Throwback Thursday: Michigan’s Hottest Day Ever
With the heat wave we find ourselves in lately, maybe the thought has crossed your mind "could it be any hotter?" Well the answer to that is, yes, yes it can and yes, yes it has been.
Actually, we are coming up on the 84th anniversary of the hottest day ever recorded in Michigan, July 13th, 1936!
It was part of a massive heat wave that spanned the United States but in Michigan temperatures were recorded up to 112 degrees Fahrenheit, as evidenced by Michigan Weather Center.
For perspective, the heat wave we have found ourselves in lately has been riding steady in the low-to-mid 90's.
Back in 1936, many cities across the state were over 100 degrees, but according to Michigan Weather Center, the area that set the record-high of 112 degrees was up in the northeastern part of the state, specifically in Mio, Michigan.
According to Click On Detroit, the heat wave lasted for seven consecutive days, with temperatures over 100 degrees and night temps only falling to about 70.
People had almost no relief and especially did not have the kind of air conditioning we have today, if any.
The city of Detroit was one of the most affected in Michigan with their hottest temperature of the heat wave topping off at 104 degrees. Out of the between 500 to 600 people who died in the entire state because of the heat, 200 to 300 of those deaths were in Detroit alone.
Now, we know the highest temperature was 112 degrees in Mio but what were some other major cities' hottest temperatures during the heat wave of 1936? Let's take a look:
Michigan Heat Wave Of July 1936