Hottest Places in United States

Places With Highest Temperatures

North America's highest temperature ever recorded is 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius), which occurred at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California on July 10, 1913. No other United States location has come close to experiencing such intense heat.

The 134 °F reading in Death Valley was declared the world's most extreme high temperature by the World Meteorological Organization in 2012. After reviewing records, WMO concluded that a September 13, 1922 measurement of 136.4 °F (58 °C) in El Azizia, Libya resulted from errors, rather than exceptional heat.

During the century that followed setting the world record, the hottest day in Death Valley was a relatively balmy 129 °F. The Mojave Desert site didn't heat up to 130 °F again until August 2020.

Temperatures over 125 °F (48.9 °C) are unusual events, even in the hottest places of the United States, except Death Valley. Extreme heat in the country is largely confined to a small region of lower elevations in the Mojave Desert. The area stretches roughly from Palm Springs to Phoenix and extends north up the Colorado River to Las Vegas.

Here is a sampling of places and dates when the thermometer has climbed to lofty highs.

Examples of extreme high temperatures officially recorded in the United States
Location °F °C Date
Death Valley, California 134 56.7 July 10, 1913
Death Valley, California 130 54.4 August 16, 2020
Death Valley, California 130 54.4 July 9, 2021
Death Valley, California 129 53.9 July 18, 1998
Death Valley, California 129 53.9 July 20, 2005
Death Valley, California 129 53.9 July 7, 2007
Death Valley, California 129 53.9 July 1, 2013
Death Valley, California 128 53.3 June 30, 1994
Death Valley, California 128 53.3 July 10, 2002
Death Valley, California 128 53.3 July 19, 2009
Death Valley, California 128 53.3 July 12, 2012
Death Valley, California 128 53.3 June 30, 2013
Death Valley, California 128 53.3 July 4, 2013
Lake Havasu City, Arizona 128 53.3 June 29, 1994
Gold Rock Ranch, California 127 52.8 July 28, 1995
Blythe, California 126 52.2 June 21, 2016
Bullhead City, Arizona 126 52.2 June 22, 2017
Mecca, California 126 52.2 June 26, 1990
Palmdale, California 126 52.2 July 28, 1995
Stovepipe Wells, California 126 52.2 August 17, 2020
Thermal, California 126 52.2 July 28, 1995
Buckeye, Arizona 125 51.7 July 28, 1995
Laughlin, Nevada 125 51.7 June 29, 1994
Laveen, Arizona 125 51.7 July 28, 1995
Litchfield Park, Arizona 125 51.7 July 29, 1995
Needles Airport, California 125 51.7 July 17, 2005
Needles Airport, California 125 51.7 June 20, 2016
Needles Airport, California 125 51.7 June 20, 2017
Parker, Arizona 125 51.7 June 21, 2016
Willow Beach, Arizona 124 51.1 July 19, 2005
Yuma Airport, Arizona 124 51.1 July 28, 1995
Casa Grande Monument, Arizona 123 50.6 June 30, 1994
Palm Springs, California 123 50.6 July 28, 1995
Baker, California 122 50.0 July 1, 2013
Phoenix Airport, Arizona 122 50.0 June 26, 1990
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, NM 122 50.0 June 27, 1994

Warmest Places All Year

Out of 7,247 weather stations across the United States, just some in four states report an average year-round temperature of over 77 °F (25 °C). Most of these stations are located in southern Florida or Hawaii. Death Valley also makes the list, as does one site in Texas.

The mean annual temperatures given here are 30-year averages, based on weather data collected from 1991 to 2020 for the US National Centers for Environmental Information.

Places in the United States with the highest mean annual temperature
Location Mean °F Mean °C
Key West, Florida 78.9 26.0
Pu'ukohola Heiau Historic Site, HI 78.9 26.0
Death Valley, California 78.8 26.0
Marathon, Florida 78.8 26.0
Key Biscayne, Florida 78.7 25.9
Kailua Kona, Big Island, Hawaii 78.3 25.7
Honolulu Airport, Oahu, Hawaii 78.1 25.6
Islamorada, Florida 77.9 25.5
Crawl Key, Florida 77.8 25.4
Key Largo, Florida 77.8 25.4
Dry Tortugas, Florida 77.8 25.4
Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii 77.7 25.4
Bahia Honda Key, Florida 77.6 25.3
Duck Key, Florida 77.6 25.3
Miami International Airport, FL 77.5 25.3
Mahaulepu, Kauai, Hawaii 77.4 25.2
McAllen, Texas 77.4 25.2
Pembroke Pines, Florida 77.4 25.2
Pompano Beach, Florida 77.2 25.1
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii 77.1 25.1
Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii 77.1 25.0

In another four states, a few locations achieve an average yearly temperature that's above 70 °F.

US places with mean annual temperature between 70 and 77 °F
Location Mean °F Mean °C
Yuma, Arizona 76.0 24.4
Phoenix, Arizona 75.6 24.2
Laughlin, Nevada 74.1 23.4
New Orleans, Audubon Park, LA 71.8 22.1
Callville Bay, Nevada 71.7 22.1
Buras, Louisiana 70.3 21.3
Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge, Georgia 70.3 21.3

Places With the Most 100-Degree Weather

The day's temperature at a smattering of places in California and Arizona peaks in the 100s Fahrenheit, (above 37 °C) for over one-third of the year.

Average number of days a year with temperatures in the 100s Fahrenheit
Location Days Over 99 °F
Death Valley, California 147
Bullhead City, Arizona 135
Gila Bend, Arizona 134
Yuma Quartermaster Depot, AZ 133
Stovepipe Wells, California 133
Blythe, California 131
Lake Havasu, Arizona 128
Mecca, California 128
Parker, Arizona 126
Tacna, Arizona 126
Willow Beach, Arizona 126
Maricopa, Arizona 124
Palm Springs, California 123
Alamo Lake, Arizona 122
Eloy, Arizona 122
Blythe, California 122
Needles, California 122

Most Days With Highest Temperature

When it comes to being the hottest place in the continental United States for any single day, Death Valley once again far outpaces the competition. During a recent decade, Death Valley ranked as the day's number one hottest spot nearly three times as often as any other US location.

Top ten places for number of days from 1995 to 2005 with the highest temperature in the USA
Location Days
Death Valley, California 803
Lake Havasu City, Arizona 276
McAllen, Texas 231
Coolidge, Arizona 215
Thermal, California 202
Laredo, Texas 197
Bullhead City, Arizona 177
Fort Meyers, Florida 159
Lajitas, Texas 138
Gila Bend, Arizona 98
References

Khalid Ibrahim El Fadli, Randall S. Cerveny , Christopher C. Burt, Philip Eden, David Parker , Manola Brunet, Thomas C. Peterson, Gianpaolo Mordacchini, Vinicio Pelino, Pierre Bessemoulin, José Luis Stella, Fatima Driouech, M.M Abdel wahab and Matthew B. Pace. 2012. World Meteorological Organization Assessment of the Purported World Record 58°C Temperature Extreme at El Azizia, Libya (13 September 1922). Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Guy King. 2007. The Hottest and Coldest Places in the Conterminous United States. Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers. 69: 101-114.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.

Steven Roof and Charlie Callagan. 2003. The Climate of Death Valley, California. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 84: 1725-1739.

Utah State University. Utah Climate Center.

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