Heatwave Horror: Iowa’s Hottest Day Ever!

Death Valley holds the record for highest surface air temperature ever recorded at 134° F (56.7°C) Would you have been upset had I not included Celsius? That’s a warm temperature for sure but what’s the hottest temperature a little closer to home, Iowa? 

Iowa's hottest day ever

On July 20, 1934, Keokuk, Iowa, sizzled its way into the history books by scorching to 118°F, allegedly Iowa's hottest day ever—though neighboring thermometers seemed to have their own spicy takes. Just the day before, Knoxville tied the state's previous heat record at a blistering 111°F, while Clarinda and Council Bluffs eagerly joined the "hot club" with their own readings of 111°F and 110°F, respectively. 

The heat wave didn't just toast Eastern Iowa; it grilled the entire state like a giant lasagna. People were so desperate for relief that three unfortunate souls drowned while seeking respite in the water, and one guy, apparently driven mad by the heat, took a leap from a moving bus. Meanwhile, crops drooped like wilted lettuce, and some Iowa towns found themselves high and dry with water shortages. 

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It was not a short stay

The Midwest kept sweating bullets for the following week, with over 40 heat-related fatalities across Iowa alone. It was a record-breaking, sunbaked spectacle that left everyone feeling like they'd been left in the oven a tad too long. 

As temperatures gradually cooled, Iowa emerged from its sauna session of 1934. The scorching summer left everyone talking—about jumping from buses and drowning in desperation for a dip. It was a record-breaking heat wave that turned Iowa into the state's largest outdoor oven, with a side of wilted crops and dry towns. Yet, amidst the sweat and sunburns, it sparked a heat survival revolution. Cheers to Iowa for enduring the hot mess of '34 and coming out even hotter!