Philly sets heat record ... but June has been hotter
With high of 96, Philly record falls; in June 1925, seven fell in a week.
It got legitimately hot Tuesday — a record 96 at the airport at 3:42 p.m. — besting the 95 of 1956.
We can't say we're overly impressed.
Among all June days, 95 is the lowest record threshold for any date, and the official high has hit 100 as early as June 5.
That would have been in 1925, when the Eastern two-thirds of the country was gripped in a historic heat wave.
In an era that predated air-conditioning, the heat that month was blamed for 300 deaths nationwide.
Locally, in the first week of June, seven temperatures records were set that are still on the books. High temperature marks were set on June 2 with 98 degrees, and then on four consecutive days – June 4 (98 degrees), 5 (100 degrees), 6 (100 degrees) and 7 (98 degrees).
On June 6 and 7, the overnight lows failed to get below 80, setting records for high minimum temperatures.
The Inquirer reported that the water scarcity wrought by increased demand and decreased rain – just more than an inch of rain was measured in Philly that month -- drove a Doylestown waterworks employee to suicide.
- Even President Coolidge was warm-idge in June 1925; and a drought-related tragedy in Bucks County.
The paper also reported that 20,000 people flocked to the League Island beach in the Delaware River. The article did not indicate whether beach tags were required.