Remembering summer heat waves to strike the Cape Fear

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Summer officially starts Thursday afternoon.

With it will inevitably come the hottest weather of the year.

So far in 2024, Wilmington has climbed to a maximum temperature of 95 degrees (on June 15th).

But that’s nothing compared to some of the hottest heat waves the Port City has seen.

The hottest temperature to ever be recorded in Wilmington took place on June 27, 1952 when the thermometer rose to 104 degrees.

That came after 102 degrees on June 26th and 101 degrees on June 25th.

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 is magnified by the fact that very few homes had air conditioning in 1952.

The previous record was 103 degrees, set in 1879.

That mark has been tied twice since, in 1999 and 2012.

Thankfully, temperatures haven’t risen to 100 degrees or above in Wilmington since 2019.

Lower to middle 90s are forecast into early next week.