See the most extreme temperatures in Delaware history
On July 9, 2021, California's Death Valley reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an automated measuring system there, representing one of the highest temperatures ever recorded on the planet. The world record, also recorded at Death Valley, was 134 degrees in July 1913.
More than 210 degrees Fahrenheit separates the highest and the lowest temperatures on record in the United States, the third-largest country in the world. As some states are infamous for having blistering hot summers, others become inundated by winter storms and frigid cold. The contiguous U.S. had its warmest meteorological summer (June-August) on record in 2021, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.
Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.
Keep reading to find out your state's record, or see the national list here.
Delaware by the numbers
- All-time highest temperature: 110° F (Millsboro on July 21, 1930)
- All-time lowest temperature: -17° F (Millsboro on Jan. 17, 1893)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 8.5 inches (Dover on July 13, 1975)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 25 inches (Dover on Feb. 19, 1979)
Millsboro is one of the two cities in the United States that holds the record for both the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in a state. Also of interest was a major east coast cyclone in 1979 that brought record-breaking snowfall to the Mid-Atlantic states. Because of this, Dover received the most snowfall in the history of Delaware's climate. In comparison to the 25 inches of snow recorded in Dover in February 1979, there were only 4–6 inches of snowfall in January 2019.
Continue below to see the most extreme temperatures in the history of other states in your region.
Maryland by the numbers
- All-time highest temperature: 109° F (Cumberland on Aug. 6, 1918)
- All-time lowest temperature: -40° F (Oakland 1 SE on Jan.13, 1912)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.75 inches (Jewell on July 26–27, 1897)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 31 inches (Clear Spring 1 ENE on March 29, 1942)
The greatest record 24-hour total rainfall in Maryland was in Jewell on July 26–27, 1897. In mid-October, Maryland experienced coastal flooding because of Tropical Storm Melissa that kept increasing water levels at the Chesapeake Bay as floods were 2.5 feet higher than usual.
New Jersey by the numbers
- All-time highest temperature: 110° F (Runyon on July 10, 1936)
- All-time lowest temperature: -34° F (River Vale on Jan. 5, 1904)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 14.81 inches (Tuckerton 2 Ne on Aug. 19–20, 1939)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 32 inches (Rutherford on Dec. 14, 1915)
According to New Jersey State climatologist David Robinson, several factors contributed to River Vale recording the state's coldest day. Two of the biggest reasons were River Vale's unique location and barren landscape. To top that off, River Vale had some heavy snowfall on the same day that made the location excessively cold in January 1904.
