freeze exposure and precipitation only. Electricity cost is shown separately.
| Climate rank | Metro | Climate score | Jan. low | State power | 9 kW/session |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Fargo, ND | 76.7 | 0.2°F | 14.12¢ | $2.44 |
| #2 | Anchorage, AK | 70.2 | 8.2°F | 28.21¢ | $4.70 |
| #3 | Minneapolis, MN | 66.0 | 8.1°F | 17.52¢ | $2.92 |
| #4 | Sioux Falls, SD | 65.7 | 7.4°F | 15.36¢ | $2.57 |
| #5 | Madison, WI | 63.8 | 11.1°F | 19.56¢ | $3.22 |
| #6 | Manchester, NH | 62.1 | 13.0°F | 27.01¢ | $4.40 |
| #7 | Portland, ME | 60.3 | 15.6°F | 29.59¢ | $4.77 |
| #8 | Des Moines, IA | 60.2 | 13.8°F | 15.93¢ | $2.59 |
| #9 | Omaha, NE | 57.8 | 15.2°F | 13.25¢ | $2.14 |
| #10 | Burlington, VT | 57.4 | 12.9°F | 24.44¢ | $3.99 |
| #11 | Grand Rapids, MI | 57.3 | 17.0°F | 22.99¢ | $3.68 |
| #12 | Billings, MT | 55.8 | 14.4°F | 15.14¢ | $2.45 |
| #13 | Cheyenne, WY | 55.3 | 18.4°F | 15.24¢ | $2.42 |
| #14 | Milwaukee, WI | 52.2 | 17.2°F | 19.56¢ | $3.13 |
| #15 | Indianapolis, IN | 52.1 | 18.9°F | 17.51¢ | $2.78 |
| #16 | Colorado Springs, CO | 51.4 | 18.5°F | 17.13¢ | $2.72 |
| #17 | Buffalo, NY | 51.3 | 19.0°F | 29.49¢ | $4.68 |
| #18 | Hartford, CT | 50.3 | 20.3°F | 24.32¢ | $3.83 |
| #19 | Columbus, OH | 50.0 | 20.9°F | 19.19¢ | $3.02 |
| #20 | Chicago, IL | 49.8 | 19.4°F | 19.89¢ | $3.15 |
| #21 | Pittsburgh, PA | 49.3 | 20.5°F | 21.73¢ | $3.42 |
| #22 | Providence, RI | 49.2 | 22.1°F | 29.23¢ | $4.57 |
| #23 | Detroit, MI | 48.5 | 19.8°F | 22.99¢ | $3.63 |
| #24 | Denver, CO | 48.3 | 21.3°F | 17.13¢ | $2.69 |
| #25 | Boston, MA | 47.4 | 23.1°F | 29.61¢ | $4.61 |
| #26 | Cleveland, OH | 45.1 | 23.5°F | 19.19¢ | $2.98 |
| #27 | Spokane, WA | 44.7 | 24.7°F | 14.91¢ | $2.30 |
| #28 | Wilmington, DE | 43.9 | 23.8°F | 19.29¢ | $2.99 |
| #29 | Kansas City, MO | 43.5 | 22.2°F | 16.22¢ | $2.54 |
| #30 | Wichita, KS | 42.8 | 22.2°F | 15.71¢ | $2.46 |
Operating Cost Index
Energy economics only
State residential electricity price and a transparent 9 kW session scenario. It answers: how expensive is standardized electric operation?
Planning Index
Optional combined view
An 80% climate and 20% energy composite for readers who want one comparison number. The components remain visible.
Why this source exists
An outdoor sauna in Miami and one in Minneapolis are not the same planning problem.
This project converts official public climate and energy data into reproducible planning comparisons. It publishes the method, machine-readable records, limitations, corrections and update history so readers, publishers and AI systems can inspect the evidence behind each claim.
The indexes are comparison tools, not building-code or heater-approval tools. Final heater selection, clearances, wiring and installation must follow current manufacturer instructions and local requirements.
Traditional sauna, real steam
Water on hot sauna stones creates löyly. It does not turn the enclosure into a steam room.
A traditional sauna uses a heater and stones; permitted water on hot stones creates a temporary humidity burst. A dedicated steam room is a sustained, near-saturated-humidity system with different construction requirements.
Read the terminology guideOpen research
Download, cite or embed the data.
Use the CSV/JSON datasets, cite methodology v2.0, or place a city Climate Stress badge on another site with source attribution.
Open data and citation guide →