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Most impressive temperature readings in each month for US


Scott

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What would you say that the most impressive temperature records for each month are in the United States?  These are the most impressive readings considering the location, rather than the highest or lowest readings. 

 

Here are ones I can think of:

 

January

 

High:  98 at Zapata Texas on 1/5/1997.   I just went with this one, but there are a lot of other runners up.

 

Low:   -27 at New Market Alabama on 1/30/1966.

 

February

 

High:   85 at Eureka California on 2/17/1930.  This was the warmest reading recorded at Eureka between 12/1/1886 and 9/20/1983.  It is still the 4th warmest reading in ~132 years.  Runner up would probably be 100 at San Antonio Texas on 2/21/1996.  

 

Low:   -30 at Salt Lake City on 2/9/1933.  There are a lot of contenders here, but this one really stands out and there haven't been any close readings outside 1933.

 

March

 

High:   (tie) 101 at Grant Nebraska on 3/21/1910 and 90 at Edmore North Dakota on 3/22/1910.

 

Low:    -50 at Snake River Wyoming 3/17/1906.  It was the second coldest reading ever recorded here.

 

April  

 

High:   100 at Fargo North Dakota on 4/18/1980. 

 

Low:    -34 a Bergland Michigan on 3/31/1923 or 4/1/1923 or -30 at Humboldt Michigan on 4/1/1923 (depending on when the Bergland reading was recorded).  

 

May

 

High:  112 at Maple Plain Minnesota on 5/31/1934.

 

Low:  1 at Landmark Idaho on 5/23/1944.  Impressive because of the lateness in the month.

 

June

 

High:  I'd go with the 128 at Lake Havasu on 6/29/1994, but I'm skeptical of the reading.  I might go with Richardson Alaska on 6/16/1969.

 

Low:   31 at Cleveland on 6/11/1972.  This was the coldest reading anytime between 5/16 and 10/3.

 

July

 

High:  121 at Steele North Dakota on 7/6/1936.

 

Low:   17 at Tropic Utah on 7/2/1902.  This one seems legitimate, but incredible.  Nearby Loa hit 19.  Tropic's 7/2/1902 reading was the coldest temperature recorded anytime between 5/22 and 9/26.  Loa's reading was the coldest temperature recorded anytime between 5/26 and 9/10.  Tropic Utah has only seen three other July frost in 125 years and the 17 is way out of the ordinary.  

 

August

 

High:  120 at Ozark Arkansas on 8/10/1936

 

Low:   5 at Bowen and Hegben Dam Montana on 5/24/1910.  At Hegben this is within one degree of the September record and 3 degrees colder than the May record.

 

September

 

High:  126 at Mecca California on 9/1/1950.  The desert southwest usually has high readings usually more common early season, but the September 1950 heatwave was in a league of its own.  

 

Low:  (tie) 1 at Rock Springs Wyoming on 9/18/1965 and 1 at at Gordon Nebraska on 9/25/1926.Rock Springs reading is 4 degrees colder than the record low in October and 2 degrees colder than the record low in April.   

 

October:

 

High:  97 at Fargo North Dakota and Moorehead Minnesota on 10/11/2015.

 

Low:   -12 at Modena Utah on 10/30/1972.  This is 5 degrees colder than the November record and 7 degrees colder than the March reading.  This was the coldest reading anytime between 2/28 to 12/10.

 

November:

 

High:  101 at LAX on 11/1/1966.  This is 4 degrees hotter than the July record and 3 degrees warmer than the August record. 

 

Low:  There are lots of contenders here, but I went with 1 at El Paso Texas on 11/29/1976.  Only three January temperatures were colder and none in February or December.  The -38 at Eagles Nest might be a good runner up as were several locations out west in 1955 and 1985.-53 at Lincoln 14NE, MT on 11/16/1959 is another contender for runner up.

 

December: 

 

High:  58 on 12/5/1934 at Fairbanks Alaska.  In the lower 48 1939 has some runners up, but none really compare to the 58 reading at Fairbanks.

 

Low:   It's a tough choice, but I went with -48 at Mamaba Washington on 12/30/1968.  Record lows in January are -42 and the record low in February is -40.

 

Any disagreements with the above?   What are some other contenders?  

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I might be biased here, but what about the -40*F in Oakland, MD on 1/13/1912? I only mention it because the atmosphere was pretty well-mixed that night..it wasn’t achieved through radiational cooling.

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I might be biased here, but what about the -40*F in Oakland, MD on 1/13/1912? I only mention it because the atmosphere was pretty well-mixed that night..it wasn’t achieved through radiational cooling.

 

That's a good one too.   

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   Jan       

     85   Freeport, PA in 1906(if it's legit)

    -27   New Market, AL in 1966

 

   Feb

     88   Cumberland, MD   1932

      -2   Tallahasse, FL   13/1899

 

Mar 

   104   Frederick, OK   29/1971

    -48   Couderay, WI    1/1962

 

  Apr

   112   El Toro MCAS  6/1989(not sure if legit)

    -30   Humboldt, MI    1/1923

 

  May

   111   Langdon, ND   30/1934(practically in Canada!!)(June record is only 106)

    -11   Sugarloaf Res, CO  3/2013

 

  June

    115  Santa Barbara, CA   15/1917

        0   White Mountain Peak, CA  2007

 

   July

     121   Steele, ND   6/1936 or

     116   Collegeville, IN  14/1936

       12   Climax, CO    4/1995

 

   Aug

     121  Red Bluff, CA   7/1981

         5   Bowen/Grayling, MT  25/1910

 

   Sept

      119  Ben Lomond, CA   2/2017

      117  Lincoln, KS   3/1947

         -2  Laramie, WY   29/1985

 

   Oct

      112    Ben Lomond, CA   8/1996, 1/2012

      117    Mecca, CA  2/1980

        -28   Biddle, MT  29/1925

 

   Nov

      105   Irvine Ranch, CA  2/1997(possible overexposure during much of 1997 at this station)

      104   El Capitan Dam, CA  4/1997(most likely on 11/2 or 11/3)

        -53   Lincoln 14 NE, MT  16/1959

 

   Dec

       99   Santa Paula, CA  4/1958(100 at La Mesa in 1938 is bogus)

      -47  Dulce, NM    12/1961

 

       

The -53 reading at Lincoln 14NE, Montana on 11/16/1959 is probably the most impressive temperature feat I have ever seen!  Nothing else compares to this one.  A truly amazing feat!

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I highly doubt Cumberland hit 88*F in Feb 1932. It makes no physical sense that they would be warmer than locations on the lee/downslope side of the mountains. They’re actually situated in a mountain valley famous for cold pooling/inversions, even in the heart of summer.

 

In fact, I can’t ever recall them running warmer than downslope locations on any occasion except for the eroding CAD/warm front situations, and you never touch 80*F here in winter right next to the warm front. Ever. Too much cloud cover/isentropic lift.

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I highly doubt Cumberland hit 88*F in Feb 1932. It makes no physical sense that they would be warmer than locations on the lee/downslope side of the mountains. They’re actually situated in a mountain valley famous for cold pooling/inversions, even in the heart of summer.

I also agree that it doesn't look valid. There was also a reported 80 in January of that year. It also looks questionable.

 

Frostburg, another town that is cold by Maryland standards did hit 80 in 2/32, so it was warm then, but 88 does seem high.

 

Cumberland also has the supposed state record highs for July and August. I'm not sure what to think about those. Cumberland can have some pretty hot summer temperatures sometimes.

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I also agree that it doesn't look valid. There was also a reported 80 in January of that year. It also looks questionable.

 

Frostburg, another town that is cold by Maryland standards did hit 80 in 2/32, so it was warm then, but 88 does seem high.

 

Cumberland also has the supposed state record highs for July and August. I'm not sure what to think about those. Cumberland can have some pretty hot summer temperatures sometimes.

That has to be wrong. When were those records set?

 

Cumberland almost always runs colder than locations east of the mountains. I can’t ever recall them running warmer except for brief/freak CAD/warm frontal cases.

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That has to be wrong. When were those records set?

 

 

109 on 7/11/1936 and 8/6/1918.   These are the official all time state records for Maryland.

 

I don't know if those readings were overexposed (the 88 in February almost certainly was), but in more recent years Cumberland has hit 105 on 8/20/2005, 8/2/2006, and 7/22/2011.

 

1918 and 1936 were definite heatwaves, so if Cumberland did hit 105 several times in recent years, the readings might be valid?  They could have been a few degrees overexposed as well.  I haven't compared the readings to others in the area yet, but it would be interesting. 

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  Is there any possibily that the 88 at Cumberland in Feb. 1932 could actually be legit??

 

It seems a bit high.  The reading has been QC'd out of NOAA's database.  

 

Cumberland did hit 83 in 2/2018 and 82 in 2/2017.

 

If it were valid, it would be within 2 degrees of the incredible March heatwave of 1907.

 

The Westernport reading not far from Cumberland is interesting though.  I guess that there's a chance. 

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