Hot Temperature Trend

The hot weather in Grand Marais as well as much of the country continues today.

The mainland United States has experienced the warmest 12 months since record-keeping began in 1895. The report from the National Climatic Data Center does not take into account blistering heat from this month, with 2,116 high temperature marks either broken or tied between July 2 and July 8 in communities nationwide. But it does incorporate the warmest March recorded as well as extreme heat in June, which also helped make the first six months of 2012 the warmest recorded of any January-June stretch. 

The average temperature for the U.S. mainland in June was 71.2 degrees -- 2 degrees above the 20th-century average.  The national temperatures for the January-June period averaged 52.9 degrees — 4.5 degrees above the long-term average,.

In the last half of June, 170 all-time temperature records were matched or smashed in cities across the lower 48 states. The U.S. State Climate Extremes Committee also is reviewing whether 113-degree temperatures in South Carolina and 112-degree recordings in Georgia qualify as all-time records in those two states.  Due to the heat, more than half the contiguous U.S. — 56 percent — have drought conditions.  The high temperature records in June are shown on the map below.

The following chart shows the records previous to this year.

Record Highest Temperatures by State

State	Temp. °F	Temp. °C	Date	Station	Elevation in feet
Alabama	112	44	Sept. 5, 1925	Centerville	345
Alaska	100	38	June 27, 1915	Fort Yukon	est. 420
Arizona	128	53	June 29, 1994	Lake Havasu City	505
Arkansas	120	49	Aug. 10, 1936	Ozark	396
California	134	57	July 10, 1913	Greenland Ranch	-178
Colorado	118	48	July 11, 1888	Bennett	5,484
Connecticut	106	41	July 15, 1995	Danbury	450
Delaware	110	43	July 21, 1930	Millsboro	20
D.C.	106	41	July 20, 1930	Washington	410
Florida	109	43	June 29, 1931	Monticello	207
Georgia	112	44	Aug. 20, 1983	Greenville	860
Hawaii	100	38	Apr. 27, 1931	Pahala	850
Idaho	118	48	July 28, 1934	Orofino	1,027
Illinois	117	47	July 14, 1954	E. St. Louis	410
Indiana	116	47	July 14, 1936	Collegeville	672
Iowa	118	48	July 20, 1934	Keokuk	614
Kansas	121	49	July 24, 19361	Alton (near)	1,651
Kentucky	114	46	July 28, 1930	Greensburg	581
Louisiana	114	46	Aug. 10, 19361	Plain Dealing	268
Maine	105	41	July 10, 19111	North Bridgton	450
Maryland	109	43	July 10, 19361	Cumberland & Frederick	623; 325
Massachusetts	107	42	Aug. 2, 1975	New Bedford & Chester	120; 640
Michigan	112	44	July 13, 1936	Mio	963
Minnesota	114	46	July 6, 19361	Moorhead	904
Mississippi	115	46	July 29, 1930	Holly Springs	600
Missouri	118	48	July 14, 19541	Warsaw & Union	705; 560
Montana	117	47	July 5, 1937	Medicine Lake	1,950
Nebraska	118	48	July 24, 19361	Minden	2,169
Nevada	125	52	June 29, 19941	Laughlin	605
New Hampshire	106	41	July 4, 1911	Nashua	125
New Jersey	110	43	July 10, 1936	Runyon	18
New Mexico	122	50	June 27, 1994	Waste Isolat. Pilot Pit	3,418
New York	108	42	July 22, 1926	Troy	35
North Carolina	110	43	Aug. 21, 1983	Fayetteville	213
North Dakota	121	49	July 6, 1936	Steele	1,857
Ohio	113	45	July 21, 19341	Gallipolis (near)	673
Oklahoma	120	49	June 27, 19941	Tipton	1,350
Oregon	119	48	Aug. 10, 18981	Pendleton	1,074
Pennsylvania	111	44	July 10, 19361	Phoenixville	100
Rhode Island	104	40	Aug. 2, 1975	Providence	51
South Carolina	111	44	June 28, 19541	Camden	170
South Dakota	120	49	July 5, 1936	Gannvalley	1,750
Tennessee	113	45	Aug. 9, 19301	Perryville	377
Texas	120	49	June 28, 19941	Monahans	2,660
Utah	117	47	July 5, 1895	Saint George	2,880
Vermont	105	41	July 4, 1911	Vernon	310
Virginia	110	43	July 15, 1954	Balcony Falls	725
Washington	118	48	Aug. 5, 19611	Ice Harbor Dam	475
West Virginia	112	44	July 10, 19361	Martinsburg	435
Wisconsin	114	46	July 13, 1936	Wisconsin Dells	900
Wyoming	115	46	Aug. 8, 1983	Basin	3,500

1. Also on earlier dates at the same or other places.

Source: National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, N.C., and Storm Phillips, STORMFAX, INC.