The hottest days in history and record temperatures in each US state
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Summer 2019 was the hottest summer on record for global temperatures, but global heat doesn't mean everywhere gets hotter at the same rate.
Some states across the US broke records of their hottest days over a century ago.
Around 10 states have hit over 120 degrees Fahrenheit on their hottest days, while the US Virgin Islands hasn't passed a record of 99 degrees.
Summer 2019 brought some serious heat to the world — breaking the record for the hottest summer on record for the Northern Hemisphere ever recorded. For global temperatures, July was the hottest month on record, with August coming in second according to the Washington Post.
But global temperature rise doesn't mean it just gets hotter everywhere at the same rate. In fact — some states in the US reached their all-time toastiest temperatures in the 1800's.
Here's a list of every state and their hottest day on record, from the high 90s all the way to above 130 degrees Fahrenheit, according to data found by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
ALABAMA: The hottest day ever recorded for Alabama was 112 degrees Fahrenheit, back on September 6, 1925, in Centreville, which is about 50 miles south of Birmingham.
AP Photo/Tuscaloosa News, Joe Oliveira
Source: NOAA
ALASKA: On June 27, 1915, 100-degree-Fahrenheit heat swept through Fort Yukon, located north of the Arctic Circle.
Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management
Source: NOAA
ARIZONA: 128-degree-Fahrenheit weather hit Lake Havasu City, located on the western edge of Arizona, on June 29, 1994.
AP Photo/Stan Usinowicz
Source: NOAA
ARKANSAS: Ozark, located along the Arkansas River, heated up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit on August 10, 1936.
Shutterstock
Source: NOAA
CALIFORNIA: On July 10, 1913, Greenland Ranch, now Furnace Creek Ranch, in California’s Death Valley peaked at a scalding 134 degrees Fahrenheit. As a part of the Mojave Desert, Furnace Creek is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level.
AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File
Source: NOAA
COLORADO: Colorado reached 114 degrees Fahrenheit twice — once on July 1, 1933, in Las Animas, and again in Sedgwick on July 11, 1954.
Getty Images
Source: NOAA
CONNECTICUT: Connecticut has reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit twice — once in August 1916 in Torrington, and once in July 1995 in Danbury.
Morrowlong [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Source: NOAA
DELAWARE: Millsboro, 20 miles south of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, hit a high of 110 degrees Fahrenheit on July 21, 1930.
Bill Butcher/USFWS
Source: NOAA
FLORIDA: On June 29, 1931, Monticello in Northern Florida reached up to 109 degrees Fahrenheit.
State Archives of Florida
Source: NOAA
GEORGIA: Georgia has reached a temperature of 112 degrees Fahrenheit on two occasions — once in Greenville in August of 1983, and once in Louisville in July 1952.
By Blastoids - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
HAWAII: The hottest temperature ever recorded in Hawaii was 100 degrees Fahrenheit on April 27, 1931, in Pahala.
By Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada - Punalu'u Beach, Pahala (504428), CC BY 2.0
Source: NOAA
IDAHO: Idaho reached a blistering 118 degrees Fahrenheit on July 28, 1934, in Orofino, a major city within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation.
National Parks Service
Source: NOAA
ILLINOIS: Eastern St. Louis was hit by 117-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures on July 14, 1954.
By David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA - 20030720 22 East St. Louis, IL, CC BY 2.0
Source: NOAA
INDIANA: Temperatures reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit on July 14, 1936, in St. Joseph County, the home of Notre Dame University’s campus.
USA TODAY Sports
Source: NOAA
IOWA: The hottest temperature ever recorded in Iowa was in Keokuk, a city on the Mississippi river. A temperature of 118 degrees Fahrenheit was recorded on July 20, 1934.
USGS
Source: NOAA
KANSAS: Kansas has hit a scorching 121 degrees Fahrenheit twice, both times in 1936. On July 18, Fredonia was feeling the heat, and six days later Alton did as well.
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Source: NOAA
KENTUCKY: Greensburg, the county seat of Green County, hit 114 degrees Fahrenheit on July 28, 1930
By Nyttend - Own work, Public Domain
Source: NOAA
LOUISIANA: Louisiana’s hottest day was August 10, 1936, when small-town Plain Dealing reached temperatures of 114 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
MAINE: North Bridgton in Maine got hit by all-time high weather at 105 degrees Fahrenheit twice in the same week — first Independence Day 1911, and then again on July 10.
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Source: NOAA
MARYLAND: Maryland has been hit by 109-degree-Fahrenheit heat on four separate occasions — two times in August 1918 in Cumberland, once in Frederick in July 1936, and once way back on July 3, 1898, in Boettcherville.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Source: NOAA
MASSACHUSETTS: Chester, MA felt the heat of 107 degrees Fahrenheit on August 2, 1975.
By Unknown photographer - Reproduced from an original postcard published by the Springfield News Company, Springfield, Massachusetts, Public Domain
Source: NOAA
MICHIGAN: Stanwood, a village outside of the Huron-Manistee National Forests, was hit with 112-degree-Fahrenheit weather on July 13, 1936.
By RomanKahler - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Source: NOAA
MINNESOTA: 115-degree-Fahrenheit heat plagued Beardsley in western Minnesota on July 29, 1917.
By McGhiever - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
MISSISSIPPI: On July 29, 1930, Holly Springs, right by the Holly Springs National Forest, reached a toasty 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Gary Bridgman - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
MISSOURI: Warsaw, about 85 miles north of Springfield, MO was hit with 118-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures on July 14, 1954.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Source: NOAA
MONTANA: Montana hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit on two occasions: once in Glendive in July 1983, and once near Medicine Lake in July 1937.
By Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States CC BY-SA 2.0
Source: NOAA
NEBRASKA: Three places in Nebraska have hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit — Geneva, Hartington, and Minden. Geneva was sweltering on July 15, 1934, but Hartington and Minden were hit during the same week in July 1936.
By Ammodramus - Own work, Public Domain
Source: NOAA
NEVADA: Laughlin, Nevada, which is tucked between the Mohave Crossing and the Dead Mountains Wilderness Area, reached a scorching 125 degrees Fahrenheit on June 29, 1994.
By Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA CC BY-SA 2.0
Source: NOAA
NEW HAMPSHIRE: On Independence Day in 1911, Nashua, NH reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Daderot - Own work, CC0
Source: NOAA
NEW JERSEY: Old Bridge, NJ, less than 40 miles outside of New York City, once reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1936.
By Famartin - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Source: NOAA
NEW MEXICO: The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant about 150 miles east of El Paso recorded the hottest day in New Mexico’s history — 122 degrees Fahrenheit on June 27, 1994.
By Leaflet - Own work, Public Domain
Source: NOAA
NEW YORK: Troy, New York, the home of the original Uncle Sam, reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit on July 22, 1926.
By BenFrantzDale - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
NORTH CAROLINA: Fayetteville, North Carolina, the home of the largest military base by population in the United States, reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit on August 21, 1983.
By Epicjeff - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
NORTH DAKOTA: Steele, right on the border of North and South Dakota, reached a scorching 121 degrees Fahrenheit on July 6, 1936.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Source: NOAA
OHIO: Gallipolis, located on the Ohio River, reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit on July 21, 1934.
By Youngamerican at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
OKLAHOMA: 120 degrees Fahrenheit has been reached four times in the state of Oklahoma, all in the year 1936 —once in Poteau on August 10, in Altus on August 12 and July 19, and once in Alva on July 18.
By Mainstreetaltus - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Source: NOAA
OREGON: 1898 was a record-breaker for Oregon when temperatures hit 119 degrees Fahrenheit twice — first in Prineville on July 29, and next in downtown Pendleton on August 10.
By Tequask - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Source: NOAA
PENNSYLVANIA: For two days in a row, July 9 and 10, 1936, Phoenixville, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia, hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Squelle - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
PUERTO RICO: Mona Island, around halfway between mainland Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, warmed up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit on July 2, 1996.
AP Photo/ Tomas van Houtryve
Source: NOAA
RHODE ISLAND: Providence, RI hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit on August 2, 1975.
Getty Images
Source: NOAA
SOUTH CAROLINA: Another college town was home to the hottest temperature in the state, as South Carolina capitol and home to the University of South Carolina Columbia reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit on June 29, 2012.
Getty Images
Source: NOAA
SOUTH DAKOTA: The state hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit twice — once on July 5, 1936 in Gann Valley, and again on July 15, 2006 in Fort Pierre.
Getty Images
Source: NOAA
TENNESSEE: Perryville on the Tennesee River hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit twice in 1930 — once July 29 and once August 9.
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Source: NOAA
TEXAS: The lone star state has hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit — once on August 12, 1936, in Seymour, and once on June 28, 1994, in Monahans.
By Wing-Chi Poon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Source: NOAA
UTAH: St. George, Utah hit 115 degrees Fahrenheit on July 5, 1985.
Brian Vander Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Source: NOAA
VERMONT: The town of Vernon in southeast Vermont reached a high of 107 degrees Fahrenheit on July 7, 1912.
AP Photo/Jessica Hill
Source: NOAA
VIRGIN ISLANDS (US): The US Virgin Islands have hit 99 degrees Fahrenheit on three occasions — in Charlotte Amalie twice on June 23, 1996 and August 4, 1994, and once in Cruz Bay on July 31, 1988.
By Olav76 - Own work of User:Olav76, Public Domain
Source: NOAA
VIRGINIA: Virginia hit a scorching 100 degrees Fahrenheit three times — twice in the first week of July 1900 in Columbia, and once on July 15, 1954, in Balcony Falls, Glasgow.
By Nyttend - Own work, Public Domain
Source: NOAA
WASHINGTON: Washington State hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit twice —once on Ice Harbor Dam near Ash on August 5, 1961, and once in Wahluke on July 24, 1928.
Greg Vaughn /VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Source: NOAA
WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia reached up to 112 degrees Fahrenheit on two occasions: in Moorefield on August 4, 1930 and in Martinsburg on July 10, 1936.
By Farragutful - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Source: NOAA
WISCONSIN: Wisconsin Dells on the Wisconsin River hit a high temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit on July 13, 1936.
Getty Images
Source: NOAA
WYOMING: The eighties were a record-breaking time for Wyoming heat, as 115 degrees Fahrenheit was reached twice, once in Basin on August 8, 1983 and once on the Diversion Dam by Wind River Reservation on July 15, 1988.
By CosmicPenguin at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
