A List Of US, Europe, Global Heat Records Smashed This Summer

H​eat waves around the world have smashed records in parts of the southern United States, southern Europe, Africa and Asia in recent weeks this summer.

T​hese include all-time high temperatures, record hottest low temperatures and streaks of heat that set new standards even in places accustomed to stifling summer heat.

W​hat follows is a sampling of some of the most eye-popping, noteworthy heat records we've seen in recent weeks, by location.

(​US CURRENT MAPS: Temperatures | Heat Indices | Dew Points)

S​outhwest U.S.

-​ El Paso, Texas, crushed their previous record streak of 23 straight days of 100-degree-plus high temperatures by a whopping 21 days. They also tied their all-time record hottest daily low temperature of 85 degrees twice, on June 30 and July 15.

-​ Phoenix, Arizona, smashed its previous record streak of 18 straight days of 110-degree-plus high temperatures by almost two weeks. They also obliterated their previous record streak of 7 straight days of 90-degree-plus daily low temperatures by nine days, finally dropping to 89 degrees on July 27. They set a new all-time record hottest daily low of 97 degrees on July 19. Not only did they obliterate their record hottest month, but also a record hot month for any city in North America.

(​MORE: Over Two Dozen U.S. Cities Had Their Record Hottest Month In July 2023)

-​ Tucson, Arizona, tied its record 8-day streak of 110-degree-plus high temperatures from July 15-22. They also topped their previous record number of 10 110-degree high days in any year set in 1990 and 1994. Finally, they broke their previous record of 39 straight days of 100-degree-plus highs previously set in 2013, 2005 and 1987.

-​ Winslow, Arizona, reached at least 100 degrees for 25 straight days from July 2-26. That crushed its previous record streak of 16 straight days of 100-degree-plus high temperatures by a full week.

-​ Las Vegas tied its record streak of 10 straight days of 110-degree-plus high temperatures from July 14-23.

-​ Death Valley's Badwater Basin recorded a midnight temperature of 120 degrees twice, on July 17 and July 23. While the official observation at Furnace Creek didn't set an all-time record hot low, those 120-degree readings were thought to be the only occurrences of such extreme heat at midnight local time anywhere on the globe, according to weather records expert Max Herrera.

-​ Albuquerque, New Mexico, had it hottest days on record, when considering the average of the day's high and low, on both July 20 and 25. They also tied their all-time hottest daily low (79) on July 20.

-​ Among the all-time record highs tied or broken: Grand Junction, Colorado (107 – tied on July 17); Gallup, New Mexico (101 – tied on July 17); Las Vegas, New Mexico (100 on July 18); Kingman, Arizona (114 on July 15); and Reno, Nevada (108 – tied on July 16).

-​ Among the all-time record hot daily lows tied or broken: Mineral Wells, Texas (84 on July 14); Palmdale, California (82 – tied on July 17); Reno, Nevada (77 – tied on July 17); and Salt Lake City (82 – tied on July 23).

S​outheast U.S.

Put simply, Miami and much of South Florida sweltered in what is the area's longest, most intense heat wave.

Some notables and records set:

-​ Miami tied its record hottest day on July 23, when combining the day's high and low temperature, with July 24, 1983, according to Brian McNoldy, research scientist at the University of Miami.

-​ Among longevity records measured by both temperature and heat index, Miami also set a record for the most days with 95-degree-plus highs in any year, topping the previous record of 15 days from 2019.

-​ In the Florida Keys, Marathon tied its all-time record of 99 degrees on July 13 and 24, and set a new all-time hottest daily low of 87 degrees on July 18. Key West also tied its all-time record hot daily low of 87 degrees on July 12 and 18.

C​entral U.S.

B​oth Kansas City (120 degrees) and St. Joseph, Missouri (122 degrees), set record high heat indices on July 26, in records kept since 1972 and 1944, respectively.

A​ustin, Texas, is nearing its all time record streak of 100-degree-plus high temperatures at the Camp Mabry location.

A​laska

America's northernmost town, Utqiagvik – formerly known as Barrow – had its warmest stretch of 12 days or less in almost 103 years of records this July.

T​hat included an all-time record-tying warm low of 53 degrees on July 19 and 23, and three days with highs in the low to mid-70s. Highs in the 70s only happened 35 other times since 1920 prior to this warm spell.

W​hen taking into account the day's high and low, July 19 was Utqiagvik's warmest single day on record.

A​laska-based climatologist Brian Brettschneider also noted a reporting station south of Utqiagvik reported the warmest daily low temperature so far north in Alaska.

I​t was even warm enough for a cluster of thunderstorms over the Beaufort Sea ice pack north of Utqiagvik on the morning of July 24.

Europe

A multi-week heat wave smashed all-time records across parts of southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, from Spain to Turkey in July.

On July 18, Rome, Italy, smashed its all-time record, soaring to 109.2 degrees, topping its previous record from June 28, 2022, by just over 2 degrees Celsius.

T​hat same day, the Catalonia region in the northeast of Spain also topped its all-time record high, soaring to 113.5 degrees.

Earlier in the month, Austria's Sonnblick Observatorium, which recorded a high of 15.7 degrees Celsius (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit) on July 11 at an elevation of 10,200 feet.

T​he record heat turned up another notch the week of July 23.

P​alermo, Sicily, reached 116.6 degrees on July 24, smashing the city's all-time record high since at least 1865, and possibly dating to 1790, according to the Astronomical Observatory of Palermo.

Palermo also appeared to set a new record hot daily low for Europe on July 25, bottoming out at 97.2 degrees, according to Herrera. This reading was the same as the all-time hot daily low mentioned earlier in Phoenix, Arizona.

H​errera noted Jerzu on the island of Sardinia set a new European July heat record on July 24, topping out at 118.8 degrees.

A​lbania set its new all time record on July 25 (111.2 degrees at Kucova). The country's capital city, Tirana, also set its all time record (109.4 degrees) that day, according to Herrera.

S​everal locations in Greece and western Turkey also set new all time records on July 26, including Izmir (109.8 degrees).

A​cross the Mediterranean, Algiers, Algeria (119.7 degrees); and Tunis, Tunisia (120.2 degrees) each set all-time records. They were both believed to the be the hottest temperatures on record along the coasts of those two countries, according to Herrera.

G​iven all this heat, it was no surprise to see sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea were record warm in data since 1982, the Barcelona Institute of Marine Sciences told the AFP.

E​lsewhere Around The World

China set its all-time heat record on July 16, when the Sanbao weather station in Turpan city soared to 126 degrees.

Dozens of other locations in China have set new all-time heat records this summer, according to data compiled by Herrera.

Periodic heat waves since June have also set some monthly, even all-time records in parts of Japan.

A​nd it's been a searing hot late spring and summer in Central America and the Caribbean.

A​ll-time record highs have been set in recent days in the Cayman Islands and western Cuba, according to Herrera.

T​he heat records have been no less impressive in Canada.

A​ll-time records were set on July 4 in far northern Quebec and near the Arctic Ocean in Canada's Northwest Territories.

N​early two weeks later, an all-time record was smashed on Banks Island, north of the mainland of the Northwest Territories about 400 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Ten days after that, a cluster of thunderstorms was detected over the island, a rarity for so far north, as we alluded to earlier regarding a similar cluster of storms north of Utqiagvik, Alaska.

C​harlottetown, Prince Edward Island, had its all-time warmest daily low on July 18, failing to drop below 71 degrees.

I​n eastern Quebec, Natashquan soared to its all time record of 84.2 degrees on July 25, an impressive record given its coastal location along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

A​nd the observation at Gander, Newfoundland, had its highest dew point in records dating to 1959 (73 degrees). That's a muggy dew point more typical of the U.S. South or Midwest in summer, rather than Atlantic Canada.

(​MORE: July Will Be The World's Hottest Month On Record)

Here's how to stay safe: The hot conditions will be particularly dangerous for vulnerable groups, such as the sick and the elderly. The NWS has useful heat safety tips that can be incorporated into a daily routine when extreme heat sets in:

-Job sites: Stay hydrated and take breaks inside as often as possible.

-Indoors: Check on the elderly, sick and those without air conditioning.

-In vehicles: Never leave children or pets unattended – look before you lock.

-Outdoors: Limit strenuous activities and find shade. Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol.

(MORE: 4 Things Extreme Heat Can Do To Your Body)

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began with a close encounter from a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. He studied physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then completed his Master's degree working with dual-polarization radar and lightning data at Colorado State University. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X/Twitter, Facebook and Threads. 

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