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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
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°
