Breaking news ... the temperature may have reached 120 degrees yesterday in South Dakota! If accepted as official, that'd tie the state record, set back in the legendary Dust Bowl summer of 1936. Even if not, the record was approached, as there were several other stations that came within a few degrees of 120. 120 degrees in Death Valley is not news. 120 degrees in South Dakota is.

Here's the official statement from the NWS:

RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
500 PM MDT SAT JUL 15 2006

...POSSIBLE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE TIED FOR THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA...

A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 120 DEGREES WAS RECORDED AT A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COOPERATIVE WEATHER SITE THIS AFTERNOON...LOCATED 8 MILES WEST-NORTHWEST OF USTA. IF THIS TEMPERATURE IS OFFICIALLY VERIFIED...IT WILL TIE THE ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA. ON JULY 5 1936...GANN VALLEY SET THE RECORD OF 120 DEGREES.

And 100+ degree temperatures were reported from Mississippi to the Canadian border.