See the most extreme temperatures in Kentucky 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.
Kentucky by the numbers
- All-time highest temperature: 114° F (Greensburg on July 28, 1930)
- All-time lowest temperature: -37° F (Shelbyville 1 E on Jan. 19, 1994)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 10.48 inches (Louisville WFO on March 1, 1997)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 26 inches (Simers on March 3, 1942)
The flood of 1997 in Louisville resulted in 10.48 inches of rainfall within one day on March 1, 1997. The deluge intensified when smaller streams started overflowing rapidly, which in turn caused the worst flooding along the Ohio River. As if the large amounts of flooding wasn't bad enough, tornadoes were also reported from Arkansas to southern Kentucky.
Continue below to see the most extreme temperatures in the history of other states in your region.
Illinois by the numbers
- All-time highest temperature: 117° F (East St. Louis on July 14, 1954)
- All-time lowest temperature: -38° F (Mount Carroll on Jan. 31, 2019)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 16.91 inches (Aurora on July 18, 1996)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 36 inches (Astoria on Feb. 28, 1900)
East St. Louis recorded the state's most sweltering temperature on July 14, 1954. While the residents of East St. Louis first woke up to stifling 100-degree heat; by late afternoon, the temperature soared to 117 degrees. Residents in St. Louis recalled July 14, 1954, as the day "they were just cooked."
Indiana by the numbers
- All-time highest temperature: 116° F (Collegeville St Joseph County Airport on July 14, 1936)
- All-time lowest temperature: -36° F (New Whiteland on Jan. 19, 1994)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 10.5 inches (Princeton 1 W on Aug. 6, 1905)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 33 inches (Salem on Dec. 23, 2004)
On Aug. 6, 1905, Princeton, a city in Indiana's Gibson County, recorded the highest one-day-long rainfall event in the state at 10.5 inches. More recently, in June 2019, severe storms in central and southern Indiana caused floods that left thousands of households powerless. Several roads also had to be closed after there were reports of cars being stuck in the floods.
