History with ‘Hud’: Reflecting on hottest days in Wilmington’s history as summer rolls in

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Friday marks the official start of the summer season, which runs until September 22. With it comes numerous days in the 90s with heat index values even higher.

But Wilmington can get much hotter than that.

The hottest temperature on record for the Port City stands at 104 degrees, set on June 27, 1952. This came after hitting 102 degrees and 101 degrees on the prior two afternoons.

At least six deaths were blamed on the heat, and agricultural losses to the tobacco crop in North Carolina alone may have approached $10 million. The impact this heat wave had on the people living here was magnified by the fact that very few homes had air conditioning in 1952.

This impressive heat wave beat the old record of 103 degrees set in July of 1879, with Wilmington having climbed to 103 degrees two times since, in August of 1999 and June of 2012.

2012 also saw a stretch of three days with 100 degree heat or hotter, tying the consecutive mark set in 1977 and 1952.

But Wilmington is also known for its high summer humidity, making intense heat events even more dangerous. The Port City sees multiple days each summer with heat index values climbing to 105 to 110 degrees, averaging two to five afternoons a season with the feels like value passing 110 degrees.

With high humidity also comes warm nights. Wilmington saw a record four straight nights not falling below 80 degrees fairly recently, in July of 2022, with the warmest low on record standing at 83 degrees in August of 2007 and 1999.

Thankfully, temperatures haven’t risen to 100 degrees or above in Wilmington since May 29, 2019 – having gotten close in June of last year when the thermometer inched to 99 degrees.

With months of heat on the way, we’ll have to wait and see just how hot conditions get this summer. We might just set a few records before cooler air arrives in the fall.

Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each morning on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.

To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.