1911 Eastern North America heat wave

Description

Throughout June 1911, the temperature had been consistent with what normally was felt during New England summers, but starting in July, dry air which originated from the southern great plains began to flow into Canada before being swept south toward the east coast. The hot wind suppressed cooler ocean breezes, and this caused the temperature to rise so suddenly and dramatically that in Providence, Rhode Island, there was a rise of 11 F-change in a half hour.

The area between Pennsylvania and Maine was reportedly most affected by the heat. During the 11 days, temperature records were set all over New England. In Boston, the temperature rose to 104° (40 °C) on July 4, an all-time record high that still stands. A statewide all time heat record for Maine was set in Bridgton, at 105 F.

In Canada, Toronto saw temperatures as high as 103° (39.4 °C) to 105° (40.6 °C), the highest temperature until 1936.

The heatwave was finally ended by a severe thunderstorm, which traveled across the Northeast and killed an additional five people.

Heatwave impacts

The first day of the heatwave caused crowds in major cities to form around thermometers so they could watch the temperature rise. Pedestrians in these crowds reportedly began to collapse from heat stroke as the day went by. By nighttime, mothers walked the street with crying infants hoping to keep them awake in fear that if they slept in their cribs they would not awaken.

As the heat wave's second day began, 17 people had died from drowning alone after trying to swim in order to escape the heat. By the time the sun had risen on July 5, industry had come to a standstill. Throughout the region factories were closed and mail service was suspended. Due to the temperature indoors many began sleeping outside either on roofs of apartments or on sidewalks with at least 5,000 people sleeping on the Boston Common alone.

Besides deaths caused directly by the heat, it was reported that in every major city affected by the heatwave that the temperatures had been driving people insane and causing suicides. One such example, reported by The New London Day, was of an elderly Boston man named Jacob Seegar who reportedly was driven so insane by the heat that he killed himself with a revolver in order to escape it.

Due to the excessive heat, railroad rails expanded and bent.

The death toll continued to rise until finally a sudden thunderstorm brought a wave of relief, soon after which temperatures returned to their normal levels for good.

The 1911 heat wave is considered the most deadly weather-related disaster in the history of New England. Contemporaneously, The Springfield Weekly Republican reported 319 deaths and 1138 "prostrations" (incidents of heat exhaustion) in New England, with 104 deaths and 511 prostrations occurring in Boston. In 2010, Yankee magazine noted a death toll of 1,100 for Massachusetts alone.

In Philadelphia, 158 people were reported to have died from the heatwave. Across the Northeast, 200 people were reported to have drowned while swimming in an attempt to escape the heat. Several deaths were additionally caused by the thunderstorms that broke the heat wave.

References

References

1. SHEA, JIM. "In 1911, Deadly Heat Settles Over Northeast". courant.com.
2. (July 11, 1911). "Eleven Dead in Pittsburg. Ice Famine Grows Worse and Suffering Is Great. Cooling Breeze Last Night and Promise of Thunder Showers to Follow". [[The New York Times]].
3. (July 7, 1911). "40 Die As Heat Wave Nears End. Cooler Weather Due Today. Little Relief in Last Night's Shower". [[The New York Times]].
4. (July 8, 1911). "Heat's Grip Broken After 32 More Die; Drop of Ten Degrees Marks End of Torrid Spell That Cost 146 Lives Here in Six Days". [[The New York Times]].
5. (July 19, 2022). "What's the All-Time Highest Temperature for Your Maine Town? Read More: What's the All-Time Highest Temperature for Your Maine Town?". 102.9 WBLM Portland.
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14. (July 20, 1911). "319 Deaths in New England". [[The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts).
15. (March 24, 2010). "Natural Disasters: New England Numbers". Yankee Magazine.