The Place With the Worst Heat Wave Right Now Has a 14ºF Spike Above Normal

How much have temperatures changed across the U.S.? I live on the East Coast, where the hotter temperatures have been noticeable for the past few weeks. The East Coast isn’t alone when it comes to experiencing heat waves. If you look at graphics for the highest deviation from July norms, the U.S. is framed in red.

Check out NOAA’s global temperature history as the difference is alarming. The global temperature keeps increasing by about 0.11ºF per decade. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s speeding up. If you look at how fast the temperature has increased since the early 1980s, it’s going up at about 0.36ºF per decade. It’s becoming noticeable.

When I was younger and lived in California, I don’t remember experiencing extreme heat. Sure, it was sunny and warm with mild winters, but my parents never relied on AC to keep us cool. Now on the other side of the country, I cannot imagine not getting my window ACs set up in the bedrooms and living room. It’s getting earlier each year, too. I used to not need them until June, but this year, we needed them by early May. It gets earlier each year.

I’m not alone. Global air conditioner sales increased by 5% over 2022. The residential market grew by over 9%. It’s expected sales in 2024 will top $63.2 billion. The hotter it gets outside, the faster AC sales increase.

In the past few years, heat-related deaths have increased to as many as 2,302 in 2023. That was about 600 more deaths than in 2022. Heat waves are not to be taken lightly, no matter what county you’re in. ( Read “The Highest Temperature Ever Recorded on Earth” to see the record high .)

Methodology:

To determine the counties experiencing the worst heat waves right now, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on daily average temperature from the NOAA’s nClimGrid-Daily program. Counties were ranked based on the raw differential in average daily temperature from the period July 1-6, 1981-2010 to July-16, 2024. Supplemental data on population is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey .

50. Kings County, CA

Naval Air Station Lemoore, Kings County, California ( BY-SA 2.0 ) by Ken Lund

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 88.0°F (+8.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 79.9°F
• Total population: 152,515
• County seat: Hanford

49. Jackson County, OR

Source: Jesse Stephens / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 72.6°F (+8.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 64.4°F
• Total population: 222,604
• County seat: Medford

48. Ventura County, CA

Ventura, California (5) ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) by Ken Lund

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 77.1°F (+8.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 68.9°F
• Total population: 842,009
• County seat: Ventura

47. Douglas County, OR

Source: halbergman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 70.9°F (+8.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 62.6°F
• Total population: 111,322
• County seat: Roseburg

46. San Luis Obispo County, CA

Entering San Luis Obispo Count… ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) by Ken Lund

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 79.5°F (+8.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.0°F
• Total population: 281,712
• County seat: San Luis Obispo

45. Tulare County, CA

Source: tupungato / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 79.9°F (+8.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.2°F
• Total population: 473,446
• County seat: Visalia

44. Coos County, OR

Coos Bay National Bank Bldg – Coos Bay Oregon ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) by Ian Poellet

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 70.0°F (+9.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 61.1°F
• Total population: 64,908
• County seat: Coquille

43. Fresno County, CA

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 80.8°F (+9.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.7°F
• Total population: 1,008,280
• County seat: Fresno

42. Siskiyou County, CA

Source: CampPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 73.1°F (+9.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 64.0°F
• Total population: 44,049
• County seat: Yreka

41. Tuolumne County, CA

Source: CampPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 74.8°F (+9.2°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 65.6°F
• Total population: 54,993
• County seat: Sonora

40. San Francisco County, CA

Source: bluejayphoto / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 71.4°F (+9.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 62.0°F
• Total population: 851,036
• County seat: San Francisco

39. El Dorado County, CA

Source: alacatr / Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 78.7°F (+9.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 69.1°F
• Total population: 191,713
• County seat: Placerville

38. Madera County, CA

Source: garytog / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.9°F (+9.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 72.3°F
• Total population: 157,243
• County seat: Madera

37. Sierra County, CA

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 72.5°F (+9.9°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 62.6°F
• Total population: 2,916
• County seat: Downieville

36. Merced County, CA

Source: Sundry Photography / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.1°F (+10.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 77.1°F
• Total population: 282,290
• County seat: Merced

35. Placer County, CA

Source: alacatr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 78.9°F (+10.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 68.8°F
• Total population: 406,608
• County seat: Auburn

34. Plumas County, CA

Source: jmoor17 / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 74.0°F (+10.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 63.6°F
• Total population: 19,650
• County seat: Quincy

33. Sutter County, CA

Source: martinalfaro / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 88.5°F (+10.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 78.1°F
• Total population: 99,101
• County seat: Yuba City

32. Curry County, OR

Source: Randy King / Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 72.9°F (+10.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 62.4°F
• Total population: 23,404
• County seat: Gold Beach

31. Mariposa County, CA

Mariposa, California ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ) by Ken Luu043fd

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.8°F (+10.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.3°F
• Total population: 17,130
• County seat: Mariposa

30. Shasta County, CA

Source: jgreesonarts / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.9°F (+10.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.3°F
• Total population: 181,852
• County seat: Redding

29. Trinity County, CA

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 77.7°F (+10.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 67.1°F
• Total population: 15,889
• County seat: Weaverville

28. Santa Cruz County, CA

Source: yhelfman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 74.8°F (+10.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 64.2°F
• Total population: 268,571
• County seat: Santa Cruz

27. Josephine County, OR

Source: kenlund / Flickr

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 74.3°F (+10.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 63.6°F
• Total population: 87,994
• County seat: Grants Pass

26. Nevada County, CA

Source: PaintedWorks / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 78.2°F (+10.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 67.5°F
• Total population: 102,322
• County seat: Nevada City

25. Yuba County, CA

Source: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.0°F (+10.8°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.1°F
• Total population: 81,705
• County seat: Marysville

24. Amador County, CA

Source: Michael Marfell / Moment via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.7°F (+10.8°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 72.8°F
• Total population: 40,577
• County seat: Jackson

23. San Mateo County, CA

Source: SpVVK / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 73.9°F (+10.9°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 63.0°F
• Total population: 754,250
• County seat: Redwood City

22. Tehama County, CA

Source: J. Marquardt / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 85.7°F (+10.9°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 74.8°F
• Total population: 65,484
• County seat: Red Bluff

21. Colusa County, CA

Source: CampPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.7°F (+10.9°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.8°F
• Total population: 21,811
• County seat: Colusa

20. Alameda County, CA

Source: DianeBentleyRaymond / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 80.8°F (+11.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 69.8°F
• Total population: 1,663,823
• County seat: Oakland

19. Yolo County, CA

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.5°F (+11.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.5°F
• Total population: 217,141
• County seat: Woodland

18. Stanislaus County, CA

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.1°F (+11.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.0°F
• Total population: 552,063
• County seat: Modesto

17. Monterey County, CA

Source: halbergman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 80.0°F (+11.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 68.9°F
• Total population: 437,609
• County seat: Salinas

16. Glenn County, CA

Source: JeffGoulden / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.1°F (+11.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 75.8°F
• Total population: 28,657
• County seat: Willows

15. Del Norte County, CA

Source: Jeffrey Schwartz / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 74.4°F (+11.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 63.0°F
• Total population: 27,462
• County seat: Crescent City

14. San Benito County, CA

Source: yhelfman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.7°F (+11.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 72.3°F
• Total population: 64,753
• County seat: Hollister

13. Humboldt County, CA

Source: sabinamoscovici0 / Shutterstock.com

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 75.8°F (+11.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 64.3°F
• Total population: 136,132
• County seat: Eureka

12. San Joaquin County, CA

Source: DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.3°F (+11.6°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 75.7°F
• Total population: 779,445
• County seat: Stockton

11. Butte County, CA

Source: AlessandraRC / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 86.9°F (+11.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 75.3°F
• Total population: 213,605
• County seat: Oroville

10. Solano County, CA

Source: jmsilva / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 85.0°F (+11.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 73.2°F
• Total population: 450,995
• County seat: Fairfield

9. Sacramento County, CA

Source: JasonDoiy / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 87.7°F (+11.7°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 76.0°F
• Total population: 1,579,211
• County seat: Sacramento

8. Calaveras County, CA

Source: Saopaulo1 / Wikimedia Commons

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 85.3°F (+11.8°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 73.4°F
• Total population: 45,674
• County seat: San Andreas

7. Santa Clara County, CA

Source: yhelfman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 81.5°F (+11.9°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 69.5°F
• Total population: 1,916,831
• County seat: San Jose

6. Contra Costa County, CA

Source: Sundry Photography / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 83.6°F (+12.3°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.4°F
• Total population: 1,162,648
• County seat: Martinez

5. Mendocino County, CA

Source: nathanphoto / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 78.9°F (+12.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 66.5°F
• Total population: 91,145
• County seat: Ukiah

4. Lake County, CA

Source: alacatr / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 84.2°F (+12.5°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 71.8°F
• Total population: 68,024
• County seat: Lakeport

3. Marin County, CA

Source: yhelfman / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 74.6°F (+13.0°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 61.6°F
• Total population: 260,485
• County seat: San Rafael

2. Napa County, CA

Source: Spondylolithesis / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 85.4°F (+13.4°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 72.0°F
• Total population: 137,384
• County seat: Napa

1. Sonoma County, CA

Source: RyanCSlimakPhoto / iStock via Getty Images

• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 2024: 80.0°F (+14.1°F hotter than normal)
• Avg. temperature, July 1-6, 1981-2010: 66.0°F
• Total population: 488,436
• County seat: Santa Rosa

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