2022 North American heat waves explained

Fatalities:117[1]
Damages:$9.3 billion (2022 USD)
Start Date:May 13, 2022
Highest Temp F:127
End Date:September 21, 2022

From late spring to late summer heat waves in 2022 smashed many records in North America between May and September of that year. Dozens of temperature records were surpassed in the United States.[2]

May

The first round of intense heat came on May 13, when Caribou, Maine hit 90F, the second earliest on record.[3] The next day, three people who lived inside of a senior building passed away in Chicago, Illinois as a result of the heat, due to the air conditioning malfunctioning.[4] Later that month, in Memphis, Tennessee, when temperatures reached 91F, an infant died after being left unattended inside of a motor vehicle.[5]

On May 21, 2022, heat became prevalent in the Mid-Atlantic, resulting in a near record hot Preakness Stakes horse race, with Baltimore and Philadelphia having temperatures of 95F, Washington DC at 92F, and New York City at 90F.[6] This heat persisted into May 22, when Dulles International Airport hit 91F, breaking the daily high record, and Westfield, Massachusetts hit 93F.[7] Also on May 22, New York City sets a record high low temperature of 72F, although the high of 89F was not a record.[8] Very brief intense heat returned on May 31, as much of the New York Metropolitan Area set record highs that day.[9] Toronto also recorded a record high of 32.2C that day.[10] Further south, schools released kids early that day due to the heat, with highs forecast in the upper 90s Fahrenheit.[11] However, by June 1, a backdoor cold front reduced temperatures dramatically.[12] On May 31, Boston dropped from 82F to 63F in ten minutes.[13]

June

A historic heat wave affected the Midwestern United States and Southeastern United States in the second week of June 2022. In Phoenix, a daily record was tied, as the mercury soared up to 114 °F (45.6 °C).[14] In North Platte, Nebraska, a record temperature of 108F was recorded.[15] In Death Valley, a man died when trying to refuel gas as temperatures climbed to 123F.[16] In Rocky Mountain National Park, the excess heat resulted in rapid snowmelt, and the flooding forced a trail in the park to close.[17] A trail was also shut down at Joshua Tree National Park, where temperatures were predicted to reach as high as 117F.[18] Temperatures in Memphis soared to 98F, with a heat index of 110F. This forced over 125 million people under excessive heat warnings.[19] In Odessa, Texas, thousands of residents were left without water, even as the temperature got to 105F.[20] In San Antonio, every day in June 2022 was at least as hot as 97 °F (36 °C), except for June 28.[21] On June 13, St. Louis hit 100 °F (37.8 °C), breaking the daily record. In addition, from the 13–16, the morning low never went below 81 °F (27.2 °C), breaking the warmest morning low record for the next 4 days. In Chicago, Midway Airport recorded three days with high temperatures of at least 100F between June 14 and 21.[22] On June 17, the heat dome moved over the Mid-Atlantic briefly, causing a record high of 99F in Washington DC, and tying the record high of 96F in Baltimore.[23] [24] On June 20, Minneapolis set a daily record high of 101F, with a heat index of 105F. June 18 saw Mobile, Alabama have a record high of 100F.[25] This was the first time Minneapolis saw triple digits in four years. Grand Forks, North Dakota saw a daily high record of 100F in June 19, and Houston and Galveston saw record highs of 101F and 97F respectively on June 20.[26] Heat in Alaska triggered 31 wildfires.[27]

July

An intense, fatal heat wave swept through the United States in July. More than 100 million people were put on heat alerts, and over 85% of the country had temperatures at or above 90F. A man died in Dallas County, Texas, and a heat emergency was triggered in Washington DC due to temperatures over 95F, on the weekend of July 23–24. This extreme heat severely intensifies drought conditions. Arkansas and Missouri went from 1% and 2% of their states from seeing severe drought or worse, to a quarter and a third. On July 17, Winnipeg saw their highest ever dew point, at 27.4C.[28]

Temperatures in Abilene, Texas on July 20 hit 110F, breaking a daily record. Austin, Texas also saw a daily high record of 104F. Daily record high low temperature records were set, like in Needles, California, where the temperature never dipped below 95F on July 20. Record warm low temperatures were also set in Galveston (86F), Wichita Falls (84F), Houston (81F) and Laredo (81F), on July 20.[29] The heat wave was responsible for 18 other deaths, including 12 in Maricopa County, Arizona and one at Badlands National Park.[30] Witchita Falls hit 115F on July 20, a record for July, while on that day Oklahoma also reached that mark. Oklahoma City set a monthly record high of 110F.[31] Further east, every day from July 20 to 24 in Newark, New Jersey got at or over 100F, the longest streak on record. Boston also set a record high on July 24, at 100F.[32] When the heat wave broke on July 25, multiple flash flood warnings were issued with the cold front.[33] While most parts of New Jersey exceeded 90F for the 8th day, New York City was kept to 86F, thus keeping the heat wave to 6 days there.[34] Also, in New York City, for only the 3rd time, the entire month had highs above 80F.[35] Overall, July 2022 was the 3rd warmest July on record, 8th for daily maximum but had the warmest daily minimums at record, at 63.57F. Texas saw their warmest July on record, with an average high temperature of 100.2F.[36]

Later on in the month, another heat wave in Portland, Oregon causes 14 additional deaths. Portland saw 7 consecutive days at or above 95F, while Seattle saw six days at or above 90F, both breaking records for duration, by July 31.[37]

August

Intense heat continued into August. In early August, a heat wave forced 80 million Americans under heat alerts.[38] Albany, New York set a new daily record high of 99F on August 4.[39] On August 7, Portland set a high temperature record of 96F.[40] Boston set a new daily record high on August 8, at 98F.[41] On August 9, Philadelphia got an excessive heat warning due to heat indexes over 105F for two consecutive hours.[42] This led to a ten day long heat wave in Philadelphia, while Boston saw temperatures above 95F for six days in a row.[43] Due to this, the New York Metropolitan Area had a top 5 hottest August, and Islip, New York and Newark, New Jersey had their warmest on record,[44] and so did Philadelphia a little bit to the southwest.[45] Further west, Missoula, Montana saw their hottest August on record,[46] while Portland, Oregon recorded their warmest ever month.[47] August, like July, was the warmest for daily minimums.[48] Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire had their warmest August on record.[49] In addition, Newark set a record for the most days above 90F in August.[50]

September

On September 1, Death Valley hit 127F, a global record for September.[51] That day, parts of Interstate 15 near Centerville, Utah buckled.[52] On September 4, a monthly record was set in Casper, Wyoming at 100F.[53] Sacramento hit a record high on September 5, of 116F. San Francisco also had a daily record that day of 97F.[54] A monthly record high of Salt Lake City was set as well that day, at 103F.[55] California's power grid nearly broke.[56] There were two deaths – one each in Arizona and Idaho.[57] Later on in the month, Nashville set their latest day at or above 100F on September 21.[58] Nevada and Utah saw their hottest September on record, and the 3rd quarter of 2022 for the United States as a whole was the hottest on record.[59] September 2022 became the hottest on record for the continent of North America at large.[60]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Events Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters . National Centers for Environmental Information . October 11, 2022.
  2. Web site: Hundreds of temperature records broken as heat wave scorches the U.S. . July 24, 2022 .
  3. News: Jellig . Amanda . May brings the heat and snow too . October 29, 2022 . Spectrum News . May 21, 2022.
  4. News: Ward . Joe . After 3 Die At Rogers Park Senior Building That Didn't Turn On Its Air Conditioning, Alderwoman Calls For Investigation . May 22, 2022 . Block Club Chicago . May 16, 2022.
  5. News: Jacob . Gallant . Police: Toddler dies of heat exhaustion after left in hot car at day care . May 22, 2022 . May 19, 2022 . Action News 5.
  6. News: Johnson-Levine . Andrew . Intense heat scorches much of the East Coast, with more still to come . May 22, 2022 . May 22, 2022 . AccuWeather.
  7. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/22/1100609183/heat-records-weather-texas-northeast Large swaths of the U.S. set daily temperature records
  8. Web site: New York City May 22 Weather Records .
  9. https://www.silive.com/weather/2022/06/a-scorcher-for-the-books-multiple-high-temperature-records-shattered-in-nyc-area-tuesday-says-nws.html A scorcher for the books: Multiple high-temperature records shattered in NYC area Tuesday, says NWS
  10. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/05/31/toronto-records-new-temperature-high-for-may-31-beats-78-year-old-temperature-record.html Toronto records new temperature high for May 31, beats 78-year-old temperature record
  11. https://abcnews.go.com/US/record-high-temperatures-northeast-latest-forecast/story?id=85082259 Schools dismiss students early amid dangerous heat
  12. https://arcfieldweather.com/blog/2022/6/1/700-am-relief-today-following-the-passage-of-a-back-door-cool-front 7:00 AM | *Relief today following the passage of a back door cool front*
  13. https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/pollen-storm-boston-temperature-drop/ Dramatic temperature drop followed by "pollen storm" in Boston area
  14. News: Heatwave scorches central U.S., people urged to stay indoors . June 18, 2022 . Reuters . June 14, 2022.
  15. News: Wolfe . Elizabeth . Across the US, a day of extreme weather prompts heat warnings, severe flooding and power outages for hundreds of thousands . June 18, 2022 . CNN . June 14, 2022.
  16. News: Rosenthal . Zachary . Man found dead in Death Valley following record-breaking heat . June 18, 2022 . AccuWeather . June 16, 2022.
  17. News: Bloom . Matt . Flooding from snowmelt leads to Rocky Mountain National Park closures, tubing restrictions in St. Vrain River . January 15, 2023 . CPR News . June 14, 2022.
  18. https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/national-parks/joshua-tree-national-park-trail-closed-for-drought This Popular California National Park Trail Is Temporarily Closed Due to Extreme Heat — What to Know
  19. News: Freedman . Andrew . Record-breaking heat wave envelops nearly 130 million in U.S. . June 18, 2022 . Axios.
  20. News: Loy . Wyatt . No water. High heat. Residents cope with unimaginable circumstances . June 18, 2022 . AccuWeather . June 16, 2022.
  21. Web site: San Antonio. June Weather. April 9, 2023.
  22. NWSChicago . 1539337424181964800 . [3 PM CDT 6/21] #Chicago Midway Airport has officially reached 100° today for the 3rd time over the past week (June 14, 15, and today/6/21). O'Hare is currently 98°, which is the warmest reading of the day there so far. . June 21, 2022.
  23. https://www.nbcwashington.com/weather/heat-emergency-declared-in-d-c-chance-of-isolated-evening-storm/3079917/ Hottest Day of the Year: Friday's Temperature Hit 99 Degrees
  24. https://www.wmar2news.com/weather/weather-blogs/junes-all-time-hottest-temperature June's All-Time Hottest Temperature
  25. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/06/20/weather/record-heat-wave-southeast-second-week-monday/index.html Second heat wave expected to bring temps above 100 for 20% of people in US
  26. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/06/20/southeast-heatwave-record-temperatures-drought/ Excessive heat swelling from Midwest toward the South
  27. https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/record-temperatures-scorching-alaska-as-july-kicks-off/1209162 Record-high temperatures scorching Alaska as July kicks off
  28. News: Highest dew point on record at Winnipeg Airport today, at over 27°C. Great Falls, MB reached 29°C. Dew point is an absolute measure of water vapour/mugginess in the air. The provincial (and Canadian) all-time record is 30.0°C in Carman on July 25, 2007. #MBwx . January 15, 2023 . . Patrick Duplessis . July 17, 2022.
  29. News: Dangerously high temperatures will last through the weekend with millions of Americans set to experience triple-digit heat . July 23, 2022 . CNN . July 21, 2022.
  30. News: Sabes . Adam . Heat wave responsible for multiple deaths across US . July 23, 2022 . Fox News . July 23, 2022.
  31. https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2022/07/20/okc-weather-hits-record-high-110-degrees-july-19/65377692007/ Oklahoma heat wave 2022: OKC hits 110 degrees, setting daily heat record
  32. https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/wireStory/heat-wave-hit-pacific-northwest-year-deadly-event-87373872 Heat wave to hit Northwest as Northeast sees some relief
  33. https://pix11.com/weather/ny-weather-afternoon-storms-to-finally-break-heat-bring-relief/amp/ Flash Flood Warning issued in NYC, NJ as storms expected to break heat
  34. News: N.J. weather: Severe thunderstorm, flash flood warnings issued as fierce storms hit state . February 4, 2023 . NJ.com. July 25, 2022.
  35. Web site: July 2022 – Just the Second July with Highs of 80+ on Every Day .
  36. https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2022/08/july-2022-warmest-nights-in-u-s-history/ July 2022: Warmest nights in U.S. history
  37. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/01/heatwave-suspected-14-oregon-deaths Blistering heatwave suspected in 14 Oregon deaths
  38. News: Heat triggers alerts for more than 80 million in central, eastern U.S. . September 6, 2022 . Washington Post . August 1, 2022.
  39. News: Thursday's High Heat and Storms – The Unique Factors Pushing This Summer's Temperatures Up . September 6, 2022 . CBS 6 Albany . August 6, 2022.
  40. https://www.wmtw.com/article/how-hot-maine-records/40833308 How hot was it? Maine sets records
  41. News: Brutal heat wave in Boston is set to end Wednesday . September 6, 2022 . WBUR . August 9, 2022.
  42. News: Wood . Anthony . Philly heat is about to retreat after 3 days of triple-digit heat indexes . September 6, 2022 . Philadelphia Inquirer . August 9, 2022.
  43. News: Travis . Courtney . Rare summer nor'easter could bring lingering taste of fall . December 25, 2022 . . August 15, 2022.
  44. Web site: LI sizzled in record-breaking August heat .
  45. News: D’Onofrio . Mike . August marked a record scorcher in Philadelphia . December 25, 2022 . Axios Philadelphia . September 8, 2022.
  46. Web site: July and August Were the Hottest Missoula Has Ever Been .
  47. News: August Was Portland's Hottest Month Ever . February 4, 2023 . WWeek . September 2, 2022.
  48. https://www.noaa.gov/news/us-sweltered-through-third-hottest-summer-on-record U.S. sweltered through third-hottest summer on record
  49. https://climateimpactcompany.com/daily-feature-summer-august-2022-state-climate-rankings-2/ NOAA Summer/August 2022 State Climate Rankings
  50. https://www.silive.com/weather/2022/08/newark-breaks-record-for-most-90-degree-days-in-august.html Newark breaks record for most 90-degree days in August
  51. News: Death Valley hits 127 degrees, setting record for hottest September day on the planet . September 6, 2022 . CBS Los Angeles . September 2, 2022.
  52. https://ksltv.com/504538/record-breaking-temperatures-cause-road-to-buckle-in-centerville-i-15-backed-up-for-hours/ Record-breaking heat causes road to buckle in Centerville; I-15 backed up for hours
  53. News: Casper September heat record falls; heat wave to continue today through Thursday . September 7, 2022 . OilCity . September 5, 2022.
  54. Web site: Salahieh . Nouran . Ramirez . Rachel . Andone . Dakin . September 7, 2022 . Brutal heat wave shatters all-time records, threatens power outages across California. And a hurricane could prolong it . CNN.
  55. Web site: [//www.usnews.com/news/best-states/utah/articles/2022-09-05/heat-wave-breaks-all-time-september-record-in-salt-lake-city Heat Wave Breaks All-Time September Record in Salt Lake City ]. US News & World Report . 5 September 2022 . 9 April 2023.
  56. News: California pushed to the limit by a relentless heat wave that broke the mold . September 7, 2022 . Los Angeles Times . September 7, 2022.
  57. News: September 7, 2022 . California manages unprecedented power demand as historic heat wave in West enters 4th day . Fox Weather . September 7, 2022.
  58. https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-forecasts/near-freezing-temperatures-could-establish-new-record-lows-across-a-wide-swath-of-the-south/1263998 Near-freezing temperatures could establish new record lows across a wide swath of the South
  59. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/national/202209 September 2022 National Climate Report
  60. https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/dozens-of-cities-sweat-through-warmest-september-on-record North America sweats through warmest September on record

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