There’s no getting around it: It’s hot in Richmond.
Summer is greeting us with heat waves galore, so we’re staying inside and looking back at the headlines and reports for the hottest day we’ve had here in the River City.
The day the heat set records
Richmond’s hottest day on record took place on Aug. 6, 1918, when temperatures hit a shattering 107°. Anyone who understands Richmond humidity knows that’s a low-ball number compared to how it probably really felt.
The closest we’ve come to that temperature in the past few weeks was when temps reached 102° on June 24, and even that was unbearable.
What the headlines said
The Richmond Times-Dispatch covered the intense weather at the time, saying “in the city’s Capitol Square, a thermometer climbed to 116 degrees and then abruptly stopped working. Richmond’s official thermometer, at the time located at the city’s tallest point, Chimborazo Hill, ticked up to 107 degrees.”
What else was going on in Richmond on the hottest day on record? Quite a lot. It was the late summer of 1918 — a time of World War I. Most headlines report on the war, like this archive from The Richmond Virginian. The world was still three months away from the armistice signing on Nov. 11 that most would consider the official end of WWI.
Newspaper archive provided by The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.), 06 Aug. 1918. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress
Although war dominated the headlines, if you look closely, you can still find a short snippet reporting on the intensifying heat in Washington the day before.
Newspaper archive provided by The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.), 06 Aug. 1918. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress
How to weather the weather today
We’re not breaking records (yet), but that doesn’t mean braving this weather is easy. For starters, we put together some tips on how to conserve energy and save on bills during the summer heat. In the meantime, Richmond has plenty of museums, coffee shops, and ice cream spots to keep you cool.
Don’t forget to check in on our city’s inclement weather resources and take a peek at what the rest of the season has in store for us. Who knows... maybe this will be a record-breaking year after all.
