What is 1980 United States heat wave?
The '''1980 United States heat wave''' was a period of [[heat wave|strong heat]] and [[drought]]. It caused ''serious'' havoc and damage in the Southern [[Great Plains]] and much of the [[Midwestern United States]] during the summer of 1980.<ref>{{cite document|title=Characteristics of 20th Century Drought|publisher=The CSU Department of Atmospheric Science|url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a325595.pdf|access-date=Dec 13, 2020|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715043545/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a325595.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was one of the most devastating and damaging [[natural disaster]]s in terms of deaths. The heat wave first got started in June 1980. A strong [[high pressure area]] began building in the central and [[Southern United States]]. That allowed the temperatures to soar to {{convert|90|°F}} almost every day from June to September. This high pressure system acted as a cap on the [[atmosphere]]. That prevented [[thunderstorm]] development and caused severe drought conditions. But the heat wave broke when the dying [[Hurricane Allen]] stopped the weather pattern. The heat wave and drought led a number of cities in the Midwest and South to have record heat. In [[Kansas City, Missouri]], the high temperature was only below {{convert|90|°F}} twice. In the same city, the high temperature hit {{convert|100|°F}} 17 days in a row. In [[Memphis, Tennessee]], the high temperature reached {{convert|108|°F}} on Sunday, July 13. It was part of a 15-day stretch of {{convert|100|°F}} temperatures that lasted from July 6 to July 20. The [[agriculture|agricultural]] damage by the 1980 heat wave and drought was over $20 billion (1980 USD).<ref>{{cite web|title=15 Costliest Natural Disasters in the United States|date=11 September 2018|publisher=Mediafeed.org|url=https://mediafeed.org/the-15-most-expensive-u-s-natural-disasters-since-1980|access-date=Dec 13, 2020}}</ref> That allowed the temperatures to soar to {{convert|90|°F}} almost every d