Summer is officially here, and it started with a vengeance. Even if you’ve been living under a rock, you’re likely aware of Michigan’s sweltering heatwave that has dominated much of the Midwest over the past weekend and most of this week. While Michigan’s 5-day streak of 90°+ days has nothing on the record of 37 days back in 1988, this heat wave has been relentless.
Usually, nighttime is when people can get a breather from the heat, but not this time around. Grand Rapids recently had its hottest June night on record. If your AC wasn’t on, you probably didn’t get much sleep.
Midwest Heat Wave
Over the weekend, most of the eastern United States was ravaged by intense heat, with nearly all of Michigan’s lower peninsula experiencing near-record-breaking temperatures. Alpena recorded a high of 97 degrees before the heat index, and Traverse City set a record high of 94. Not even the Upper Peninsula escaped the heat, with Marquette setting a record high of 93 degrees, breaking a 30-year record.
Grand Rapids’ Hottest June Night On Record
Although Grand Rapids didn’t set a daytime high, it recorded its hottest June low. It sounds odd, but here’s what that means. Chief Meteorologist for WOOD TV, Ellen Bacca, took to Facebook to share this interesting breakdown of Grand Rapids’ maximum daily low temperatures by month since 1892.
This heat wave set June’s record at 80 °, as the temperature dropped from June 21st into June 22nd, reaching its lowest point of the day at 7 AM. Interestingly, April’s highest daily low has not surpassed 72 degrees since 1899, a record that has stood for 126 years.
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