As August comes to a close, the Capital Area says goodbye to climatological summer and one that will go down in the history books as the hottest on record, and it was not even close. Almost any measurable heat stat broke records by a wide margin. Often, long duration temperature records are broken by tenths of a degree. In some cases, records were shattered by 2 and even 3 degrees. The Storm Station put together these lists, so you can see how the Summer of 2023 has re-written heat history in southeast Louisiana. 

There are two databases one can look at for Baton Rouge climate data. The longest running database goes back to 1892. The modern database begin at Metro Airport (Ryan Field) and has been active since 1930. While the 1892 database has a lot of utility, there are many missing data points for a number of reasons including inconsistent instrumentation, changing location and recording methods.  

The Summer of 2023 was the hottest on record for both databases. For each August and July were the top two hottest single months. The three months racked up, by far, the highest number of days with high temperatures over 100 degrees and low temperatures over 80 degrees. Both databases had multiple record runs of consecutive high temperatures over 100 degrees. Several of the highest highs and highest lows of all-time were marked this year. In total, there were 23 record highs and 36 record high lows set on the all-time database. Take a look at the full lists below. 

HOTTEST SUMMER

By Average Temperature

All-Time, Since 1892 Trending News Vehicle catches fire on I-12 East before Airline Highway; right lane temporarily blocked Teenager taken into custody after allegedly bringing gun to Abbeville church	Metro Airport, Since 1930
2023 – 87.5°	2023 – 87.5°
2011 – 84.6°	2011 – 84.6 °
1921 – 84.4°	2010 – 83.8°
2010 – 83.8°	1998 – 83.7°
1998 – 83.7°	2022 – 83.5°

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DRIEST SUMMER

By Total Precipitation

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
1910 – 6.54"	2023 – 7.27"
1924 – 7.15"	1947 – 8.38"
2023 – 7.27"	1948 – 9.11"
1902 – 7.81"	1998 – 9.12"
1947 – 8.38"	1930 – 9.77"

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HOTTEST MONTH

By Average Temperature

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
2023, Aug. - 90.3°	2023, Aug. - 90.3°
2023, Jul. - 87.8°	2023, Jul. - 87.8°
2011, Aug. – 86.6°	2011, Aug. - 86.6°
1921, Aug. – 86.1°	2007, Aug. - 85.7°
2007, Aug. – 85.7°	1960, Jul. - 85.6°

 

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HIGHEST HIGH

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
*Aug. 19, 1909 - 110°	Aug. 27, 2023 - 106°
*Aug. 20, 1909 - 108°	Aug. 24, 2023 - 106°
Aug. 27, 2023 - 106°	Aug. 19, 20, 23, 26, 2023 - 105°
Aug. 24, 2023 - 106°	Aug. 30, 2000 - 105°

*Data Quality in Question…

An analysis of the regional weather data from August 1909 indicates some reason to doubt the standing records. August 18 was 99°. On August 19 and 20, surrounding reporting stations were several degrees cooler than 110 degrees and 108 degrees. Often heat builds gradually and is uniform over a large region. It is not a sudden and isolated phenomenon as suggested by the data from all regional stations, including Baton Rouge, on those dates. Lastly, the Baton Rouge temperature sensor failed one day after these observations.

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HIGHEST LOW

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
Aug. 10, 2023 – 85°	Aug. 10, 2023 – 85°
Aug.   8, 2023 – 83°	Aug.   8, 2023 – 83°
Aug. 11, 2023 – 83°	Aug. 11, 2023 – 83°

There were four other dates that had a low of 82° in 2023. 2016, 2010 and 2008 each had one.

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HIGHS AT/ABOVE 100°

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
2023 – 30	2023 – 30
1921 – 28	2011 – 7
2011 – 7	2000 – 7
2000 – 7	1962 – 5
1924 – 6	2007 – 4

 

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LOWS AT/ABOVE 80°

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
2023 – 27	2023 – 27
2019 – 4	2019 – 4
2020 – 3	2020 – 3
2015 – 3	2015 – 3
2010 – 3	2010 – 3

 

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CONSECUTIVE HIGHS AT/ABOVE 100°

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
10 (Aug. 18 to Aug. 27, 2023)	10 (Aug. 18 to Aug. 27, 2023)
10 (Jul. 29 to Aug. 7, 2023)	10 (Jul. 29 to Aug. 7, 2023)
8 (Aug. 19 to Aug. 26, 1921)	7 (Aug. 9 to Aug. 15, 2023)
7 (Aug. 9 to Aug. 15, 2023)	7 (Aug. 30 to Sep. 5, 2000)
7 (Aug. 30 to Sep. 5, 2000)	4 (Aug. 11 to Aug. 14, 2007)

 

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EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS

Issued for Heat Index (Feels-Like Temperature) over 113°

Only Tracked Since 2005

 

2023 – 29 | All Other Years – 20

 

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HIGHEST FEELS-LIKE TEMPERATURE

Only Available Since 1948

 

Aug. 31, 2000 – 119.3°

Jul.     9, 1995 – 118.0°

Aug. 24, 2023 – 117.6°

Aug. 15, 2023 – 116.6°

Aug. 10, 2023 – 116.4°

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RECORD HIGHS

Broken and Tied

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
July 19 July 20 July 22 July 27 July 29 July 30 July 31 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5 August 14 August 15 August 17 August 18 August 21 August 22 August 23 August 24 August 25 August 26 August 27	June 29 July 1 July 13 July 16 July 19 July 20 July 21 July 22 July 25 July 26 July 27 July 29 July 30 July 31 August 1 August 2 August 3 August 4 August 5 August 6 August 7 August 14 August 15 August 17 August 18 August 19 August 20 August 21 August 22 August 23 August 24 August 25 August 26 August 27

 

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HIGHEST LOWS

Broken and Tied

All-Time, Since 1892	Metro Airport, Since 1930
June 14 June 15 June 16 June 18 June 19 June 29 June 30 July 2 July 3 July 4 July 7 July 10 July 11 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 19 July 20 July 21 August 4 August 5 August 6 August 7 August 8 August 9 August 10 August 11 August 12 August 13 August 14 August 15 August 20 August 21 August 23 August 25 August 26	June 14 June 15 June 16 June 18 June 19 June 29 June 30 July 2 July 3 July 4 July 7 July 10 July 11 July 13 July 14 July 15 July 19 July 20 July 21 July 30 August 4 August 5, August 6 August 7 August 8 August 9 August 10 August 11 August 12 August 13 August 14 August 15 August 19 August 20 August 21 August 23 August 25 August 26

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