Photo: Getty Images
People from Ohio are no strangers to bitter cold temperatures during the winter months. But what’s the most extreme temperature ever recorded in the history of the state?
Stacker wanted to know, so its team figured out the most dramatic records nationwide (with a hand from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Here’s how the data journalism hub did it:
“Stacker consulted 2019 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to create this slideshow illustrating 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.”
So, what’s the most extreme temperature Ohio has ever experienced? The all-time lowest temperature ever recorded was -39° F, which was recorded in Milligan on February 10, 1899. That’s a difference of more than 150 degrees from the all-time highest temperature of 113° F, recorded in Gallipolis on July 21, 1934. Stacker writes:
“During the statewide 1934 heat wave, residents of Gallipolis, a village in Ohio, bore the brunt of the highest temperature ever recorded in the state. Residents left their furnace-like houses in the hopes of finding a shady spot to cool off, while many slept on their rooftops, porches, or lawns. The oppressive heat made the death toll climb to 160 from July 20–26. An extreme heat wave during July 2019 made the mercury levels increase to 112 degrees in northern Ohio.”
See the full report here.