If you can’t beat the heat, you can at least commiserate with the sweltering heatwaves that have hit us in recent years. Get yourself a cool drink, pull up a fan, and maybe take comfort if you’re in one of the areas that aren’t being hit with such extreme heat.
2012
Starting our list of sweltering heatwaves is one that ravaged the American Midwest. Temperatures in areas like Grand Rapids, Michigan saw temperatures of over 86° F. Chicago was heavily affected as well, with temperatures exceeding 87° F in March.
2013
One of the worst heatwaves to hit California occurred in 2013. This sweltering heatwave saw temperatures in Death Valley reach 129.2° F, the hottest temperature ever recorded for anywhere on the entire planet.
2016
2016’s summer went past hot for most of the Southwest and West Coast. Yuma, Arizona reached 120° F. As if this sweltering heatwave wasn’t enough, California saw extreme temperatures of 114° F in Riverside and 125° F in Needles.
2018
One of the worst things to experience in the heat is a power outage. Unfortunately, this nightmare scenario ended up happening to an estimated 34,000 Los Angeles, California residents during one of the most horribly sweltering heatwaves to hit the area. Power outages were further exacerbated by a week of temperatures reaching over 100° F.
2019
Before COVID-19 turned things upside down, the Southeast was ravaged by one of the worst heatwaves to hit the area. Temperatures across cities like Atlanta and Charlotte reached well over 100° F, something unheard of for late May. While Southern springs are warm, this is something else entirely.
2020
While the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, Northern New England was being hammered with one of the most extreme sweltering heatwaves on the books. Burlington, Vermont saw a high of 95° F on May 27th, a record for the city. Caribou, Maine saw temperatures of 96° F.
2021
The Pacific Northwest dealt with blistering heat in 2021, with one of the most sweltering heatwaves on record for the area. Seattle in particular reached an extreme temperature of 108° F, a record for the city.
2022
If you were looking for a scorcher of a year, 2022 has you more than covered for sweltering heatwaves. St. Louis, Missouri got to levels of heat not seen in years, with a maximum temperature of 101° F. Baltimore and Philadelphia alike hit 95° F, which was uncharacteristically hot for May.
2023
One of the most sweltering heatwaves on record came in 2023 for the American West Coast. Temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona raged at 110° F for 31 days, one of the hottest months for any American city in history. The extreme heat sadly would lead to around 600 deaths from the conditions alone.
2024
This year has been one of the worst on record when it comes to sweltering heatwaves. The middle of March 2024 saw a horrendous heatwave with temperatures in the Southern Texas town of Del Rio hitting 112° F. This heatwave mostly affected the Southwest and parts of California for the United States.
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