THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY

1918: Extreme heat halts war material production lines

Episode Details

On August 7, 1918 World War I was stalemated in Europe. The Allies, including the United States, Britain and France and the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary had been deadlocked in trench warfare for several years. The fields of northeast France were no-man’s lands. Unbeknown to the Germans the flood of a million American troops who had recently entered the war were preparing with their Allies to launch the great 100 days offensive that would sweep the Germans before them and end of the war by November. It had been hot summer across Europe, but that did not compare to the heat building in the northeastern United States that August. Factories had been running at breakneck speed in the US to produce war material, but for a few days at the end of the first week in August 1918 those production lines were put on hold as extreme heat held the region in its blast furnace grip. On August 7, 1918 the mercury topped out at 107 in Wilmington, DE, the hottest ever there and 106 in Philadelphia, also the highest temperature ever recorded in the City of Brotherly love. Flemington NJ reached 108 degrees, an August state record. Cooling didn’t arrive for several more days when the factories resumed production to supply the armies that were fighting at what was called at the time “the war to end all wars.”

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THIS DATE IN WEATHER HISTORY

1918: Extreme heat halts war material production lines

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