Hottest Cities 2011: Oklahoma City, Lubbock, Atlanta
As the country sweats through a heat wave, The Daily Beast reveals the season’s most miserable cities.
MATT ROURKE
As more than half the country sweats through a record-breaking heat wave, The Daily Beast reveals which cities are struggling with the most unprecedented heat this season.
Misery, it seems, is best served hot. As a heat wave embroiled 29 states over the last week and claimed the lives of at least two dozen people, 132 million Americans were urged to seek solace indoors, drink water, and conserve energy. Some of the country’s hotspots, like Phoenix and Las Vegas, are familiar with daily temperatures that surpass 100 degrees, but other metro areas are less conditioned for the record levels of heat and humidity that are predicted to continue through August.
Which city has had the most severe, sweltering surprises so far this summer? Lubbock, Texas, where 49 of the last 50 days have been, on average, 7.6 degrees hotter than normal, according to National Weather Service records. Lubbock is in good company; it’s one of seven cities in the Lone Star State that crack The Daily Beast’s list of this summer’s 30 hottest cities.
To compile the list, The Daily Beast combed weather history for the nation’s 100 largest cities. Each locale was ranked based on the total number of days in which the high temperature was recorded as higher than normal, as well as the average number of degrees higher than the normal temperature, from June 1 to July 20, 2011, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service.
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 49
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 8.8
High in June: 112°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 5.9
High in July: 103°
Ronald Martinez / Getty Images
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 50
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 7.3
High in June: 104°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 7.7
High in July: 110°
Sue Ogrocki / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 54
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 5.7
High in June: 99°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3
High in July: 100°
Gerry Broome / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 48
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 6.4
High in June: 106°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 7
High in July: 107°
Robert Galbraith / Reuters
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 49
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 6.1
High in June: 106°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 5.3
High in July: 104°
Harry Cabluck / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 48
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 6.1
High in June: 97°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 5.9
High in July: 95°
Andrew Fielding / Southcreek Global / ZUMApress
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 48
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 5.4
High in June: 103°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 5.5
High in July: 106°
Mike Stone/ Reuters / Landov
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 44
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 5.9
High in June: 105°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 7.7
High in July: 111°
Jim Reed
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 49
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4.7
High in June: 104°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.5
High in July: 101°
Eric Gay / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 46
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 5
High in June: 99°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.6
High in July: 99°
Lance Murphey / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 47
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4.8
High in June: 113°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 2.7
High in July: 107°
John Moore / Gettty Images
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 42
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 6.2
High in June: 99°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.4
High in July: 98°
Joe Songer / Birmingham News / Landov
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 44
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 5.7
High in June: 99°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3
High in July: 100°
Chuck Liddy / Raleigh News & Observer / MCT / Landov
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 45
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4.6
High in June: 108°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.8
High in July: 103°
Juan Carlos Llorca / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 47
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 3.6
High in June: 102°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 2.1
High in July: 99°
Aaron M. Sprecher / EPA / Corbis
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 44
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 3.3
High in June: 100°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.5
High in July: 97°
Jim Thompson / Albuquerque Journal / ZUMAPRESS
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 43
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4.2
High in June: 103°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 2.8
High in July: 98°
Patrick Semansky / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 44
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 3.1
High in June: 99°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.5
High in July: 96°
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 42
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4.4
High in June: 96°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 2
High in July: 97°
John Bazemore / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 43
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4.3
High in June: 100°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 2.1
High in July: 100°
Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 40
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 2
High in June: 95°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 5.2
High in July: 98°
Darron Cummings / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 38
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 3.1
High in June: 95°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.6
High in July: 97°
Patti Longmire / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 37
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 3.9
High in June: 100°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3.2
High in July: 95°
Steve Ruark
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 37
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 2.4
High in June: 93°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 5.1
High in July: 94°
Mark Duncan / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 41
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 2.1
High in June: 95°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 1.7
High in July: 95°
Shaun Best / Reuters
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 35
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4
High in June: 97°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 3
High in July: 96°
Nick Wass / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 36
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 2.5
High in June: 102°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 4.5
High in July: 99°
Julio Cortez / AP Photo
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 36
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 4.3
High in June: 98°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 1.6
High in July: 97°
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 35
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 2.4
High in June: 97°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 5.2
High in July: 98°
Photo by Online USA
Hotter than normal days since June 1: 33
Average degrees hotter than normal in June: 2.9
High in June: 98°
Average degrees hotter than normal in July: 4.2
High in July: 102°
Bill Greenblatt / Landov / UPI
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