Most extreme temps...your experiences?

[Charles Kuster]

Hottest; 120's in Death Valley, same date as others have mentioned. But, even though that was hot... It just doesn't compare to 103F with dewpoints in the mid 70's.

I agree with you. I think heat and humidity are much worse than dry heat. I was much more uncomfortable in Vicksburg, MS when the temperature was about 93F and the dew point was 79F than at anytime in Death Valley. I was more comfortable in Death Valley when I was walking around and the temp was 128F or when the temp "cooled down" to 111F at 1:00 in the morning. Maybe I am just bad with humidity in general because a "high" dew point for Leadville is 40F.

To keep on subject: the highest heat index I have ever felt was 112F in Vicksburg, MS.

 

[joel ewing]

Well, Nobody's probably reading this thread anymore, but I've lived in Az. for most of my life...so high temps are nothing new to me.
I've worked outdoors in some temps approaching the low 120's. And please..don't give me any of that old "it's a dry heat" nonsense. I'll tell you....120 plus will X-Ray you body from one side to the other! It ain't fun.

 

[Rocky Rascovich]

Rocky's extremes!

My most ectreme temps I've felt...the end of January 1989 near North Pole, AK and Delta Junction, AK...-60F

Hottest temp. July 1981 Goodyear, AZ. 112F..may have experienced close to that here in Piedmont July, Aug. '98

Most extreme weather ever observed: Snow in Palm Beach, FL. Jan 19 '77
I doubt anything will ever top that.

 

[Rocky Rascovich]

Suffocating heat

Just remembered...highest heat index I ever felt was aprox. 125F around Waupaca, WI. I believe that was in Aug. of '95 .temp. was 104F with a dewpoint of around 80 or 82 not sure exactly..I also remember after the Twin Cities flood back in July of '87...dewpoints in southern MN. that week were averaging near 80 with temps close to 100F...

The most suffocating heat I've ever felt has been in the upper midwest.

 

[Joel Wright]

When you get dewpoints up near 80° and heat index temps above 120° it gets very dangerous. Your body has absolutely no way to deal with it. It's built in "air conditioning" is essentially useless because your sweat just floods out and soaks your clothes, and very little evaporates/cools you.

A danger with dry heat though, is your sweat evaporates so fast you can very quickly become dehydrated without really knowing it, since you aren't sweating nearly as much.

I only have limited experience with dry heat, but the 125°+ heat index temps back in the 90's were extremely uncomfortable to say the least.

 

[David Draun]

Accuweather's forecast for Baghdad: Thursday, July 7: 129/97 high/low :shock:
Friday, July 8: 128/101 high/low :shock:

Now that is some heat! Thank God for no humidity!

 

[Ed Boik]

The highest heat index was right here in the Quad Cities of 131° in June of 1995. (The official Moline ob at the time was an unbelievable 100°/80° I believe)

I was 2 hours east of you in a cornfield sweltering in approx 135F heat index. 106/82. 106 is also the hottest air temp I can testify to in Streator, IL and Las Vegas, NV.

Coldest temp was -28° in Feb of '97 I believe here in the Quad Cities.

About -26 or so in DeKalb, IL in the same here, 1997. Wind Chills in the -40F to -60F range on the old scale.

 

[Steve Miller TX]

I survived the summer of 1980 in Texas. In late June of that year, we had about three days in a row of actual air temperatures from 110-113F and dewpoints in the 70's. That's a heat index of 130F. There was no relief wither because the overnight lows were in the mid and upper 80's. I know the air temps to be a solid fact because tey were record temps. The dewpoints and overnight lows are subject to my waning, aging memory, but I'm "pretty sure" those are right.