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People from Illinois 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 Illinois has ever experienced? The all-time lowest temperature ever recorded was -38° F, which was recorded in Mount Carroll on January 31, 2019. That’s a difference of more than 150 degrees from the all-time highest temperature of 117° F, recorded in East St. Louis on July 14, 1954. Stacker writes:
“East St. Louis recorded the state's most sweltering temperature on July 14, 1954. While the residents of East St. Louis first woke up to stifling 100-degree heat; by late afternoon, the temperature soared to 117 degrees. Residents in St. Louis recalled July 14, 1954, as the day ‘they were just cooked.’”
See the full report here.