The Highest Temperatures Ever Recorded in the South

High-temperatures are nothing new in the summer months – particularly in the South, which is home to many of the states with the warmest climates in the country. While temperatures across the region are forecast to be well above average in the summer, they even sometimes match or exceed historic records.

Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s State Climate Extremes Committee, Climate Crisis 247 identified the hottest temperatures ever recorded in each state in the American South. Supplemental date and location data for each state’s record-high temperature are also from NOAA. Southern states were determined using the classification system established by the U.S. Census Bureau. States are listed in alphabetical order.

Across the 16 states on this list, record high temperatures range from 109°F to 120°F. Half a dozen of these states reported their hottest temperature on record in the month of July, and another six reported their all-time in August. In the remaining four states, record breaking heat was in either June or September.

Alabama

• Highest temperature on record: 112°F
• Most recent date of record-high: September 6, 1925
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Centerville

Arkansas

• Highest temperature on record: 120°F
• Most recent date of record-high: August 10, 1936
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Ozark

Delaware

• Highest temperature on record: 110°F
• Most recent date of record-high: July 21, 1930
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Millsboro

Florida

• Highest temperature on record: 109°F
• Most recent date of record-high: June 29, 1931
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Monticello

Georgia

• Highest temperature on record: 112°F
• Most recent date of record-high: August 20, 1983
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Greenville

Kentucky

• Highest temperature on record: 114°F
• Most recent date of record-high: July 28, 1930
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Greensburg

Louisiana

• Highest temperature on record: 114°F
• Most recent date of record-high: August 10, 1936
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Plain Dealing

Maryland

• Highest temperature on record: 109°F
• Most recent date of record-high: August 7, 1918
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Cumberland

Mississippi

• Highest temperature on record: 115°F
• Most recent date of record-high: July 29, 1930
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Holly Springs

North Carolina

• Highest temperature on record: 110°F
• Most recent date of record-high: August 21, 1983
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Fayetteville

Oklahoma

• Highest temperature on record: 120°F
• Most recent date of record-high: July 19, 1936
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Altus

South Carolina

• Highest temperature on record: 113°F
• Most recent date of record-high: June 29, 2012
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: University of South Carolina, Columbia

Tennessee

• Highest temperature on record: 113°F
• Most recent date of record-high: August 9, 1930
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Perryville

Texas

• Highest temperature on record: 120°F
• Most recent date of record-high: June 28, 1994
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Monahans

Virginia

• Highest temperature on record: 110°F
• Most recent date of record-high: July 15, 1954
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Balcony Falls

West Virginia

• Highest temperature on record: 112°F
• Most recent date of record-high: July 10, 1936
• Location of weather station(s) that reported record heat: Martinsburg