1911 Eastern North America heat wave
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The 1911 Eastern North America heat wave was an 11-day severe
heat wave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...
that killed at least 380 people though estimates have put the death toll as high as 2,000 people. The heat wave began on July 4, 1911 and didn't cease until July 15. In
Nashua, New Hampshire Nashua is a city in southern New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 91,322, the second-largest in northern New England after nearby Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester. Along with Manc ...
, the temperature peaked at 106 °F (41 °C). In New York City alone, 158 people and 600 horses died.


Description

Throughout June, the temperature had been consistent with what normally was felt during New England summers, but starting in July, dry air which originated from the southern great plains began to flow into Canada before being swept south toward the east coast. The hot wind suppressed cooler ocean breezes, and this caused the temperature to rise so suddenly and dramatically that in Providence there was an 11 degree rise in temperature in a half hour. The area between Pennsylvania to Maine was reportedly most affected by the heat. During the 11 days, temperature records were set all over
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. In
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, the temperature rose to 104° (40 °C) on July 4, an all-time record high that still stands today.
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
saw temperatures as high as 103° (39.4 °C), the highest temperature until 1936. The heatwave was finally ended by a severe thunderstorm, which traveled across the Northeast and killed an additional five people.


Heatwave impacts

The first day of the heatwave caused crowds in major cities to form around thermometers so they could watch the temperature rise. Pedestrians in these crowds reportedly began to collapse from heat stroke as the day went by. By night time, mothers walked the street with crying infants hoping to keep them awake in fear that if they slept in their cribs they would not awaken. As the heat wave's second day began, 17 people had died from drowning alone after trying to swim in order to escape the heat. By the time the sun had risen on July 5, industry had come to a standstill. Throughout the region factories were closed and mail service was suspended. Due to the temperature indoors many began sleeping outside either on roofs of apartments or on sidewalks with at least 5,000 people sleeping on the Boston Common alone. Besides deaths caused directly by the heat, it was reported that in every major city affected by the heatwave that the temperatures had been driving people insane and causing suicides. One such example reported by
The New London Day ''The Day'' newspaper, formerly known as ''The New London Day'', is a local newspaper based in New London, Connecticut, published by The Day Publishing Company. The newspaper has won Newspaper of the Year and the Best Daily Newspaper Award from t ...
, was of an elderly Boston man named Jacob Seegar who reportedly was driven so insane by the heat that he killed himself with a revolver in order to escape it. Due to the excessive heat rail lines had become melted and bent. The death toll continued to rise until finally a sudden thunderstorm brought a wave of relief, soon after which temperatures returned to their normal levels for good. The 1911 heat wave is considered the most deadly weather related disaster in the history of New England. In
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
alone, 158 people were reported to have died from the heatwave and across the north east 200 people were reported to have drowned while swimming in an attempt to escape the heat.


See also

* Ice famine *
1896 Eastern North America heat wave The 1896 eastern North America heat wave was a 10-day heat wave in New York City, Boston, Newark and Chicago that killed about 1,500 people in August 1896. History There were ten days of temperatures at least with high humidity and little breez ...


References


External links

* {{Heat wave, state=autocollapse Heat waves in the United States Eastern North America heat wave
Eastern North America The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...
Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America heat wave