Ninety-four years ago, temperatures became hotter and hotter as the summer progressed. A pervasive heat wave went on to set all-time state records and it set the tone for widespread heat and drought for most of the “Dust Bowl” decade.
Brutal Heat With All-Time Records
Residents of the U.S. were ill-prepared for an onslaught of summer heat back in 1930. Air conditioning was a luxury and most folks had to deal with the elements. By late July, intense heat extended from the Plains to the Eastern Seaboard.
Washington, D.C. endured 10 days of dangerous heat from July 19th to July 29th with temperatures reaching at least 100 degrees. The highest temperature during that stretch was 106 degrees, their all-time record high. According to the Washington Post, some thermometers on that day recorded temperatures of 108 and 110 degrees in the city. Up to 30 people lost their lives there from the heat.
On July 21, 1930, high temperatures of 100 degrees, or higher, were widespread from the Plains to parts of the Midwest and South, all the way to the Mid-Atlantic region.
The map above indicates widespread high temperatures of 100 degrees or greater on July 21, 1930.
The heat wasn’t confined to Washington, D.C. Suffocating heat was widespread. Several state records were set during the last part of July. On July 29th Perryville, Tennessee, recorded 113 degrees while Holly Springs, Mississippi, suffered with a high of 115 degrees!
It has been estimated that the U.S. death toll reached four digits during the summer of 1930. The heat extended into August, as well. On August 4th the all-time state record was set at Moorfield, West Virginia as they reached 112 degrees. An August record of 108 degrees was set at Carlisle, PA on the same day.
As the summer of 1930 came to an end, little did anyone know that this would be the first of many hot summers across much of the U.S. during the 1930s. Rainfall became scarce during that decade across the midsection of the nation and that was one of the factors that led to the “Dust Bowl”. Heat and drought became the “norm” during that decade. The summer of 1936 was even hotter than 1930 across much of the nation!
Setup For Extreme Heat
A ridge of high pressure aloft (or bulge in the jet stream) established itself over the Southeastern U.S. during July of 1930. In these situations, the air sinks and warms, resulting in mainly clear skies and hot temperatures.
To make the situation even worse, an extremely hot air mass (Continental Tropical) from the deserts of Northern Mexico flowed into the U.S. on the back side of the massive high-pressure ridge aloft!
The effects of this ridge expanded northward and westward and it refused to break down easily or quickly. As a result, high temperatures in the 90s, and quite often over 100 degrees became a daily occurrence from Texas, up through the Plains and Midwest, and eastward to the Atlantic.
The summer of 1930 contributed to the overall hardships that the general population had to endure during the Great Depression. A sprawling ridge of high pressure aloft became a frequent visitor over much of the nation in the following summers.
