[erik1974]

California

    120 at Orland on 7/8/1905(8/7/1908 reading is suspect)

    120 at Coalinga on 7/18/1925

    120 at Middlewater on 8/15/1920

    120 at San Jacinto on 7/27/1934

    121 at Red Bluff on 8/7/1981

    120 at Chino AP on 7/6/2018

     (120 reading at Henshaw Dam on 7/29/1980 is laughably dubious)

     (124 and 120 readings in 1931 at Westhaven are dubious)

 

Texas

    120 at Seymour on 8/12/1936

    120 at Monahans on 6/28/1994

 

Arkansas

    120 at Ozark on 8/10/1936

 

Oklahoma

    120 at Alva on 7/18/1936

    120 at Altus on 7/19/1936

    120 at Poteau on 8/10/1936

    120 at Altus on 8/12/1936

    120 at Tipton 6/27/1994(unofficial reading??, seems legit though)

    (120 reading at Tishomingo on 7/22/1943 is highly dubious)

 

Kansas

    121 at Fredonia on 7/18/1936

    120 at Eureka on 7/18/1936

    120 at Wellington on 7/18/1936

    121 at Alton on 7/24/1936

    120 at Philipsburg on 7/24/1936

    120 at Fort Scott on 7/14/1954

    (120 at Lakin on 7/29/1893 is very questionable)

 

South Dakota

    120 at Gannvalley on 7/5/1936

    120 at Usta on 7/15/2006

    120 at Fort Pierre on 7/15/2006

 

North Dakota

    121 at Steele on 7/6/1936

    120 at Wishek on 7/6/1936

 

New Mexico

    122 at Waste Isoltion PP on 6/27/1994 is overexposed by 4-6 degrees.  Real record for state is 118 at Ochoa on same date.

 

Let me know what you all think...

[Phil]

Yikes..1936 is to summers as 1899 is to winters.

[erik1974]

       Sounds about right Phil.  There are far more occurrences of 120 degrees in the early 20th century as opposed to later 20th/Post Y2K.  1936 seems to dominate by a huge margin.  

[Black Hole]

I'm not an expert on digging this stuff up, but I do appreciate it. Nice job on this. 

I've heard some say that the Chino reading this year may have been too high. 

[erik1974]

I'm not an expert on digging this stuff up, but I do appreciate it. Nice job on this. 

I've heard some say that the Chino reading this year may have been too high. 

         I have wondered about the Chino reading myself.  Their readings during various heatwaves in the last few years have been higher than some other stations which typically get hotter(such as Riverside, etc.)  Chino is not what I would call a hotspot when compared to Riverside, San Bernardino or Redlands.  I believe the 120 reading on 7/6/2018 is slightly overexposed.   I also think that the 117 reading at Ramona is a bit overexposed as well.  

        Despite this, there were some phenomenal records such as the record-tying 118 at Riverside, all-time records of 114 at Santa Ana/Burbank as well as a phenomenal 111 at UCLA.  Very comparable to the 7/22/2006 event though nowhere near as humid.  

[Scott]

Yikes..1936 is to summers as 1899 is to winters.

 

Yes, but perhaps even more impressive, all the areas affected by the 1936 Heat Wave were also affected by the 1936 Cold Wave the same year.  Some locations were around 170 degrees warmer in July than they were in February!

 

Here are the the average temperatures in February 1936.  North Dakota averaged -14.1.   Lows in North Dakota reached -60 and -58 in South Dakota.  

 

 

February never got above 10 in some locations.  Landon North Dakota stayed below zero all day for 41 days.  

 

Rivers were frozen over as far south as Richmond Virginia.

 

Noteworthy facts from Christopher C Burt concerning the 1936 cold wave

 

Langdon, ND became famous for it’s cold during the remarkable and worst Plains winter in recorded history. The small North Dakota town went an incredible 41 straight days without reaching 0F, longest such stretch anywhere in the Lower 48. Langdon also went 92 straight days without reaching 32F and consecutive nights below 0F? 67 days!

 

Fort Berthold Agency, ND went 7 straight days with highs of -20F or lower and 2 weeks with highs of -10F or colder. Turtle Lake, ND saw a mean temperature of -19.4F in February, the lowest mean temperature for a month recorded anywhere in the Lower 48.

[Kayla]

 

Yes, but perhaps even more impressive, all the areas affected by the 1936 Heat Wave were also affected by the 1936 Cold Wave the same year.  Some locations were around 170 degrees warmer in July than they were in February!

 

Here are the the average temperatures in February 1936.  North Dakota averaged -14.1.   Lows in North Dakota reached -60 and -58 in South Dakota.  

 

February never got above 10 in some locations.  Landon North Dakota stayed below zero all day for 41 days.  

 

Rivers were frozen over as far south as Richmond Virginia.

 

Noteworthy facts from Christopher C Burt concerning the 1936 cold wave

 

Langdon, ND became famous for it’s cold during the remarkable and worst Plains winter in recorded history. The small North Dakota town went an incredible 41 straight days without reaching 0F, longest such stretch anywhere in the Lower 48. Langdon also went 92 straight days without reaching 32F and consecutive nights below 0F? 67 days!

 

Fort Berthold Agency, ND went 7 straight days with highs of -20F or lower and 2 weeks with highs of -10F or colder. Turtle Lake, ND saw a mean temperature of -19.4F in February, the lowest mean temperature for a month recorded anywhere in the Lower 48.

 

 

That month was pretty ridiculous. Bozeman recorded its coldest temp on record at -43F and averaged an astounding -22.5F departure on the month. Frigid.

[Jesse]

Portland, OR.

121F, 8/21/18

[Eujunga]

Portland, OR.

121F, 8/21/18

 

121 in Portland?  Purest balderdash.

 

It might get up to 121 someplace out by Hermiston or Ontario, but Portland won't get a degree above 117

[Andie]

I recall the 1994 summer temps. In Texas. It was pure punishment.

Monahans is in west Texas, but that summer was memorable statewide.

[iFred]

Nice work!