Five states in the Chesapeake Bay region in 2024 experienced their warmest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia were among 17 states nationwide that set annual heat records. The only state in the Bay watershed that didn’t have its warmest year was Delaware, which had its fifth-hottest.
The nation as a whole also notched its warmest year in the agency’s 130 years of recordkeeping, registering an average temperature of 55.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Baltimore and the District of Columbia tied a July record for having four consecutive days with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher. Baltimore went on to have a fifth day above 100, tying the highest number recorded for any month.
The year was also notable for being dry. October was the all-time driest of any month on record for Philadelphia and Allentown in Pennsylvania as well as Wilmington, DE. It was also Delaware’s driest autumn on record.
Eastern West Virginia and western Maryland in July fell into extreme drought for the first time since 2010. Across the entire year, it was Maryland’s 35th driest and Delaware’s 17th driest on record.
Globally, 2024 was the warmest year since recordkeeping began in 1850 — reaching 2.3 degrees above the 1900s average. The planet’s 10 warmest years on record have happened in the last 10 years.