Fact check: Six states had record maximum temperature in the last 20 years, but most set annual marks

Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY
·3 min read
9

The claim: Only two US states have had record temperatures in the last 20 years

President Joe Biden identified climate change as a major policy priority in the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, but some social media users claim state-level temperature records show such focus is unwarranted.

"Only two states have had a record temperature in the last 20 years," reads an Aug. 7 Facebook post. "By far most records were set in the 30s, when there were very few cars and planes, but yeah all of a sudden, 'quit using fossil fuels and pay more taxes or we’re all gonna die.'"

The post includes map of the U.S where each state is labeled with a year the maximum temperature record was supposedly set. Data is attributed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The post garnered 1,500 shares in three weeks.

But it is wrong.

The post doesn't directly specify what type of temperature record it is referencing. However, six U.S. states – not two – have experienced a record maximum temperature in the past 20 years, according to NOAA data.

And longer-term data shows an even more significant warming trend. Forty U.S. states recorded their highest annual average temperatures in the same time frame.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment.

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Six US states have had record maximumtemperatures in the past 20 years

There are multiple types of temperature records that have been set by various U.S. states over the past 20 years. One type is an extreme temperature record – an isolated high or low temperature event.

For instance, the highest extreme temperature ever recorded in the U.S was 134 degrees. It was recorded in California on July 10, 1913.

Another is an annual temperature record – a record high or low average temperature for the year based on all the year's temperature measurements. The hottest year on record for the U.S. was 2012, when the average temperature was 55.3 degrees, according to NOAA.

While the social media post does not specify which type of record it is referencing, the date labels in the graphic seem to correspond with the years that individual states experienced a record maximumtemperature.

However, six U.S. states, not two, have had record maximum temperatures in the past 20 years, according to NOAA data.

Those states are Colorado, Oregon, South Dakota, South Carolina, Utah and Washington. Oregon, South Dakota and Utah matched high temperature records that had been set previously.

Fact check: Climate change measured in decades, day to day temperature fluctuation common

Most US states have set annual temperature records in the last 20 years

Additionally, 40 states experienced their hottest average annual temperature on record during the same timeframe, according to NOAA and the Hawaiian government.

The country as a whole has warmed as well. The continental U.S. has warmed more than 2 degrees on average since 1901, according to the EPA.

Fact check: Misleading data used in claim alleging a global cooling trend

Our rating: Partly false

Based on our research, we rate PARTLY FALSE the claim that only two U.S. states have had record temperatures in the last 20 years. Six states experienced record maximum temperatures. And in terms of average annual temperature, 40 states experienced their hottest year on record within the past 20 years.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Most states set annual temperature record in 2000s