Killer Heat, But St. George Still Not The Hottest It’s Been

You think it's hot?

Well, you're right. It is.

But at least it's not Death Valley hot, right?

From the news wire this morning:

"A motorcyclist is dead after being exposed to record-breaking heat in California's Death Valley National Park. The person was part of a group of motorcyclists riding through the park on Saturday, when the high reached 128 degrees. That broke Death Valley's high temperature record for the July 6th date. Another motorcyclist suffered severe heat illness and was transported to a hospital in Las Vegas. National Park officials say emergency medical helicopters could not respond because they cannot fly safely when it is more than 120 degrees outside."

That's right, it's so stinking hot that even rescue helicopters can't fly for safety reasons.

For the record, the hottest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 134 degrees Fahrenheit in July 1913 in Death Valley.

Also, every state in the United States has reached 100 degrees at least once in modern history --- even Alaska, which got to 100 degrees on Jun. 27, 1915.

Hawaii has also hit 100, but only once -- on Apr. 27, 1931.

Of course we all know by now that Utah's top temperature is 117 degrees, set in our hometown of St. George in 1985 (and tied in 2021).

It's no surprise that Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico all have higher temp records than Utah (128, 125, and 122, respectively). But did you know Idaho, Washington, Oregon and even North Dakota all have higher record temperatures than Utah?

Oregon hit 119 and Washington got to 120 back in 2021, while Idaho made it all the way up to 118 in 1934.

But North Dakota? Really?

On a sweltering July day in 1936, Steele, North Dakota, measured at 121 degrees Fahrenheit. In that same week, Gann Valley, South Dakota, got up to 120.

So as temps push 114 or 115 this week, we can ask: Is it hot? Yes. Has it been hotter? Absolutely.

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