 Folksinger Arlo Guthrie has a birthday, and the highest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. occurred on this day in 1913. The mercury hit 134 degrees in California's Death Valley. You would expect plenty of heat in the desert southwest, of course. What other regions of the country are most prone to extreme summer temperatures? The Central Plains gets that dubious distinction. The Dakotas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas have all had record highs of 120 or above.