Summer 2016 Was Record Hottest in 45 U.S. Cities

Jon Erdman
Published: September 5,2016

Locations with either their record hottest (orange dots) or second hottest (yellow dots) summer (June through August) on record in 2016. Locations with at least 60 years of data are shown.
(Data: Southeast Regional Climate Center)

Summer 2016 was the hottest on record in 45 U.S. locations, according to preliminary data compiled late last week by the Southeast Regional Climate Center.
The majority of the cities sweltering through a record hot summer were in the East, from the eastern Great Lakes and New England to the Appalachians and Southeast, including Florida.
(MORE: Earth Warming at Rapid, Unprecedented Pace, NASA Says)
Another 53 cities narrowly missed their record hot summer in 2016, among all cities we examined with periods of record of at least 60 years. These locations were clustered in the East, but also in parts of the Southwest, Alaska, and even Hawaii.

Northeast

Among the cities setting record hot June-August periods in the Northeast were:

Record Hot Summer 2016
(Data: SERCC)

	June-August Mean 2016 Temperature	Previous Record
Bridgeport, Connecticut	75.5 degrees	75.0 degrees (2010)
Cleveland	75.6 degrees	75.1 degrees (1949)
Concord, New Hampshire	70.5 degrees	70.1 degrees (1949)
Detroit	74.9 degrees	74.8 degrees (2012, 2005)

Among the cities who sweated through their second hottest summer were Providence, Rhode Island, Hartford, Connecticut, Philadelphia, and Rochester, New York.
(MORE: These 25 Cities Are Warming the Fastest)

Southeast

The largest number of cities setting or having their runner-up hottest summer on record in 2016 were in the Southeast.
Among those tying or breaking their previous hot summer record in 2016 were:

Record Hot Summer 2016
(Data: SERCC; * = tied for record hottest summer)

	June-August Mean 2016 Temperature	Previous Record
Charleston, South Carolina	84.1 degrees	83.4 degrees (2011)
New Orleans	85.6 degrees	85.5 degrees (2011)
Tallahassee, Florida	84.3 degrees*	84.3 degrees (2011, 1998)
W. Palm Beach, Florida	84.8 degrees*	84.8 degrees (2011)

Among the cities who sweated through their second hottest summer were Atlanta, Charlotte, Knoxville, Tennessee, Huntsville, Alabama, and Daytona Beach, Florida.
(MORE: July 2016 Was Earth's Warmest Month on Record)

Locations with either their record hottest (orange dots) or second hottest (yellow dots) summer (June through August) on record in 2016. Locations with at least 60 years of data are shown.
(Data: Southeast Regional Climate Center)

West

A number of cities in the Southwest, as well as Alaska and Hawaii, set notable June-August heat records, as well.
Among those shattering their previous record hot summer in 2016 were:

Record Hot Summer 2016
(Data: SERCC; * = tied for record hottest summer)

	June-August Mean 2016 Temperature	Previous Record
Anchorage, Alaska	60.8 degrees	60.2 degrees (1977, 2015, 2004)
Las Vegas	93.1 degrees	92.5 degrees (2007)
Palm Springs, California	91.5 degrees*	91.5 degrees (1959, 1957)

Among the cities whose summer was runner-up hot were Juneau, Alaska, and Salt Lake City, Utah.
(MORE: Hottest Summer Temperatures Coming Later in Summer)

Locations with either their record hottest (orange dots) or second hottest (yellow dots) summer (June through August) on record in 2016. Locations with at least 60 years of data are shown.
(Data: Southeast Regional Climate Center)

Looking at temperature anomalies in summer 2016, it's hard to locate any cooler-than-average areas anywhere in North America.

June-August 2016 temperature anomalies, in degrees Celsius, relative to 1981-2010 average.

The reason for the persistent summer heat in the East was the overall dominance of an upper-level dome of high pressure aloft.

June-August 2016 jet-stream level (250 millibars) vector wind anomalies, relative to 1981-2010 average. The dominant eastern U.S. ridge of high pressure is highlighted.

This feature is a common feature in the summer in the South. However, in 2016, this feature was often diverted to the north (a mean position in the image above was over, the central Appalachians), allowing hot, humid air to pump into the Northeast and persist for longer periods before a cold front finally arrived.

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