Imagine driving down a long road on a hot summer day. Nothing surrounds you but dry, hot, barren desert. You can feel the midday sun beating through your windows and even though your air conditioning is on full blast, you still feel like it’s 100 degrees.
Most truck drivers know this feeling, especially those drivers that drive from one hot state to another. Oftentimes when you are driving from state to state in the summer heat, it seems as though the state you are currently in is the hottest, but how true is that? Which state is truly the hottest in the continental U.S.? The answer might surprise you.
The hottest state in the continental U.S. is Florida with an average year-round temperature of 70.73. Now, I know what you’re thinking. How can Florida be the hottest state when places like Texas have reached temperatures of 120? The key words here are year-round. Florida’s combined temperatures for the year average 70 degrees. Because Florida doesn’t get much colder than 65 in many places and not much hotter than 90, the average temperature and the temperature that occurs most often is about 70. The average temperature of Texas is 64.83.
Now, that’s all good for a year-round temperature, but what about the heat that really makes a difference? What about the summer heat, which state has the hottest summers? This answer might surprise you too.
The state with the hottest summer ever recorded is actually Oklahoma. In the year 2011 Oklahoma had an average temperature of 86.9 degrees, while Texas averaged 86.7 degrees. So, Oklahoma only beat Texas by .2 degrees, but hotter is hotter.
Like with Florida, these temperatures are an average of summer temperatures. Throughout the course of the summer, both states reached temperatures well above 86 degrees, even crossing beyond 100 on multiple occasions.
Honestly, most of the states in the south-central region and southeastern corner of the country are considered to be the “hottest.” With temperatures that most often don’t get too cold, the average temperatures of these states are pretty steady. However, when you find yourself crossing places such as the Mojave Desert, be prepared for scorching heat. The highest temperature recorded in the Mojave Desert is 125. That’s hot!
When you find one of these places on your truck driving route, be prepared for some real summer heat. Make sure you have plenty of water and a working air conditioner. As a truck driver, you will experience some hot roads, all you can do is make sure you are ready for it.
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