July 2011 Heat Wave Breaks 9,000 Heat Records

July 2011 Heat Map | July 2011 Heat Wave & Record High Temperatures, Longest Heat Wave | Our Amazing Planet.

July’s blistering heat wave either tied or set daily records in every state in the country, as evidenced by a new map showing the location of these records that essentially outlines the shape of the country.

 

The new map shows the location of each of the almost 9,000 daily heat records that were broken or tied in July, giving a nearly complete image of the lower 48 states. The records include 2,755 highest maximum temperatures and 6,171 highest minimum temperatures (nighttime records). 

Above is a visual depiction of both nighttime and daytime heat records broken across the country.

NeilS – We all knew it was a sweltering July, but now thanks to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) data collection we know exactly how hot.  Record’s across the country were shattered from Florida all the way up to Alaska.  The Alaskan weather station in Southeastern Fairbanks County recorded a sweltering 97 degrees (36.1 C) on July 11th!  After seeing my wallet-busting electricity bill for July I thought I might look into the causes and this is the data I found.  Good luck staying cool this summer!