It has been extremely hot in the desert SW with Las Vagas, Needles Death Valley and Phoenix all have had many days of highs above 100 with temperatures reaching 129 at Death Valley. 123 at Needels, 120 at Las Vagas and 118 at Phoenix. There have been new record highs set all of the above locations. The heat in the SW makes our summer seem really cool and in fact our hottest heat wave seem tame in comparison.
The “Dust Bowl” years of 1930-36 brought some of the hottest summers on record to the United States, especially across the Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lake States. For the Upper Mississippi River Valley, the first few weeks of July 1936 provided the hottest temperatures of that period, including many all-time record highs.
The string of hot, dry days was also deadly. Nationally, around 5000 deaths were associated with the heat wave.
In La Crosse, WI, there were 14 consecutive days (July 5th-18th) where the high temperature was 90 degrees or greater, and 9 days that were at or above 100°F. Six record July temperatures set during this time still stand, including the hottest day on record with 108°F on the 14th. The average high temperature for La Crosse during this stretch of extreme heat was 101°F, and the mean temperature for the month finished at 79.5°F – 2nd highest on record.
Several factors led to the deadly heat of July 1936:
- A series of droughts affected the U.S. during the early 1930s. The lack of rain parched the earth and killed vegetation, especially across the Plains states.
- Poor land management (farming techniques) across the Plains furthered the impact of the drought, with lush wheat fields becoming barren waste lands.
- Without the vegetation and soil moisture, the Plains acted as a furnace. The climate of that region took on desert qualities, accentuating its capacity to produce heat.
- A strong ridge of high pressure set up over the west coast and funneled the heat northward across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes.
As a result of the “Dust Bowl”, new farming methods and techniques were developed, along with a focus on soil conservation. This has helped to avert or minimize the impact of a prolonged drought.
Interestingly, February 1936 remains the coldest February on record for the contiguous U.S., with an average nationwide temperature of 25.2°F. (The single coldest month on record was January 1977, with a 21.9°F average.) Temperatures fell as low as –60°F in North Dakota, an all-time state record. Turtle Lake, North Dakota averaged –19.4°F for the entire month, the coldest average temperature ever recorded in the contiguous United States for any month. One town in North Dakota, Langdon, stayed below 0°F for 41 consecutive days (from January 11 to February 20), the longest stretch below zero (including maximum temperatures) ever endured at any site in the lower 48.
With this in mind, it is truly astonishing what occurred the following summer. In North Dakota, where temperatures had dipped to –60°F on February 15, 1936, at Parshall, it hit 121°F at Steele by July 6. The two towns are just 110 miles from one another!
Here is a list of all time state records set in July of 1936
Indiana: 116°F (Collegeville, July 14)
Iowa*: 117°F (Atlantic and Logan, July 25)
Kansas: 121°F (Fredonia, July 18, and Alton, July 24)
Maryland: 109°F (Cumberland and Frederick, July 10)
Michigan: 112°F (Mio, July 13)
Minnesota: 114°F (Moorhead, July 6)
Missouri: 118°F (Clinton, July 15, and Lamar, July 18)
Nebraska: 118°F (Hartington, July 17, and Minden, July 24)
New Jersey: 110°F (Runyon, July 10)
North Dakota: 121°F (Steele, July 6)
Oklahoma: 120°F (Alva, July 18, and Altus, July 19)
Pennsylvania: 111°F (Phoenixville, July 10)
West Virginia: 112°F (Martinsburg, July 10)
Wisconsin: 114°F (Wisconsin Dells, July 13)
At Grand Rapids the month of July 1936 started out below average the first 5 days the highs were only from 74 to 82. On the 6th the high was a warm 89. But then on the 7 the temperature shot up to 98 then up to 101 on the 8th and 9th 102 on the 10th dropped all the way down to 99 on the 11th back up to 106 on the 12th a record 108 on the 13th then back down to 102 on the 14th before dropping all the way down to 86 on the 15th The lows during this time were very hot with lows in the mid to upper 70’s.
Kalamazoo was even hotter with highs of 101 on the 7th 104 on the 8th 102 on the 9th 103 on the 10th 102 on the 11th 105 on the 12th 109 on the 13th 108 on the 14th 103 on the 15th 97 on the 16th 95 on the 17th 93 on the 18th and down to 89 on the 19th The 9 days of 100 or better is a Michigan record.
On of the odd things is that over at Lansing while they had 8 days of 90 or better only one was above 100 that being 101 on the 14th
And at Muskegon they had no real Heat Wave at all with the warmest day that July being just 89 and on July 10th while both GR and Kalamazoo were over 100 it was just reported as 78 there.
So, while much of Michigan had record highs in the 1936 heat wave there were also areas that did not have the record heat.
Back to 204 the official H/L yesterday at Grand Rapids was 84/63 that 84 is the warmest it has been so far this July. There was 0.74” of rainfall the highest wind gust was 38 MPH out of the N. There was 38% of possible sunshine. For today the average H/L is 83/63 the record high of 108 was set in 1936 that 108 is the record not only for July but also the record high ever set in Grand Rapids. The coldest high is a coo 59 set in 1964 the record low of 46 was set in 1898 the warmest low of 79 was set in 1936 the most rainfall of 1.48” fell in 1981.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND RAPIDS MI
402 AM EDT SAT JUL 13 2024
KEY MESSAGES
– OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY
– PATTERN CHANGE TO COOLER WEATHER OCCURS MID NEXT WEEK
– TEMPERATURES A BIT UP AND DOWN THIS WEEK INTO NEXT WEEK
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 402 AM EDT SAT JUL 13 2024
– OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY
WE START OFF THIS FORECAST PERIOD WITH A BIT OF FOG THIS MORNING.
IT IS LIKELY TO FILL IN SOME THROUGH DAYBREAK AS A MOIST AIR MASS
IS IN PLACE DUE IN LARGE PART TO RECENT RAINS. GRAND RAPIDS AND
KALAMAZOO STAND THE BEST CHANCES FOR PATCHY DENSE FOG AS BOTH
LOCATIONS RECEIVED RAIN YESTERDAY EVENING TOWARDS SUNSET.
OCCASIONAL STORMS LOOK TO BE POSSIBLE OVER THE COMING DAYS. THE
UPPER PATTERN IS DOMINATED BY A STRONG RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN
ROCKIES CENTERED NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS. NORTH OF THIS FEATURE THE
WESTERLIES ARE SITUATED FROM SOUTHERN CANADA INTO THE GREAT LAKES
AND THIS WILL BE THE EFFECTIVE STORM TRACK FROM TONIGHT INTO
MONDAY. SIGNIFICANT INSTABILITY IS IN PLACE EVEN AT THIS HOUR
ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE MOST LIKELY CONVECTIVE EVOLUTION
SCENARIO IS FOR STORMS TO CONTINUE TO WORK TO THE SOUTHEAST
TOWARDS OUR AREA TODAY DRIVEN BY THE WEST-NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT.
THE HREF 4 HOUR MAX REFLECTIVITY WOULD SUGGEST STORMS MOVE OUT
OVER LAKE MICHIGAN THIS EVENING AND MAKE INROADS INTO WESTERN
LOWER TOWARDS MIDNIGHT. THIS THINKING IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE LOW
LEVEL JET BENDING INTO OUR AREA OVERNIGHT. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS ON
THE WEAKER SIDE (AROUND 20 KNOTS) TONIGHT AND THE STORMS WILL BE
MOVING AWAY FROM THE STRONGER INSTABILITY RESERVOIR TO OUR WEST.
SO, STORMS WILL LIKELY NOT BE SEVERE OVERNIGHT WITH WIND BEING THE
MAIN THREAT. HIGHEST CHANCES AT SEVERE WEATHER WOULD BE TOWARDS
THE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORELINE.
THE STORMS WILL LIKELY WORK OFF TO THE EAST ON SUNDAY DURING THE
DAY, WHICH WILL LIKELY INHIBIT STRONG INSTABILITY DEVELOPING IN
OUR AREA DUE TO CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION.
THE NEXT CHANCE FOR STORMS WILL LIKELY COME SUNDAY NIGHT INTO
MONDAY IN A SIMILAR FASHION. A RELATIVELY BETTER CHANCE FOR SEVERE
WEATHER AND STORMS IN GENERAL WILL COME SUNDAY EVENING INTO SUNDAY
NIGHT AS WE WILL BE CLOSER TO THE IMPETUS. IN FACT, THE POTENTIAL
IS THERE THAT STORMS MAY FORM JUST UPSTREAM OVER THE LAKE OR
DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. THE LOW LEVEL JUST IS SITUATED IN THE AREA
SUNDAY EVENING. OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES FROM SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY
MORNING CONVECTION OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES WILL LIKELY
BECOME THE FOCUS FOR NEW CONVECTION. DEEP LAYER SHEAR AND
INSTABILITY WILL BE GREATER, SO THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE FOR
SEVERE WEATHER DURING THIS TIME.
– PATTERN CHANGE TO COOLER WEATHER OCCURS MID NEXT WEEK
A PATTERN CHANGE FROM A HOT AND HUMID ONE WITH UPPER RIDGING WILL
SWITCH TO COOLER WEATHER WITH A DEEP UPPER TROUGH PIVOTING THROUGH
THE AREA. A SURFACE FRONT DRIVEN BY THE UPPER TROUGH WILL PUSH
THROUGH THE REGION BETWEEN MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY NIGHT.
ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE EXPECTED DURING
THESE THREE FORECAST PERIODS. ALL IN ALL A VERY ACTIVE WEATHER
PERIOD FROM TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WITH PERIODIC CHANCES
FOR SHOWERS/STORMS.
– TEMPERATURES A BIT UP AND DOWN THIS WEEK INTO NEXT WEEK
A VERY UP AND DOWN TEMPERATURE PATTERN IS EXPECTED AS WE WARM INTO
SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE WARMEST DAY MAY POTENTIALLY BE MONDAY WHEN
EVENING 850MB TEMPERATURES OVERHEAD REACH THE +21C TO +24C RANGE
IN THE ECWMF AND GFS RESPECTIVELY. THESE ARE QUITE WARM READINGS
FOR US IN ANY GIVEN SUMMER AND USUALLY PARLAY INTO HIGHS IN THE
90S. WE WILL SEE WHAT KIND OF DEBRIS CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION WE
HAVE AROUND WHICH WOULD INHIBIT HEATING. TEMPERATURES FALL TO THE
+7C TO +9C RANGE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY WITH THE UPPER
TROUGH DIRECTLY OVERHEAD. HIGHS WILL LIKELY HOLD IN THE 70S WED
AND THURS.
Detailed Forecast For Grand Rapids
Today
Sunny, with a high near 88. Calm wind becoming west southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind 3 to 7 mph.
Sunday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. South southwest wind 7 to 13 mph.
Sunday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph.
Monday
A slight chance of thunderstorms before 8am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 90. Light west southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 77.
Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 54.
Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 77.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 55.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 81.
SPC Outlook
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Maybe we’ll get a bit more rain overnight. Not a very stout system.
Always a miss to the South…
Today’s unfortunate events are because of the main stream media spreading lies and hate! Disgusting what’s become of this country!
Sad day in US history, without question. But let’s keep this a positive, happy place to talk about the weather and fun stuff, please. We need that.
It was warm and humid earlier but tonight is great. We went to a friend’s place for a pig roast. So much fun. Summer is about halfway over but it’s been amazing so far. Let’s keep the good times rolling. 👍
Thunderstorms are likely over Lake Michigan tonight beginning
after about 900pm out towards mid lake. Storms will likely
approach the Lake Michigan shoreline over Western Lower Michigan
around 1100pm. Storms may pose a hazard to mariners tonight with
winds in excess of 35 knots and cloud to water lightning strikes.
The Air Quality Advisory is in effect for the following Michigan
counties:
In West Michigan:
Allegan, Berrien, Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, Van Buren
Ample sunlight in the afternoon along with heat and favorable winds will
allow for Ozone to develop beyond the USG AQI range.
It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor
activities, especially those with respiratory diseases such as
asthma.
Our high yesterday was 83 and the low was 63 with no rainfall.
added SPC Outlooks to Slims post
Bring on the below normal temps next week! Who wouldn’t want below normal temps in July? Rock n roll will never die!
The overnight low so far here in MBY is 63 and that is the current temperature with clear skies. Yesterdays thunderstorms once again were to my SE. While the official rainfall at the airport was 0.74″ here in MBY I only had 0.01″ of rainfall with dark clouds to my east and southeast.
Slim
Much of the country has been roasting for several weeks. We’ve been lucky here. We’ve only had that one brief heat wave. It’s been warm but overly hot. Most of us have received copious amounts of precipitation. The blueberries and strawberries were good this season. The corn looks fantastic in the fields. Can’t wait for that.
Have a great Saturday, friends.