Las Vegas hit record highs of 120 degrees earlier this month and areas along the East Coast are currently under extreme heat warnings, but at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday, there was record snowfall.
What’s even more amazing is temperatures in the city hit 94 degrees that day.
The (very) mini blizzard occurred when a thunderstorm blew through town, producing small hail. In meteorological terms, that counts as a trace of snow—and a trace was enough to set a record.
It’s a rare event, but hardly an unprecedented one. The last time it happened was in August of 2011, when traces of snow were recorded on two separate occasions (Aug. 1 and 18). It also has occurred in 2008, 2006, and 1998. Counting Sunday, trace amounts of snow have been recorded 14 times in the summer months at Philly’s airport.
Sunday’s snowfall broke a record set in 1870.
While a trace isn’t enough to make a snowman or to pull out the skis, it’s a tony respite given the extreme heat that much of the country is facing this summer. The dangerously hot summer has been fatal and the number of deaths could top the over 2,300 people who died of excessive heat last summer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The summer of 2024 has been so hot that the CDC set up a tool to warn people about the dangers of approaching heat waves. The HeatRisk map lets people easily see their risk for health issues, which can be especially useful for elderly citizens or those who have conditions such as asthma. It’s also useful for pregnant women and young children.
The heat has been blamed on climate change, with scientists saying Earth is four years away from crossing the 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) target set in the landmark Paris climate accord of 2015.