Top 10 U.S. States with the Most Unpredictable Weather

An 80% chance of rain is more like a 30%, while a 30% chance of rain might bring you the worst storm you've ever seen. Constant wind and moisture shifts makes the atmosphere continuously dynamic and highly energized. You're never too sure what the weather will do until the event starts unfolding. Along with dealing with all severe hazards, our proximity to the gulf brings extreme rainfall rates and training storms that can cause major flash flooding. Along with that, a lot of the state is subtropical, so you could go from a major flood event to a flash drought due to high temperatures and minimal to no rainfall just for that drought to be hit by another flood event. Seen summers with less than ten inches of rain and some with more than 40. One year we had a streak of over two months with a chance of severe thunderstorms every day due to the west Texas dry line. Oh yeah then there's arctic and cold snaps and tropical storm and hurricane activity as well. I can keep going but y'all get the picture

I remember one day in January it was around 60 degrees and the next day it was in it's low 30's. I would also like to point out our weird rain in the summer. Not just are we humid but we will get VERY unexpected rain. I remember one day I went to the pool when the forecast was clear sunny sky's and then we had this huge rain storm that lasted for like 48 minutes than it was all sunny again. - A native Arkansan
The waether forecast recently showed a low of 33 and a high of 78! By noon it was 75 degrees and by midnight or around 2 in the morning it was 32 degrees! Storms are crazy unpredictable and you never know if you're gonna have a tornado or a clear sunny day.
Arkansas will be 50 degrees one day, then 90 the next. On top of that, we get rain and storms out of nowhere. We either have a drought, or huge amounts of rain! Plus, winter is so confusing, because we can have like 3 inches of snow and then it melts by 8 a.m. when it snowed at 6. Please, make up your mind Arkansas! - A native Arkansan

Oklahoma is so unpredictable even the weatherman has no idea, the highest of technology can't even predict it! It changes its mind every 3 seconds.. it's all a guessing game.
Truly a state with every extreme. It can get well over 100 degrees in the summer and below zero in the winter in the northern part of the state. There are periods of extreme drought, and catastrophic flooding. Of course, we are consistently one of the worst hit states for tornados every year. We are also one of the worst states for lightning strikes, hail storms, and high winds. Wouldn't trade it for anything though. I love Oklahoma!
First of all RANDOM THUNDER STORMS like what the frick? I remember one day we were supposed to have clear skies, it rained all day. Second of all One time we had a snow day in August... yea... just let that sink in. Third of all some cities have random tornadoes just... "Ah frick ANOTHER TORNADO" Fourth of all Living here requires two wardrobes, one for winter one for summer. HOWEVER Oklahoma is amazing. I love my birth and home state and always will.

My most extreme memory of this is a day in June when I was in elementary school, sitting at my younger sister's soccer game in a tank top and shorts. The sun was shining and it was around 80 degrees. Later that day we were taking my sister out for a celebratory dinner and a winter storm warning came through. As we were leaving dinner, it started snowing and snowed the whole night.
Colorado's lowest low was -61 degrees Fahrenheit and its highest high was 114 degrees Fahrenheit. Not to mention being landlocked, next to mountains, and being a grassland all contribute to janky as f weather. You can wear shorts in the winter and a heavy coat around summertime!
Colorado went from 100 degrees to snow in 48 hours, breaking the previous shortest gap between snow and extreme heat by four days. Then previous record holder was Rapids City, South Dakota.

Illinois should be #1 the most unpredictable weather I've seen in my life, I also lived in Mississippi pretty good weather not the best definitely not the worst either.
Illinois should be #1 because one day it's 34 degrees and snowing then two days later it's 80 degrees and sunny.
It was 70 degrees for a whole week from the 4th to the 11th of November, wake up and it's 42 degrees...

Virginia weather doesn't make up its mind. We have hot, humid summers. Weak winters, overall. Let me tell you - spring and fall are WACK. It'll be like March or May and we'll get a snow day, randomly. It'll be November and 85. If you want to be a lifeguard you'll close the pool a lot due to thunderstorms in the Summer, cus of the mountains. I live in the Piedmont region and our weather is weird. Spend some time here and you'll understand why we're number five on this list.
In early March especially, we go through like all four seasons in a week, it's insane.
Craziest weather overall

-20 degree wind chills Friday high of 10, after 5 inches of snow Thursday, high of 62 on Saturday tornado Monday don't know what state has tops Kansas.
I have wore a winter coat in July
In January I had to take off all of my winter clothes and wear shorts and a tank top.
It could be nice one day then freezing the next. It's not uncommon to experience all 4 seasons within a week. Or almost skip a season entirely.(ex going from Summer to winter with maybe a week of fall weather)

Here is some forecast history to show the unpredictability of Michigan weather
September 7, 2017 - High of 60 degrees
September 21, 2017 - High of 95 degrees and sunny, with high humidity
October 8, 2018 - 82 degrees and sunny.
October 12, 2018 - 45 degrees and cloudy.
April 17, 2018 - 30 degrees and snowing
April 30, 2018 - 70 degrees and sunny
May 28, 2018 - 100 degrees and sunny, with high humidity
December 19, 2018 - 50 degrees and sunny
Last week of January 2019 - Polar vortex with temperatures as low as -20 with 1-2 feet of snow
First week of February 2019 - 50 degrees
Summer 2019 - We were supposed to have a cooler summer this year based on predictions, and at the beginning of June these predictions seemed true. Highs were only getting into the lower 70s. But by the end of June and into July we were getting multiple days with highs in the 90s and upper 80s.
How is this not #1? At least it should be #2!
Monday: 88 degrees and Sunny
Tuesday, Wed, and the rest of the week:same as Monday
Weekend: 20 degrees and snowing
No kidding! This winter was the absolute worst! It kept snowing till LATE APRIL
Three years ago it even snowed in May

The weather here is ridiculous. Yesterday was 85 degrees, right now it's 40. Even weather channels have a hard time predicting weather here, especially West TN.
If you don't like the weather here wait five minutes is a common saying to explain Tennessee. Bipolar also works really well.
My parents never bothered planning more than a day or two a head due to the weather being so unpredictable. Weather is more unless than a politician here. lol
It's normally like 70 degrees in the winter and snow doesn't come until January or February in West TN.

Missouri should be at the top of the list. In the winter the weather can go from being upper 60s to below freezing and snowing in a matter of hours. Spring time can have all kinds of crazy weather. In the winter time it will be warm, then storm really bad, followed by freezing temperatures and snow. It does not snow as much anymore but the ice is really bad. Whatever time of year it is don't he caught off guard. Also, the weathermen always get something wrong somewhere and forecasted change multiple times a day
I have lived in Missouri all my life, mostly in Springfield area, and have experienced many days when it will be 60 in the morning and 30 with snow and ice by the time you get home from work.
On the first day of spring, it was about forty-five degrees and snowing in Missouri. How does that even happen?

South Dakota's weather doesn't even care about the season, it has snowed in the summer. In 2018 my home town (Philip) was #1 coldest in the nation

In April It'll snow for a couple inches, then the next day the snow will be melted.
Wisconsin goes from Spring to Winter to Spring to more Winter until June
Cold cold cold

We had all four seasons in one day before. In the morning it was frosty and foggy like autumn, by early afternoon it was like higher 80 degrees, then it down poured and lightening and come night time we got snowflakes. Also, if the weather calls for under 50% chance of rain, expect rain. Over 50% chance of rain, expect clear skies all day. One time the sun was shining, next thing we know we're getting unexpected hail the size of quarters.
October 3 2017 it was in the mid 30s in the morning and in the low 80s in the afternoon.
January 31 2019 only had a high of 5 degrees followed by 55 degrees on February 3rd
October 11 2019 the temperature nearly reached 80 in the afternoon. The next morning it reached 39 with rain and even a couple snowflakes
October 15 2019 had a morning frost and 32 degree temps followed by a 70 degree sunny afternoon.
As of me writing this (1/9/20) It was 14 this morning and it is supposed to be 63 in 2 days.
As someone who lives in Ohio I'll tell we have the WORST weather. It has gone from hot and sunny to rain, cold, and snow within a day! It's even happened within a day!

Iowa should be in the top 5 of this list. I've lived here for a long time, and it sucks when you're just going on a walk, storm appears, can't see crap, strong winds, temperature drops, uh oh, I didn't get home on time, and now I just got a frostbite and died.
Snows for two days, 85 degree heat the next three, and a thunderstorm on Friday with a tornado warning, in a week. In April. Iowa man.
Iowa should be top 5

Month by month the unpredictibility changes. one month you can freeze shut then the next month you will be sweating your ass off
I place where your nostrils can freeze shut one day, and the next day it's sunny and 75...
One day it's sub-zero frost-bite inducing temperatures, next day it's 70 with clear skies and no breeze

It can be cold in May, warm in January, it constantly rains in summer, it almost never rains in spring. One of my friends in middle school said we live in a bipolar state because of the weather. It's unpredictable.
It can be super cold and windy, raining cats and dogs one day and then be nearly 100 f the next day. Hurricane season and summer take up like 75% of the year. Some days are so humid, it feels like your swimming when you take in a breath. Not fun.
I don't know whether to laugh or scream that Florida is so low. Clearly, nobody here has visited Florida often...

I get colds very often because of it. The weather will be 34 degrees one morning then 2 days later the weather will be 72. This is not healthy and gets very annoying when trying to pick out weather appropriate outfits.
One day it was like 70 degrees and then a couple days later it was snowing hardcore and I was freezing my ass off completely shocked. Honestly don't move here if you are not prepared to carry two extra pairs of clothing to change into for the weather throughout the day.
I've been an Indiana resident for almost three years & it can be frustrating dealing with the weather here. It'll rain really hard for 15 mins, then the sun will come out for the next 30 mins, then the rain will return, all the while as you get wet & dry off, then get wet again. The sun & rain come & go as if you're living in a Stephen King novel.

Should be in the top ten. One day 95 and humid, the next it's 75 and dry. IN FALL. One day, there was both a downpour/tornado warning and a buncha sunshine! In winter, one day it was 40 and snowy, the next its 60 and sunny.
We can have all four seasons ina weeks time! No telling what the weather is gonna be like the next day...can't fully trust the forecast.
Don't even get me started on anything other than summer. In summer it's just hot. Anything else is completely unpredictable.

This should be number 1 because you may never know when a thunderstorm could happen, there are tons of atmospheric rivers, there are tornadoes around the north, it turns from hot to cold nonstop, and there is just overall confusing weather in California.
Should be number one because temperatures increase and decrease every day by a lot and thunderstorms some days and tornadoes around the north.
Its cold one day, hot the next, and unpredictable floods mudslides and landslides.

Today the high is 80 degrees farenheit, which wouldn't be that bad if it weren't WINTER, and then, it'll be back to a high of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. What's more is on a sunny day, a wisp of cloud started raining and following me on my walk.
I've lived here until I was 19.In baltimore there are 50 days nonstop when the temperature doesn't rise above 95 and winter mean heaven for kids because half and inch of snow here means death so know school.
We got sunshowers, we got thunder without any clouds, and I'm sure at some point lightning struck on a starry night. I'll be out with my kids on a beautiful 80F day, clouds roll in, thunderhail in August, fifteen minutes later it's 115 in the heat index and mosquitos everywhere.

MASS SHOULD BE FIRST, one day it will be 70 and then the next it will be snowing and 14 degrees. We have variety of weather not just one like florida.


One day, it rains even though you expect it to be sunny. Another day, it's sunny even though you expect it to rain. The Carolinas may have a mild climate and all, but don't expect the weather around here to be too easy to predict even with the help of weather forecasting. At least from my everyday experience living here.
The other day we had snow and frosted windows in the morning, by the afternoon it was 70 degrees...that same week we had 80 degree weather. We definitely see a variation of seasons every year and depending on where you live in NC...We have areas seseptable to hurricanes and tornadaos. The good thing is if you don't like the weather you don't have to wait long for it to change
I played in the snow one morning and the same day, that afternoon, I was outside with t shirt and shorts on playing with the remains of left over snow while it was 70 degrees outside.


I live in pennsylvania and DEAR GOD! you could be on your merry way on a nice spring day and the next hour it's SNOWING!? You can't convince me otherwise.
All these other states don't know weather change. We had snow in July before. One day it was 90 degrees in March and the next day we had a record snowfall. March was hot and towards the summer in april we got more record snowfall. Some winters don't even get any snow or cold. Right now I have rain and thunder for almost a whole month and a half straight!
I've lived in PA my entire life, and the weather one day can be 80 degrees and sunny, and the next day can be 50 degrees and rainy. We have had all 4 seasons in a day before.