Highest U.S. Temperatures on Record by State
By Paul Homewood
I have occasionally posted about the State Climate Extremes Committee in the US, which verifies and maintains data on record meteorological observations on a State by State basis.
Unlike the Met Office, the SCEC is extremely diligent in checking new claims for record temperatures, daily rainfall and so on, including site visits and rigorous checking. Details of how they operate is here.
One particular requirement is this:
One wonders whether the SCEC would approve a rainfall record half way up a mountain! (Or for that matter a record low temperature). We actually do not have to wonder, because the list of records shows this not to be the case. Whilst there are some records in highland areas, these all appear to be in habited locations.
Below is the distribution of record high temperatures, and I think most of us are familiar with the preponderance of records in the 1930s. Remember, these numbers include ties, so from a statistical point of view should be evenly distributed across time. (Ties, by the way, on the same day are not counted).
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes/scec/records
Handily, Electroverse have written a transcript of these records:
ALABAMA
The hottest day ever recorded in Alabama was the 112F (44.4C) back on September 6, 1925, in Centreville (about 50 miles south of Birmingham).
ALASKA
June 27, 1915 saw 100F (37.8C) engulf Fort Yukon, located north of the Arctic Circle.
ARIZONA
128F (53.3C) hit Lake Havasu City, located on the western edge of Arizona, on June 29, 1994.
ARKANSAS
Ozark, located along the Arkansas River, recorded 120F (48.9C) on August 10, 1936.
CALIFORNIA
Back on July 10, 1913, Greenland Ranch, now Furnace Creek Ranch, in California’s Death Valley peaked at a scalding 134F (56.7C) — a temp that to this day remains the United States’ hottest on record.
COLORADO
Colorado reached 114F (45.6F) twice — once on July 1, 1933, in Las Animas, and again in Sedgwick on July 11, 1954.
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut has touched 106F (41.1C) twice — in August, 1916 in Torrington, and in July, 1995 in Danbury.
DELAWARE
Millsboro hit a high of 110F (43.3C) on July 21, 1930.
FLORIDA
On June 29, 1931, Monticello in Northern Florida reached 109F (42.8C).
GEORGIA
Georgia’s witnessed 112F (44.4C) twice — once in Greenville in August of 1983, and once in Louisville in July 1952.
HAWAII
The highest temp in Hawaii is the 100F (37.8C) in Pahala in April, 1931.
IDAHO
Idaho reached 118F (47.8C) on July 28, 1934, in Orofino.
ILLINOIS
Eastern St. Louis touched 117F (47.2F) on July 14, 1954.
INDIANA
116F (46.7C) was registered on July 14, 1936, in St. Joseph County.
IOWA
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Iowa was in Keokuk — the 118F (47.8C) set back on July 20, 1934.
KANSAS
Kansas has hit 121F (49.4C) twice, both times in 1936 — on July 18 in Fredonia, and six days later in Alton.
KENTUCKY
Greensburg hit 114F (45.6C) on July 28, 1930.
LOUISIANA
Louisiana’s hottest day was August 10, 1936 — Plain Dealing reached 114F (45.6C).
MAINE
North Bridgton hit 105F (40.6C) twice in the same week — first, Independence Day in 1911, and then 6 days later.
MARYLAND
Maryland has seen 109F on four separate occasions — twice in August 1918 in Cumberland, once in Frederick in July 1936, and once way back on July 3, 1898, in Boettcherville.
MASSACHUSETTS
Chester touched 107F (41.7C) on August 2, 1975.
MICHIGAN
Stanwood was hit by a toasty 112F (44.4F) on July 13, 1936.
MINNESOTA
115F (46.1C) scorched Beardsley in western Minnesota on July 29, 1917.
MISSISSIPPI
On July 29, 1930, Holly Springs also reached 115F (46.1F).
MISSOURI
Warsaw was hit by an all-time high of 118F (47.8C) on July 14, 1954.
MONTANA
117F (47.2C) was hit on two occasions in Montana — once in Glendive in July 1983, and once near Medicine Lake in July 1937.
NEBRASKA
Three places in Nebraska have hit 118F (47.8C) — Geneva on July 15, 1934, and both Hartington and Minden during the same week in July 1936.
NEVADA
Laughlin, Nevada saw 125F (51.7C) on June 29, 1994.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
On Independence Day in 1911, Nashua reached 106F (41.1C).
NEW JERSEY
Old Bridge hit 110F (43.3C) on July 10, 1936.
NEW MEXICO
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant recorded the hottest day in New Mexico’s history — the 122F (50C) on June 27, 1994.
NEW YORK
Troy reached 108F (42.2C) on July 22, 1926.
NORTH CAROLINA
Fayetteville topped-out at 110F (43.3C) on August 21, 1983.
NORTH DAKOTA
Steele reached a scorching 121F (49.4C) on July 6, 1936.
OHIO
Gallipolis, located on the Ohio River, reached 113F (45C) on July 21, 1934.
OKLAHOMA
120F (48.9C) has been reached four times Oklahoma, all in the year 1936 — once in Poteau, twice in Altus, and once in Alva.
OREGON
1898 is the record-holder for Oregon. The mercury hit 119F (48.3C) twice that year— in Prineville, and in downtown Pendleton.
PENNSYLVANIA
For two days in a row, July 9 and 10, 1936, Phoenixville hit 111F (43.9C).
RHODE ISLAND
Providence hit 104F (40C) on August 2, 1975.
SOUTH CAROLINA
The South Carolina capitol reached 113F (45C) on June 29, 2012.
SOUTH DAKOTA
SD has hit 120F (48.9C) twice — once on July 5, 1936 in Gann Valley, and again on July 15, 2006 in Fort Pierre.
TENNESSEE
Perryville on the Tennesee River hit 113F (45C) twice in 1930.
TEXAS
The lone star state has touched 120F (48.9C) twice — once on August 12, 1936, in Seymour, and once on June 28, 1994, in Monahans.
UTAH
St. George hit 115F (46.1C) on July 5, 1985.
VERMONT
The town of Vernon reached 107F (41.7C) on July 7, 1912.
VIRGINIA
Virginia has hit 100F (37.8C) three times — twice in the first week of July 1900 in Columbia, and once on July 15, 1954, in Balcony Falls, Glasgow.
WASHINGTON
Washington State has reached 118F (47.8C) twice —once on Ice Harbor Dam near Ash on August 5, 1961, and once in Wahluke on July 24, 1928.
WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia hit an all-time high of 112F (44.4C) on two occasions — in Moorefield on August 4, 1930 and in Martinsburg on July 10, 1936.
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Dells on the Wisconsin River hit a high of 114F (45.6C) on July 13, 1936.
WYOMING
115F (46.1C) was reached twice in Wyoming, once in Basin on August 8, 1983 and once on the Diversion Dam by Wind River Reservation on July 15, 1988.
This raw data speaks for itself — the United States was hotter in the past.
According to NOAA’s own data, of the 50 U.S. state all-time record high temperatures, 23 were set during the 1930s, while 36 occurred prior to 1960.
https://electroverse.net/highest-u-s-temperatures-on-record-by-state/
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Related:
Heatwaves?! Book reveals ‘75% of the U.S. states recorded their hottest temperature prior to 1955’
