The Most Extreme Temperatures in the History of Every State

On Aug. 16, 2020, California’s Death Valley reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an automated measuring system there, representing one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on the planet. The world record, also recorded at Death Valley, was 134 degrees in July 1913.

More than 210 degrees Fahrenheit separates the highest and the lowest temperatures on record in the United States, the third-largest country in the world. As some states are infamous for having blistering hot summers, others become inundated by winter storms and frigid cold. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the summer of 2019 was the second hottest in a 140-year record in the Northern Hemisphere. At 1.67 degrees Fahrenheit above the average temperature during the 20th century, the heat was so intense it shrunk the average Arctic sea ice coverage for that time of year by 30 percent.

Wyoming

– All-time highest temperature: 115° F (Basin on Aug. 8, 1983)
– All-time lowest temperature: -66° F (Riverside Ranger Station, Yellowstone National Park) on Feb. 9, 1933)
– All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 6.06 inches (Cheyenne WSFO Airport on Aug. 1, 1985)
– All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 49 inches (Hunters Station on March 21, 1924)

Yellowstone National Park stands out with its unparalleled natural beauty that features geysers, hot springs, lush forests, and picturesque canyons. In the winter of 1933, around a mile away from the park’s west entrances, the temperature recorded was -66 degrees.

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