Highest Temperatures Ever Recorded in Every Southern State
https://climate-crisis-247-bucket.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/07211944/nqgyiwr2u60-150x150.jpgOver the weekend, a heatwave broke out in the Southeastern United States – and in the coming days, high temperatures and humidity are expected to move through the mid-South. Already, triple-digit temperatures are in the forecast for parts of several Southern states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. In many of these same places, and in other parts of the South, sundown will offer little in the way of relief. According to a report from Climate Central, a non-profit research organization, overnight lows are expected to be as much as 15°F above average from Florida up through South Carolina and Tennessee.
Of course, 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 coming days, whether or not they will match or exceed historic records remains to be seen.
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