erik1974

UPDATE: The Sept. 5 and 6 heatwave has produced a couple more 120+ readings in SoCal. I will start off by saying that the 120 and 121 readings at Chino AP are certainly overexposed. I believe this station and Ontario are considered unofficial by the NWS. There are bonafide legit readings of 121 at Woodland Hills and 120 at Cachuma Lake on the 6th. These are unquestionably the highest recorded temps in both LA and Santa Barbara counties. It is too bad that there is no recording anymore at El Capitan Dam in SD County. That location could have very well reached 119-121 on the 5th or 6th!! So, the highest temperatures outside the desert SW are a total of 5 official 121 readings including: 121 at Woodland Hills, CA 9/6/2020 121 at Red Bluff, CA 8/7/1981 121 at Alton, KS 7/24/1936 121 at Fredonia, KS 7/18/1936 121 at Steele, ND 7/6/1936 Let me know what you all think...

The previous all-time high for this station was 113 degrees on 7/15/1972. That one certainly appears legit even though it is missing from the WRCC climate table. There are a couple different stations there dating back to 1937 or so. The previous station ran from 1937-65 and it appears quite a bit a cooler than the current station which runs from 1972-Present. It could be overexposed or not. Just trying to clarify a confusing situation...

Probably 1993 for me during what some call the 'Pinatubo Years'. It typically averages 95 during the day in my area, but there were many occurrences of 82 and 84 degrees for several weeks. I think July only managed to average 87 during the day for the month. Good times. 2010 and 2011 were also very nice down my way.

Mine would probably be 1992-93 in the San Diego area. One of, if not, the wettest, rainfall year for North County Inland locations. Lake Henshaw and Palomar Mountain had their wettest years on record. January 1993 rainfall from Palomar to Lake Henshaw to Borrego Springs to Campo recorded more rainfall than would normally fall in an entire year! Massive rutting on my driveway near Warner Springs - got stuck on two occasions trying to get up to the house. Palomar Obs. Avg. Rainfall 29" 32.93" 1/1993 Henshaw Dam 26" 29.25" 1/1993 Borrego Springs 6" 8.78' 1/1993 What is odd about this year is that the rains were so intense that there was no wildflower bloom like their would be in a 'typical' wet year. Definitely one for the record books in the SD backcountry!

For me it would be Winter 2001-02 in the Southern California mountains. Driest winter at San Diego AP, as they only recorded only 3.02 inches of rain. There have been drier years for LA/Orange County that followed this one(2006-07, 2017-18). There have been longer drought periods statewide(2014-2018), but no other drought period can match the amount of bark beetle devastation that occurred during this time. Areas such as Julian and Lake Arrowhead were absolutely ravaged to be sure. Palomar Mountain had a massive die-off of White Firs near the Observatory. I even saw areas of Anza Borrego where Pinyons and even Junipers were dying in good numbers, as well as mesquite die-offs in the Borrego Valley! These conditions would lead to the devastating 2003 Firestorms.

I just recently found out(via XM-ACIS) that Ben Lomond, CA reached a mind-blowing 119 degrees on 9/2/2017. It was also 106 at San Fran(Downtown) and 110 in Santa Cruz on the previous day. Both of these cities reached all-time record highs, but the Ben Lomond station has always seemed a little bit suspect to me. It has also allegedly reached 112 on 10/2/2012 and 10/8/1996. If these readings are indeed legitimate, this town would hold the highest September and October readings outside of the desert southwest!! Absolutely amazing if true. I still do find it hard to believe that this unassuming town(climate wise) could possibly pull off such feats. Any thoughts on the matter will be greatly appreciated.

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

There was an 87 degree reading at Westernport in Feb. 1932 not that far from Cumberland. Do you suppose that that reading is legit?? If not, what is the true February record for Maryland? There are a few 84 readings that are probably on the money.

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!

Very impressive indeed. I believe the town of Spray, Oregon reached 116 that same day for the 'true' August high for OR.

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.

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.

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 7/13 and 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...

I dont think that the 107 at Chester on 8/4/1975 is legit, among many other of its monthly high temp extremes. July 1982 was not a record setting July yet it says Chester reached 106 on that month. Highly questionable imo.

Conn. has good potential to be broken in the future. Mass. has reached 107 on 8/4/1975 at New Bedford and Chester(bit overexposed though). It has also reached 106 in NH and another 106 in MA(7/4/1911). A very good chance Connecticut has...

I was also thinking of New York 108 reading at Troy on 7/22/1926. There is also a 108 reading at Mineola on 7/6/2010. I am not sure if the latter is legit or not... Even the 108 at Troy in 1926 seems a little suspect...

Pretty crazy stuff to be sure. I forgot to mention the 2/13/1905 coldwave in Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas is probably another strong candidate that will never be topped. -40 at Warsaw, MO and -29 at Gravette, AR is absolutely incredible!!

I don't think that the readings of -40 in KS/MO as well as the -29 in AR on 2/13/1905 have the slightest chance of being beaten though despite the -31 reading in OK at Nowata on 2/10/2011.

I do think it is possible for Texas to beat its -23 readings from 1933 and 1899. The TX/OK panhandle is good area for a record-shattering coldwave to hit since its all-time lows are relatively mild...

Impressive! Most impressive! Is that the earliest snowfall in Denver history??

Perhaps North Carolina or Virginia as well. The 110 readings for these states are dubious, which leaves several 109 readings on various dates. It is interesting that PA/NJ/WV have legitimately reached 110, but VA and NC have not.

I agree with you Scott on Utah. The Lytle Ranch station could probably reach 118-120 in the near future. It probably has gotten that hot, just that there was no station there...

Thanks Scott for bringing up even more stuff. The Feb. 1899 cold spell has been topped in some areas but not in others, especially the Deep South. The March 1962 readings in Iowa are very strong candidates as well. The -30 at Humboldt on 4/1/1923 is very impressive. It reached -27 exactly one year later. Iron River actually recorded -24 on 4/8/2018, but I don't think -30 will happen in this area in April again... The -39 at Portland AP, Maine is truly phenomenal if it truly is legit btw. The 134 at Death Valley is bogus, but I do think a 130 degree temp. could have been legitimately recorded in July 1905 if there was a station back then. They also could have recorded as high as 124 degrees in May 1910 as well... We will never know though...

Never realized that it got that cold there in Dec. 2013. A truly impressive event!

I would say there are an equal amount of hot and cold records that will never be broken, mostly from the 1930s. The July 1936 and May 1934 heatwaves are something truly incredible to be sure. Here is my personal list of heat/coldwaves that will most likely never be broken or equaled: 1. May 1934 Upper Midwest heat wave - 109 in Wisconsin, 110 in Missouri, 111 in Iowa and ND, 112 in Minn, 113 in SD. What's most amazing about this one is that many stations in IA/MN/WI and Eastern ND/SD have still not gotten that hot even in June!!! 2. July/Aug. 1936 Central/Eastern heat wave - The Grandaddy of all summer heatwaves, it's as simple as that. Heat records set in 17 states from Great Plains/Great Lakes to Mid-Atlantic. These records are not quite as unassailable as the May 1934 records though imo. 3. February 2018 New England 'heat wave' - 80 degrees in CT/MA, 79 in NY, 83 in NJ/PA, 77 in VT/NH. Records absolutely shattered already impressive Feb. 2017 warmup. This one was more localized than the previous year, but records are far more out of reach in New England. 4. February 1933 Northwest cold wave - -54 in Oregon, -63 in Wyoming, -66 in Montana. The -54 in Seneca and Ukiah Oregon are especially noteworthy. Extremely likely to never be equaled or broken. December 1968 was an impressive event, but far more localized. 5. February 1936 Great Plains cold wave - -60 in ND, -58 in SD, -50s in much of E. Montana. The cold equivalent of the July 1936 heat wave, but more localized. Good luck seeing any of those records broken... Jan. 1916 deserves mention as well in this same area. 6. June 1994 Southwest heat wave - 126 in AZ, 118 in NM,125 in NV and 120 in W. Texas and possibly 120 at Tipton, OK. There are disputed readings of 128 and 122 in AZ and NM respectively. Nevada broke its all-time high by 3 degrees in Laughlin. 7. March 1971 Oklahoma 'heat wave' - 103 and 104 readings at Altus and Frederick are very impressive to be sure. The 104 at Frederick beats out all but a few locations in the desert SW for March heat!! 8. March 1998 East Coast heat wave - 92 in CT/MA, 91 in NY, 89 in NH/ME, 88 in VT, 95 in MD(97 in Baltimore is disputed). A truly phenomenal event which will probably never be topped... 9. December 1998 East Coast 'heat wave' - The December equivalent of the Mar. 1998 event. 77 in NY/CT, 78 in MA, 76 in NH, 75 in ME, 82 in MD(85 at Baltimore is disputed), 85 in VA, 86 in NC. 10. January 1966 Alabama/Miss. cold wave. This one should probably be a bit higher. -27 in AL and -19 in MS shattered previous readings and are a truly phenomenal event. -27 in Alabama absolutely shattered old reading of -18 in Feb. 1905. That cold wave could easily qualify in this list as well, but I am only listing 10 events... Let me know what you all think...