The hottest Fourth of July on record in the U.S. depends on where you mean: nationally, the standout record in the materials I found is Death Valley, California, at 127.9 degrees on July 4. If you mean the hottest July 4th ever measured at a U.S. location, that’s the figure most often cited in the results I found.

Quick Scoop

Weather records vary a lot by city and state, so there is no single “U.S. average” hottest July 4th that works everywhere. The sources I found also note extreme July 4th heat in places like South Dakota, where July 4, 1936 brought several record highs, including 113 degrees near Gann Valley.

What people usually mean

  • National headline record: Death Valley, California, 127.9 degrees on July 4.
  • Historic extreme day: July 4, 1936 saw major heat across parts of the Plains, with multiple local records.
  • Local climate records: Many NOAA/NWS pages track July 4th highs by city rather than as one national number.

Why it’s tricky

The U.S. has many climate zones, so “hottest July 4th” can mean a city record, a state record, or the highest temperature ever observed anywhere in the country on that date. That’s why different sources can point to different answers depending on the scope.

Bottom line

If you want the simplest answer, the hottest July 4th record I found is 127.9 degrees in Death Valley, California. If you want, I can also break it down by state or by major U.S. city.