12. The heat wave of the summer of 1980
In the summer of 1980 Hurricane Allen made landfall near the Mexican-American border after creating vast damage and loss of life in the Caribbean. As the remnants of the storm broke up, it ended a prolonged period of a high pressure system in the south which had been responsible for a devastating heat wave and drought in the United States, across the Midwestern states and the plains of the south. The heat wave began in June 1980, and created agricultural conditions which led to severe crop damage and the loss of more than $59 billion in farm production (as measured in current dollars, $20 billion was reported at the time). Record heat was recorded in multiple American cities and towns. Kansas City, Missouri experienced seventeen consecutive days when the temperature exceeded 100 degrees. Dallas/Fort Worth reached highs over 100 degrees 69 times that summer.
The excessive heat and the dry conditions led to numerous fires and heat emergencies were declared in cities across the country. Nonetheless, the nationally recorded death toll blamed on the heat and weather conditions exceeded 1,700, and many experts believed it to be higher. Wind storms known as derechos formed which did considerable damage to property and people. On July 5 a derecho formed in Nebraska and swept across the country to Virginia in only fifteen hours, killing six and injuring more than 70 people along the way. Another in Wisconsin killed three the same day. On June 26, 27, and 28 the high temperature at Dallas/Fort Worth was recorded at DFW airport as 113 degrees, which remains a record for the city, which during the heat wave also established a record for the highest low temperature for the city at 86 degrees.