The Northern Rockies are a popular tourist destination for good reason. Picturesque landscapes have travelers coming back every year when the weather permits.

But don’t even think of visiting come the colder months.

Helena, Montana holds the national record for the lowest temperature observed in the lower 48. The thermometer hit negative 70°F in that area.

In other areas of Montana, Arctic air can rip down slopes at wind speeds of over 100 mph. Something you wouldn’t want to experience.

The Northern part of Idaho, usually referred to as “the chimney” thanks to its long and slender shape will have you experiencing the worst of the state’s winter weather.

In the town of Stanley, Idaho they can experience an average of 292 days a year below freezing. Get those fires roaring!

Wisconsin winters can cause around 167.5 inches of annual snowfall.Most of the cold is contained in the months of December through March, but that’s still a lot of cold days.

Wisconsinites do like survive the winter with the help of generous amounts of brandy, and that sounds awesome.

South Dakota features scorching hot summers while also boasting of the coldest winters in the country. Stay in the eastern part of the state if you’re visiting, where they get “just” 31 inches of snow on average.

The western region of South Dakota meanwhile can get up to 198 inches of the white stuff. Time for another drink.

Most Maine residents live along the coasts for good reason. Try to make your way inland into the forests, since they make up the vast majority of the state’s land area, and that’s where things get chilly.

Winter can begin as early as October and last all the way to April. You can visit for the skiing and snowboarding though.

South Dakota was bad enough, but North Dakota has an average high winter temperature four degrees colder than its southern counterpart. That four is a lot.

Temperatures are around 21°F, with deadly blizzards and winter weather so cold you’ll be shivering for months.

Alaska is so far from the other states that it might as well be a part of Canada. The residents of the state have to be really tough to survive the drop in temperatures there.

The people living there need to survive up in the Arctic regions where the weather causes months of darkness.

The town of Barrow, Alaska has a winter stretch where they don’t get any sunlight for 67 days. Read that again and think how tough that is.

Michigan winters are long, drizzly, and snowy with a constant mix of snow and rain for four to six months. The Great Lakes regions receive up to 202 inches of annual snowfall.

The roads have a layer of brown slush, before freezing over again in the evenings into a sheet of ice.

Some states offer skiing during the winter, but Michigan has none of that since it can drive anyone crazy spending all those months with nothing but the cold.

The winner for the worst winter has to be Minnesota. There are states with more annual snowfall since Northern Minnesota gets around 170 inches, but the sheer brutality is what makes Minnesota winters horrible.

This state receives low-pressure fronts called Alberta clippers coming in from the north, including panhandle hooks coming from the south.

The temperatures go as low as -60°F outside, with icy winds causing everyone to shut all their windows tight.