Hottest Places in United States

Places With Highest Temperatures

North America's highest temperature ever recorded is 134 degrees Fahrenheit (56.7 degrees Celsius), which occurred at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California on July 10, 1913. No other United States location has come close to experiencing such intense heat.

The 134 °F reading in Death Valley was declared the world's most extreme high temperature by the World Meteorological Organization in 2012. After reviewing records, WMO concluded that a September 13, 1922 measurement of 136.4 °F (58 °C) in El Azizia, Libya resulted from errors, rather than exceptional heat.

During the century that followed setting the world record, the hottest day in Death Valley was a relatively balmy 129 °F. The Mojave Desert site didn't heat up to 130 °F again until August 2020.

Temperatures over 125 °F (48.9 °C) are unusual events, even in the hottest places of the United States, except Death Valley. Extreme heat in the country is largely confined to a small region of lower elevations in the Mojave Desert. The area stretches roughly from Palm Springs to Phoenix and extends north up the Colorado River to Las Vegas.

Here is a sampling of places and dates when the thermometer has climbed to lofty highs.

Examples of extreme high temperatures officially recorded in the United States

Location	°F	°C	Date
Death Valley, California	134	56.7	July 10, 1913
Death Valley, California	130	54.4	August 16, 2020
Death Valley, California	130	54.4	July 9, 2021
Death Valley, California	129	53.9	July 18, 1998
Death Valley, California	129	53.9	July 20, 2005
Death Valley, California	129	53.9	July 7, 2007
Death Valley, California	129	53.9	July 1, 2013
Death Valley, California	128	53.3	June 30, 1994
Death Valley, California	128	53.3	July 10, 2002
Death Valley, California	128	53.3	July 19, 2009
Death Valley, California	128	53.3	July 12, 2012
Death Valley, California	128	53.3	June 30, 2013
Death Valley, California	128	53.3	July 4, 2013
Lake Havasu City, Arizona	128	53.3	June 29, 1994
Gold Rock Ranch, California	127	52.8	July 28, 1995
Blythe, California	126	52.2	June 21, 2016
Bullhead City, Arizona	126	52.2	June 22, 2017
Mecca, California	126	52.2	June 26, 1990
Palmdale, California	126	52.2	July 28, 1995
Stovepipe Wells, California	126	52.2	August 17, 2020
Thermal, California	126	52.2	July 28, 1995
Buckeye, Arizona	125	51.7	July 28, 1995
Laughlin, Nevada	125	51.7	June 29, 1994
Laveen, Arizona	125	51.7	July 28, 1995
Litchfield Park, Arizona	125	51.7	July 29, 1995
Needles Airport, California	125	51.7	July 17, 2005
Needles Airport, California	125	51.7	June 20, 2016
Needles Airport, California	125	51.7	June 20, 2017
Parker, Arizona	125	51.7	June 21, 2016
Willow Beach, Arizona	124	51.1	July 19, 2005
Yuma Airport, Arizona	124	51.1	July 28, 1995
Casa Grande Monument, Arizona	123	50.6	June 30, 1994
Palm Springs, California	123	50.6	July 28, 1995
Baker, California	122	50.0	July 1, 2013
Phoenix Airport, Arizona	122	50.0	June 26, 1990
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, NM	122	50.0	June 27, 1994

Warmest Places All Year

Out of 7,247 weather stations across the United States, just some in four states report an average year-round temperature of over 77 °F (25 °C). Most of these stations are located in southern Florida or Hawaii. Death Valley also makes the list, as does one site in Texas.

The mean annual temperatures given here are 30-year averages, based on weather data collected from 1991 to 2020 for the US National Centers for Environmental Information.

Places in the United States with the highest mean annual temperature

Location	Mean °F	Mean °C
Key West, Florida	78.9	26.0
Pu'ukohola Heiau Historic Site, HI	78.9	26.0
Death Valley, California	78.8	26.0
Marathon, Florida	78.8	26.0
Key Biscayne, Florida	78.7	25.9
Kailua Kona, Big Island, Hawaii	78.3	25.7
Honolulu Airport, Oahu, Hawaii	78.1	25.6
Islamorada, Florida	77.9	25.5
Crawl Key, Florida	77.8	25.4
Key Largo, Florida	77.8	25.4
Dry Tortugas, Florida	77.8	25.4
Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii	77.7	25.4
Bahia Honda Key, Florida	77.6	25.3
Duck Key, Florida	77.6	25.3
Miami International Airport, FL	77.5	25.3
Mahaulepu, Kauai, Hawaii	77.4	25.2
McAllen, Texas	77.4	25.2
Pembroke Pines, Florida	77.4	25.2
Pompano Beach, Florida	77.2	25.1
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii	77.1	25.1
Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii	77.1	25.0

In another four states, a few locations achieve an average yearly temperature that's above 70 °F.

US places with mean annual temperature between 70 and 77 °F

Location	Mean °F	Mean °C
Yuma, Arizona	76.0	24.4
Phoenix, Arizona	75.6	24.2
Laughlin, Nevada	74.1	23.4
New Orleans, Audubon Park, LA	71.8	22.1
Callville Bay, Nevada	71.7	22.1
Buras, Louisiana	70.3	21.3
Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge, Georgia	70.3	21.3

Places With the Most 100-Degree Weather

The day's temperature at a smattering of places in California and Arizona peaks in the 100s Fahrenheit, (above 37 °C) for over one-third of the year.

Average number of days a year with temperatures in the 100s Fahrenheit

Location	Days Over 99 °F
Death Valley, California	147
Bullhead City, Arizona	135
Gila Bend, Arizona	134
Yuma Quartermaster Depot, AZ	133
Stovepipe Wells, California	133
Blythe, California	131
Lake Havasu, Arizona	128
Mecca, California	128
Parker, Arizona	126
Tacna, Arizona	126
Willow Beach, Arizona	126
Maricopa, Arizona	124
Palm Springs, California	123
Alamo Lake, Arizona	122
Eloy, Arizona	122
Blythe, California	122
Needles, California	122

Most Days With Highest Temperature

When it comes to being the hottest place in the continental United States for any single day, Death Valley once again far outpaces the competition. During a recent decade, Death Valley ranked as the day's number one hottest spot nearly three times as often as any other US location.

Top ten places for number of days from 1995 to 2005 with the highest temperature in the USA

Location	Days
Death Valley, California	803
Lake Havasu City, Arizona	276
McAllen, Texas	231
Coolidge, Arizona	215
Thermal, California	202
Laredo, Texas	197
Bullhead City, Arizona	177
Fort Meyers, Florida	159
Lajitas, Texas	138
Gila Bend, Arizona	98