The hottest temperatures on record in Ohio

OHIO — Ohio’s highest temperature ever recorded occurred on July 21, 1934, when the mercury soared to a staggering 113 degrees Fahrenheit near Gallipolis in the southeastern part of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

The sweltering heat came during one of the most intense heat waves in U.S. history, part of the infamous Dust Bowl era of the 1930s.

That week, temperatures across Ohio and much of the Midwest broke records and claimed hundreds of lives as communities struggled to cope with extreme drought and relentless sun.

The heat wave of July 1934 wasn’t a standalone event. Just two years later, in July 1936, another historic scorcher rolled through Ohio.

Cities across the state recorded some of their all-time highest temperatures. In Columbus, the temperature reached 106 degrees—matching its previous record set in 1934.

Cincinnati also felt the heat, with multiple days in July 1934 reaching up to 108 degrees. Zanesville, another Ohio city often hit hard by heat, reported highs of 106 degrees on both July 14, 1936, and July 25, 1934.

Other Ohio cities, while not reaching Gallipolis’s extreme high, still recorded searing temperatures during these years. Cleveland’s hottest day came more recently, on June 25, 1988, when it hit 104 degrees.

Youngstown peaked at 103 degrees during the July 1936 heat wave. Even these slightly lower figures were enough to overwhelm communities and cause widespread discomfort and danger, especially before the widespread use of air conditioning.

Ohio’s hottest years remain locked in the 1930s, when drought, poor soil conditions, and stagnant weather patterns combined to create some of the most brutal heat in recorded history.

Since then, although the state has experienced hot summers and short bursts of extreme heat, no place in Ohio has surpassed the 113-degree mark set over 90 years ago.

With concerns over global climate change mounting, scientists warn that longer and more frequent heat waves could again test Ohio’s limits.

But for now, the record set in Gallipolis in 1934 still stands as the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Buckeye State.