Death Valley hit 125 degrees Tuesday, tying its September record high and missing the September world record by just 1 degree. Stockton, Calif., tied its all-time high of 115. Downtown Sacramento set an all-time high of 116 degrees on Tuesday, surpassing the previous mark of 114 from July 17, 1925. Several locations in the Mountain West set September record highs on Wednesday: Glasgow, Mont. Before 2022, it had only done so three times during September dating to 1928. It has hit at least 100 degrees seven times this month. Before hitting 107 on Wednesday, it hit 105 on Tuesday, 104 on Monday, 103 Saturday and 102 Thursday. It broke its previous September record high five times in seven days. Salt Lake City tied its all-time high of 107 on Wednesday. Here are some of the most significant heat records set since the heat wave began: This is exactly the kind of heat wave that is expected to become more common because of human-caused climate change, which has already made such events more intense, frequent and prolonged. On Wednesday, it set a calendar day record of 99. In June, Denver matched its earliest 100-degree reading. Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories are still in place for 45 million people in California, southwest Oregon, southern Nevada and parts of Colorado. The National Weather Service projects more will be broken or tied through Saturday. “This will be essentially the worst September heat wave on record, certainly in Northern California and arguably for the state overall,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA, in a live discussion on Twitter.Ĭhristopher Burt, author of a book on weather extremes, called Tuesday “one of the, if not the, hottest single day in California’s observed weather history.” That day, California’s power demand spiked to an all-time high.Īlthough the heat wave is slowly easing, it is still setting records. Gavin Newsom called it “unprecedented,” tweeting that it “will be the hottest & longest on record for September.” Sacramento, Death Valley, Stockton and Fresno all saw their warmest 7-day periods in September “by far” according to an analysis by weather enthusiast Don Sutherland.Īt the heat wave’s peak on Tuesday, California Gov.

Of all the states, California has seen the most extreme temperatures for the longest period of time.

When Death Valley soared to 125 degrees Tuesday, it fell just one degree shy of the September California and world records.

George, in the southwest corner of the state, hit 112 degrees Tuesday. Record-shattering temperatures have stretched from Arizona to Washington state and as far east as North Dakota.Īt least two states have posted their highest temperatures observed during September: In addition to its magnitude and duration, the heat wave has also been exceptional for its scope.

It’s the “greatest September heat wave ever west of the Rockies hands down,” tweeted weather historian Maximiliano Herrera on Wednesday.

Sacramento and San Jose, California, where it reached 116 and 109 degrees on Tuesday, clinched all-time records – meaning their temperatures exceeded levels observed on any previous day or month. Some places, like Salt Lake City, Sacramento, California, and Reno, Nevada, have broken their September records multiple times and by large margins. In just the past week, nearly 1,000 heat records have been broken, including more than 270 monthly records. And it’s not yet over – while the region’s heat wave peaked on Tuesday, among California’s hottest days ever observed, it’s expected to continue until Saturday, ending after a total of 12 days. 30 when Seattle and Portland set calendar day records of 90 and 100. The data supporting the assertion is overwhelming. The heat wave that’s been gripping California and other parts of the West for 10 days and counting is the most severe ever recorded in September, weather experts have said – confirming what California’s governor is calling the “hottest & longest on record” for the month.

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