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Worst Heat Waves in History

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worst heat waves in history

What are the worst heat waves in history? The climate in Ohio is gradually getting warmer and wetter, and persistent record heat is becoming ever more common, but do recent heatwaves compare to those of the past? Let’s find out.

To find out what the worst heatwaves were, I looked at average temperatures for different consecutive time periods- 2 days, 3 days, 7 days, 10 days, 14 days and 30 days. Unsurprisingly, some historically hot summers popped up, particularly from the 1930s.

Top 10 2-Day Periods with the Warmest Average High Temperature
1. 7/21-7/22/1934: 104.5
2. 7/20-7/21/1934, 7/8-7/9/1936, 7/11-7/12/1936, 7/13-7/14/1936: 103.5
3. 7/24-7/25/1934, 7/25-7/26/1934, 7/9-7/10/1936: 103.0
4. 7/3-7/4/1911, 8/5-8/6/1918, 7/10-7/11/1936: 102.5
5. 7/9-7/10/1881, 7/12-7/13/1936: 102.0
6. 7/3-7/4/1897, 7/21-7/22/1901, 6/27-6/28/1944: 101.5
7. 7/6-7/7/2012: 101.0
8. 7/8-7/9/1881, 7/4-7/5/1911, 6/28-6/29/1934, 7/14-7/15/1936: 100.5
9. 7/7-7/8/1881, 8/6-8/7/1918, 7/20-7/21/1930, 7/26-7/27/1941, 7/7-7/8/1988, 7/8-7/9/1988, 7/15-7/16/1988: 100.0
10. 7/10-7/11/1881, 7/17-7/18/1887, 7/2-7/3/1911, 8/4-8/5/1918, 7/19-7/20/1930, 7/26-7/27/1936, 9/1-9/2/1953, 9/2-9/3/1953, 7/13-7/14/1954, 8/3-8/4/1955, 7/5-7/6/2012: 99.5

Top 10 3-Day Periods with the Warmest Average High Temperature
1. 7/20-7/22/1934, 7/9-7/11/1936, 7/12-7/14/1936: 103.3
2. 7/24-7/26/1934, 7/8-7/10/1936, 7/10-7/12/1936, 7/11-7/13/1936: 102.7
3. 7/8-7/10/1881: 101.3
4. 7/2-7/4/1911, 8/5-8/7/1918, 7/21-7/23/1934, 7/7-7/9/1936: 101.0
5. 7/3-7/5/1911, 7/13-7/15/1936: 100.7
6. 7/7-7/9/1881, 7/10-7/12/1881, 8/4-8/6/1918: 100.3
7. 7/9-7/11/1881, 7/23-7/25/1934, 7/7-7/9/1988, 7/5-7/7/2012: 100.0
8. 7/3-7/5/1897, 7/19-7/21/1934, 7/22-7/24/1934, 7/4-7/6/2012: 99.7
9. 7/6-7/8/1881, 7/19-7/21/1930, 9/1-9/3/1953: 99.3
10. 7/26-7/28/1941, 6/26-6/28/1944, 8/30-9/1/1953, 8/31-9/2/1953, 8/2-8/4/1955, 7/6-7/8/1988: 99.0

Top 10 7-Day Periods with the Warmest Average High Temperature
1. 7/8-7/14/1936: 103.1
2. 7/9-7/15/1936: 102.1
3. 7/20-7/26/1934, 7/7-7/13/1936: 101.7
4. 7/10-7/16/1936: 100.7
5. 7/19-7/25/1934, 7/11-7/17/1936: 100.3
6. 7/6-7/12/1881, 7/6-7/12/1936: 100.0
7. 7/21-7/27/1934: 99.4
8. 7/7-7/13/1881: 99.1
9. 7/5-7/11/1881: 99.0
10. 7/4-7/10/1881, 8/28-9/3/1953: 98.6

Top 10 10-Day Periods with the Warmest Average High Temperature
1. 7/8-7/17/1936: 101.0
2. 7/7-7/16/1936: 100.8
3. 7/6-7/15/1936: 100.2
4. 7/9-7/18/196: 99.8
5. 7/5-7/14/1936: 99.2
6. 7/4-7/13/1881: 98.0
7. 7/10-7/19/1936: 97.9
8. 7/3-7/12/1881: 97.8
9. 7/5-7/14/1881, 7/17-7/26/1934, 7/18-7/27/1934, 7/19-7/28/1934: 97.7
10. 7/6-7/15/1881: 97.4

Top 10 14-Day Periods with the Warmest Average High Temperature
1. 7/5-7/18/1936, 7/6-7/19/1936: 97.9
2. 7/4-7/17/1936: 97.6
3. 7/7-7/20/1936: 97.5
4. 7/3-7/16/1936: 97.1
5. 7/8-7/21/1936: 96.5
6. 7/2-7/15/1936: 96.0
7. 7/2-7/15/1881, 7/4-7/17/1881, 7/9-7/22/1936: 95.6
8. 7/13-7/26/1934: 95.5
9. 7/14-7/27/1934, 7/15-7/28/1934, 7/1-7/14/1936: 95.4
10. 7/16-7/29/1901, 7/17-7/30/1901: 95.1

Top 10 30-Day Periods with the Warmest Average High Temperature
1. 6/29-7/28/1936: 92.7
2. 6/28-7/27/1936: 92.6
3. 6/27-7/26/1934: 92.5
4. 6/26-7/25/1934, 6/30-7/29/1936: 92.3
5. 6/28-7/27/1934: 92.2
6. 7/6-8/4/1936, 7/13-8/11/1955: 92.1
7. 7/10-8/8/1955, 6/28-7/27/2012: 92.0
8. 6/25-7/24/1934, 6/27-7/26/1936, 7/1-7/30/1936, 7/2-7/31/1936, 7/5-8/3/1936, 7/7-8/5/1936, 7/14-8/12/1955, 6/27-7/26/2012: 91.9
9. 6/29-7/28/1934, 6/26-7/25/1936, 7/3-8/1/1936, 7/4-8/2/1936, 7/8-8/6/1955, 7/9-8/7/1955, 6/18-7/17/2012, 6/20-7/19/2012: 91.8
1. 6/25-7/24/1936, 7/23-8/21/1955: 91.7

The heat waves in 1934 and 1936 dominated for high temperatures, and for the most part, nothing before or since has really come close. 1881, 1901, 1918, 1955 and 2012, among others, all make appearances.

The Top 5 Highest Single-Day Temperatures Ever Recorded
1. 7/21/1934, 7/14/1936: 106
2. 7/9/1936: 105
3. 7/22/1901, 7/4/1911, 7/25/1934, 7/11/1936, 7/14/1954: 104
4. 7/10/1881, 8/5/1918, 7/22/1934, 7/12/1936: 103
5. 7/12/1881, 7/4/1897, 8/6/1918, 7/24/1934, 7/26/1934, 7/8/1936, 7/27/1936, 6/28/1944: 102



A Dispatch headline on July 13, 1936.

Now that we’ve see the worst periods for high temperature, let’s look at the worst for the mean temperature, which is the average between the high and low. Because this measurement includes the low temperatures, it could be considered the definitive look at what the absolute hottest heat waves in history really were.

Top 10 2-Day Periods with the Warmest Average Temperature
1. 7/21-7/22/1934: 92.0
2. 7/9-7/10/1881: 91.5
3. 7/9-7/10/1936: 90.5
4. 7/20-7/21/1934: 90.3
5. 7/25-7/26/1934, 7/13-7/14/1936: 90.0
6. 7/10-7/11/1881, 7/3-7/4/1911: 89.8
7. 8/5-8/6/1918, 7/20-7/21/1930: 89.3
8. 7/10-7/11/1936: 89.0
9. 7/4-7/5/1911, 7/24-7/25/1934, 7/12-7/13/1936, 7/30-7/31/1999: 88.8
10. 7/11-7/12/1881, 8/6-8/7/1918, 7/8-7/9/1936, 7/11-7/12/1936: 88.5

Top 10 3-Days Periods with the Warmest Average Temperature
1. 7/20-7/22/1934: 90.5
2. 7/8-7/10/1881: 90.3
3. 7/9-7/11/1881: 90.0
4. 7/10-7/12/1881, 7/9-7/11/1936: 89.8
5. 7/12-7/14/1936: 89.5
6. 7/21-7/23/1934: 89.3
7. 7/7-7/9/1881: 89.0
8. 8/5-8/7/1918, 7/24-7/26/1934, 7/8-7/10/1936, 7/10-7/12/1936: 88.8
9. 7/11-7/13/1936: 88.7
10. 7/3-7/5/1911, 7/13-7/15/1936: 88.5

Top 10 7-Day Periods with the Warmest Average Temperature
1. 7/8-7/14/1936, 7/9-7/15/1936: 89.1
2. 7/6-7/12/1881: 89.0
3. 7/20-7/26/1934: 88.9
4. 7/7-7/13/1881: 88.6
5. 7/5-7/11/1881, 7/10-7/16/1936: 87.9
6. 7/19-7/25/1934: 87.7
7. 7/8-7/14/1881: 87.6
8. 7/21-7/27/1934: 87.5
9. 7/7-7/13/1936: 87.4
10. 7/4-7/10/1881: 86.9

Top 10 10-Day Periods with the Warmest Average Temperature
1. 7/8-7/17/1936: 87.4
2. 7/7-7/16/1936: 87.2
3. 7/5-7/14/1881, 7/6-7/15/1881, 7/9-7/18/1936: 87.1
4. 7/4-7/13/1881: 86.9
5. 7/6-7/15/1936, 7/7-7/16/1881: 86.6
6. 7/3-7/12/1881: 86.2
7. 7/19-7/28/1934: 86.0
8. 7/18-7/27/1934, 7/10-7/19/1936: 85.7
9. 7/20-7/29/1934, 7/5-7/14/1936: 85.6
10. 7/8-7/17/1881, 7/17-7/26/1934: 85.4

Top 10 14-Day Periods with the Warmest Average Temperature
1. 7/3-7/16/1881, 7/4-7/17/1881: 85.1
2. 7/6-7/19/1936: 85.0
3. 7/5-7/18/1936: 84.9
4. 7/7-7/20/1936: 84.6
5. 7/2-7/15/1881, 7/5-7/18/1881, 7/4-7/17/1936: 84.5
6. 7/3-7/16/1936: 84.3
7. 7/6-7/19/1881, 7/8-7/21/1936, 7/18-7/31/1940: 83.9
8. 7/13-7/26/1934, 7/14-7/27/1934, 7/15-7/28/1934: 83.8
9. 7/2-7/15/1936: 83.7
10. 7/1-7/14/1881: 83.6

Top 10 30-Day Periods with the Warmest Average Temperature
1. 6/27-7/26/1934: 81.4
2. 6/28-7/27/1934: 81.3
3. 6/26-7/25/1934: 81.2
4. 6/29-7/28/1934, 7/19-8/17/1940, 7/20-8/18/1940, 6/28-7/27/2012: 81.0
5. 7/18-8/16/1940, 6/29-7/28/2012: 80.8
6. 6/25-7/24/1934, 6/27-7/26/2012: 80.7
7. 6/21-7/20/1878, 6/24-7/23/1934, 6/30-7/29/1934, 6/30-7/29/2012: 80.6
8. 6/20-7/19/1878, 6/22/1878-7/21/1878, 7/10-8/8/1916, 7/11-8/9/1916, 7/13-8/11/1916, 7/14-8/12/1916, 7/1-7/30/1934, 7/17-8/15/1940, 7/21-8/19/1940, 7/8-8/6/2011, 7/9-8/7/2011, 7/10-8/8/2011, 7/1-7/30/2012, 7/2-7/31/2012, 7/3-8/1/2012, 7/4-8/2/2012: 80.5
9. 6/19-7/18/1878, 7/12-8/10/1916, 6/28-7/27/1936, 6/29-7/28/1936, 7/3-8/1/1999, 7/3-8/1/2011, 7/5-8/3/2011, 7/6-8/4/2011, 7/7-8/5/2011, 7/11-8/9/2011, 7/5-8/3/2012: 80.4
10. 7/9-8/7/1916, 6/23-7/22/1934, 7/11-8/9/1934, 7/15-8/13/1934, 6/30-7/29/1936, 7/13-8/11/1955, 7/2-7/31/1999, 7/2-7/31/2011, 7/4-8/2/2011, 6/19-7/18/2012, 7/6-8/4/2012: 80.3

1934 and 1936 still dominate, but other years show up more often as well. Only 2012 shows up with anything in the last 60 years, though. That year also saw one of the worst wind events in Ohio history, partially fueled by the heat of that summer: North American Derecho of 2012

Finally, let’s look at periods that featured consecutive days with highs of 90 degrees or higher. What are the longest?

# of Consecutive Days with Highs 90 or Above
1. 7/3-7/16/1881: 14
2. 7/18-7/30/1940: 13
3. 6/24-7/5/1934, 7/7-7/18/1936, 6/28-7/9/1949, 7/21-8/1/1999, 6/29-7/10/2020: 12
4. 7/20-7/30/1901, 8/4-8/14/1918, 8/25-9/4/1953, 8/8-8/18/1988, 6/28-7/8/2012: 11
5. 7/27-8/5/1887, 9/7-9/16/1897, 7/29-8/7/1955, 6/13-6/22/1994: 10

A short video and article from 2016 about the 1936 heatwave, still the hottest in history.
1936 Heat Wave



The Best- and Worst- Columbus Summers on Record

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Let’s be honest, Summer 2020 is hardly shaping up to be one of swimming pools and BBQs and beach vacations. With the virus continuing to rage nationally, it’s going to be the kind of summer many people watch from their porches or couches. So in that sense, 2020 certainly ranks up there as one of the worst summers ever. On the other hand, there’s probably going to be a bit less concern as to how the weather is. Still, here’s a look back on Columbus’ best and worst summers when it comes to weather.

I used a basic ranking system, much like I did with my Worst Winters of All Time post a few years back, to determine the severity of each summer’s weather. Here was the point system I used.

On temperature, I added one point for each of the following:
-# of 86 or Above Highs
-# of 70 or Above Lows
-# of 70 or Below Highs
-# of 50 or Below Lows
Each earned the summer a point for each day that featured these conditions, as either extreme heat or low temperatures during summer are generally considered a negative.

With precipitation, I added one point for each of the following:
-# of days with measurable precipitation.
-# of days with at least 1″+ of precipitation.

The more points a summer got, the worse the weather was overall.

Top 10 Worst Summers
1. 1935: 110
2. 1988: 108
3. 1949: 99
4. 1936, 1944, 1955: 97
5. 2012: 96
6. 1881, 1947, 1980, 1999, 2005: 94
7. 1901, 1916, 1931: 93
8. 1934, 1940, 2018: 91
9. 1941, 1977: 90
10. 1943, 1987: 88

If you like either very hot, very wet or summers with a combination of both conditions, these ones were for you.  It’s no surprise the 1930s and 1940s show up often.  Every summer between 1930 and 1944 had hotter than normal conditions.  No other similar period has matched it.

Top 10 Best Summers
1. 1904: 43
2. 1967, 1971: 44
3. 1922, 1960, 1984: 47
4. 2000: 49
5. 1962: 50
6. 1950, 1981: 51
7. 1884, 1886, 1985: 52
8. 1889, 2009: 53
9. 1929: 56
10. 1905, 1976: 57

If your preference is instead summers with little extreme heat and drier conditions, these were the best.

Now, you might wonder which decade had the best average and worst average summers.

Average Annual Points By Decade
1960s: 64.0
1900s: 66.2
1970s: 67.2
1920s: 67.8
1980s: 70.2
1880s: 70.9
1950s, 2000s: 71.2
1990s: 73.6
1890s: 75.1
1910s: 76.0
2010s: 78.7
1870s: 80.0
1930s: 81.9
1940s: 85.9

The 1960s had the best average score, with the 1940s easily claiming the top prize for worst.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 2010s featured more crappy ones than not.

To see a lot more summer and other weather records, check out:
Summer Season Records
Wilmington National Weather Service