See the most extreme temperatures in Rhode Island 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-Aug.) on record in 2021, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Stacker consulted data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island records

- All-time highest temperature: 104° F (Providence on Aug. 2, 1975)
- All-time lowest temperature: -28° F (Wood River Junction on Jan. 11, 1942)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 12.13 inches (Westerly on Sept. 16, 1932)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 30.0 inches (Woonsocket on Feb. 7, 1978)

States with the highest maximum temperature

#1. California: 134° F (Greenland Ranch on July 10, 1913)
#2. Arizona: 128° F (Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994)
#3. Nevada: 125° F (Laughlin on June 29, 1994)
#4. New Mexico: 122° F (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (nr. Loving) on June 27, 1994)
#5. Kansas: 121° F (Alton on July 24, 1936)

States with the lowest minimum temperature

#1. Alaska: -80° F (Prospect Creek Camp on Jan. 23, 1971)
#2. Montana: -70° F (Rogers Pass on Jan. 20, 1954)
#3. Wyoming: -66° F (Riverside Ranger Stn. (Yellowstone NP) on Feb. 9, 1933)
#4. Colorado: -61° F (Maybell on Feb. 1, 1985)
#5. Idaho: -60° F (Island Park Dam on Jan. 18, 1943)