The Most Extreme Temperatures in the History of Every State

According to a May 2024 analysis from the Associated Press, more than 2,300 deaths due to excessive heat occurred in the U.S. in 2023, a record-breaking high. As alarming as those numbers are, that rate could skyrocket even further in 2024.

Part of an ongoing global heatwave driven by climate change and an El Niño weather cycle, June-August 2023 marked the hottest meteorological summer ever documented in the Northern Hemisphere, with temperatures roughly 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average. But May 2024 has already been noted as one of the hottest in the U.S., and with meteorological summer still to come, temps this year are expected to set even higher records. This trend persists through winter, too, as the contiguous U.S. just went through its warmest winter in 130 years of data recording.

As record-setting temperatures become the norm across much of the U.S., Stacker consulted 2023 data from NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee to identify the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state and Puerto Rico. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.

Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order.