Warmest Summer Ever Thread

[Tropical]

MKE just had its warmest summer ever. This thread is to discuss and post locations that also had their warmest summer ever.

1st - 74.1 - 2012

2nd - 73.8 - 1995, 1998

3rd - 73.3 - 2010

5th - 72.9 - 1991

[mnweather]

Duluth had its warmest summer on record as well with an average of 67.4. This is 4 degrees above normal.

[Powerball]

3rd consecutive top 5 hottest summer on record in Detroit.

2012 was the 2nd hottest summer on record with an average temp of 74.7*F (the hottest summer on record, 2005, had an average of 74.8*F).

With the 6th warmest winter on record, the warmest spring on record and the 2nd hottest summer on record, this year is on track to be a top 5 or top 10 warmest on record.

[Entropy]

Only tied for sixth warmest on record at Cleveland.

1. 1949 75.0
   
2. 1995 74.9
   
3. 2010 74.4
   
4. 1955 74.4
   
5. 2005 74.3
   
6. 2012 73.9
   
7. 1952 73.9
   

[michsnowfreak]

MKE just had its warmest summer ever on record. This thread is to discuss and post locations that also had their warmest summer ever on record.

1st - 74.1 - 2012

2nd - 73.8 - 1995, 1998

3rd - 73.3 - 2010

5th - 72.9 - 1991

fixed

[Geos]

Amazing that Milwaukee was warmer than here this summer. 72.45° here against UGN's averages.

[michsnowfreak]

Amazing that Milwaukee was warmer than here this summer. 72.45° here against UGN's averages.

Though MKE is north of you, its really not that amazing imo. I believe your area is one of the more rural areas, ie temps run colder, and the official airport station is always one of the warmer ones. For instance, Detroits summer temp came in at 74.7F versus Toledo, OH came in at 73.2F. TOL radiates better than DTW, not to mention DTW had numerous days this summer where their max temp was almost questionably high. I would guess TOL is just as south of DTW as UGN is of MKE.

[BowMeHunter]

Amazing that Milwaukee was warmer than here this summer. 72.45° here against UGN's averages.

Urban Heat Island that doesn't radiate at night ever vs Mt Geos....not that amazing.

[Geos]

Urban Heat Island that doesn't radiate at night ever vs Mt Geos....not that amazing.

Lol. I would have thought the lake influence would have been more pronounced by you.

[hm8]

From DTX Facebook

Upon further review, Summer 2012 has tied 2005 for the warmest in Detroit's historical record. This year has also been the warmest calendar year to date (January - August) for all Southeast Michigan climate sites!

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/?n=summer2012

[Powerball]

From DTX Facebook

Upon further review, Summer 2012 has tied 2005 for the warmest in Detroit's historical record.

http://www.crh.noaa....x/?n=summer2012

3rd consecutive top 5 hottest summer on record in Detroit.

2012 was the 2nd hottest summer on record with an average temp of 74.7*F (the hottest summer on record, 2005, had an average of 74.8*F).

With the 6th warmest winter on record, the warmest spring on record and the 2nd hottest summer on record, this year is on track to be a top 5 or top 10 warmest on record.

The exact average for August was 72.95*F, which would give way to a 3-month Summer average of 74.76*F (versus 74.73*F if it were just 72.9*F, which is on record for August on the climate page), which rounds to 74.8*F.

[michsnowfreak]

The exact average for August was 72.95*F, which would give way to a 3-month Summer average of 74.76*F (versus 74.73*F if it were just 72.9*F, which is on record for August on the climate page), which rounds to 74.8*F.

I was trying to figure out the confusion over the tenth of a degree and I got it. Actually the August average WAS 72.9F. You add the sum of the degrees to get the average (ie: Aug high accumulated 2584, the low 1936, add them up its 4520, divide by 62, its 72.90F. Using a cumulative total is the reason the summers average came out at 74.8F. Even though you add up the JJA monthly means and come out with 74.73F, there is the slightest margin of error as June had 30 days and July/Aug each had 31. When you add up the cumulative degrees and divde, the average is 74.77F which is an exact match to 2005 and thus a tie for warmest summer. I joked several times about "stat-padding" degrees this summer when DTW came in suspiciously high by several degrees on some days, and it may seem that it wouldnt really affects things....but every degree really does count in an extreme season. For instance, DTW actually radiated unusually well (for them) on Aug 31st with a low of 62F...if they would have only dropped to 64-65F like several other sites, it might have been the warmest (no tie) summer (it would have still rounded to 74.8F but been 0.02F warmer than 2005, idk if they count that or not). Then again, if not for those days when the highs were suspiciously high, they may only have been 3rd or 4th warmest.

90F+ days ties for 5th place in 2012:

1.) 39 days - 1988

2.) 36 days - 1934

3.) 33 days - 1952

4.) 31 days - 1955

5.) 30 days - 1944 & 2012

[Trent]

fixed

It would be interesting to see what the climate in Michigan / Most of Midwest was in the 1700s and early 1800s back when forest covered virtually every square mile. The surface temps/albedo/evapotranspiration change by changing an entire region from forest to farm was probably quite dramatic. We use the term "on record" but it only has relevancy if the landscape hasn't been altered. I often wonder what would happen if Iowa switched every corn field to wheat for a summer, no doubt it would have noticeable climate impacts on that season's weather. A record from 1750 is not the same as a record from 2012 in my opinion.

[michsnowfreak]

It would be interesting to see what the climate in Michigan / Most of Midwest was in the 1700s and early 1800s back when forest covered virtually every square mile. The surface temps/albedo/evapotranspiration change by changing an entire region from forest to farm was probably quite dramatic. We use the term "on record" but it only has relevancy if the landscape hasn't been altered. I often wonder what would happen if Iowa switched every corn field to wheat for a summer, no doubt it would have noticeable climate impacts on that season's weather. A record from 1750 is not the same as a record from 2012 in my opinion.

I too would LOVE to know what our climate was back then. A while back there was a paper that listed some extremes for this area from 17/1800s, but who knows how accurate they are. Here is a paste of what I copied. Sorry to go OT

1784: Dr. Anthon records one of Detroit's most severe winters in history. Temperatures as low as and lower than -15 degrees. A total of 23 sub-zero mornings.

1821: The Detroit Gazette reports temperatures of -27 degrees upstate in March and 8" of wet snow falling at Detroit on April 18.

1823: U. S. Surgeon at Fort Brady starts keeping his "Diary of the Weather." This record continues for 32 years. February dips to -30 degrees. The average for the month is 8.9 degrees and the warmest month is 33 degrees.

1826: Thirty-seven below in February at Fort Brady matches the twentieth century low for Sault Ste. Marie set in 1934.

1827: Fort Brady musters only a high of 84 degrees for the summer.

1834: Michigan's first recorded tornado is reported near Detroit in February. Another tornado at Kalamazoo on October 18 destroys buildings but causes no injuries. Around noon one summer day, the St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie suddenly empties and, an hour later, just as suddenly fills back up. Many who go out to catch the stranded fish narrowly escape the returning surge, apparently a seiche. (A seiche is an oscillation of the surface of a lake or landlocked sea that varies in a period from a few minutes to several hours.)

1836: Winter starts early November 1835 and lasts through April 1836. The histories of the time call it "the starving time."

1837: Winter and spring colder than previous year. Summer averages only 56.8 degrees.

1838: Wet summer lifts waters of Lake Michigan and Huron to 584' above sea level in July. The high waters was the last hurrah of the long wet spell that began around 1000 A.D.

1838: Flooding of the Grand River.*

1839: The mercury soars to 96 degrees at Fort Brady.

1843: At Edwardsburg, Michigan, snow lies 2' deep at the end of March, and sledding continues until April 8 in the Detroit area. On April 3, ducks are spotted heading back south over Detroit after foolishly flying north the week before. Thousands of cattle starve as hay supplies run out. Spring like weather finally arrives around April 10 but Lake Erie doesn't open for navigation until May 6. A warm summer brings a good crop season.

1845: Second mildest of the nineteenth century in Detroit. A 20 foot high seiche on Lake Superior is reported at Copper Harbor.

1846: Second warmest summer at Sault Ste. Marie.

1848: Mild winter allows ships to cruise Lake Erie between Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit in February.

1852: Flooding of the Grand River.*

1853: Temperatures reportedly soar to 106 degrees at Detroit on June 22 and unofficial extreme temperatures at Fort Brady.

1855: Up to 3 feet of snow buries the snow belt at the south end of Lake Michigan. Tornadoes strike Lapeer County and Charlotte. Detroit is soaked by 71.19" of precipitation.

1860: A huge waterspout, last of a series of tornadoes that began in Iowa, is sighted from ships on southern Lake Michigan on the evening of June 4. Damaging winds from the same storm system strike near Grand Haven later that night.

1863: A "violent hurricane" (possibly a tornado) rips sails and snaps masts on ships in Thunder Bay, near Alpena, on Aug. 21.

1866: Tornadoes touch down near Owosso and St. Johns on June 25.

1868: Lansing records its lowest temperature ever at -37 degrees.

1869: Early autumn records temperatures of 30 degrees in August and 7 degrees in October in Lansing.

1870: A "hurricane and hail storm of terrible fury" strikes Jonesville on June 20.

1871: Summer brings only half the normal rainfall. State is a tinderbox. October 9, fires whip out of control and by the next day, 2.5 million acres of forest and an estimated 200 people are consumed by the flames across Michigan.

1872: An unofficial -33 degrees at Grand Rapids on December 24, the coldest ever reported there.

1873: Heavy snows and intense cold.

1875: Coldest year on record at Detroit, Lansing, Escanaba, Marquette, and every other weather station in the state that kept records that year.

1878: Warmest winter ever in upper Midwest. Possibly due to El Niño.

1881: Wet year overall. The soggy autumn, however, comes too late to prevent one of Michigan's greatest disasters ever, a week of forest fires in the Thumb from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6. Fires wipe out one million acres, 20 villages, and between 169 to 282 people die.

1882: Moderate temperatures.

1883: Flooding of the Grand River.*

1888: This is the sixth and final year of a protracted cool spell with consistently below normal temperatures for all of Michigan.

1889: Detroit's driest year. 21.06" of precipitation.

1894: Lansing has a completely rainless August.

1895: Gales on all five Great Lakes.

1896: Five powerful tornadoes on east side of state.

[Jonger]

It would be interesting to see what the climate in Michigan / Most of Midwest was in the 1700s and early 1800s back when forest covered virtually every square mile. The surface temps/albedo/evapotranspiration change by changing an entire region from forest to farm was probably quite dramatic. We use the term "on record" but it only has relevancy if the landscape hasn't been altered. I often wonder what would happen if Iowa switched every corn field to wheat for a summer, no doubt it would have noticeable climate impacts on that season's weather. A record from 1750 is not the same as a record from 2012 in my opinion.

It would probably affect the surface temps... No doubt.

[Stebo]

I too would LOVE to know what our climate was back then. A while back there was a paper that listed some extremes for this area from 17/1800s, but who knows how accurate they are. Here is a paste of what I copied. Sorry to go OT

1896: Five powerful tornadoes on east side of state.

If this happened now it would hit some very populated parts of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb and Oakland Counties.

I found this blip online about that event

May 25, 1896

This week of almost continuous strong and violent tornado activity (perhaps the most violent single week of tornado activity in US history) continued with a 1 AM, F4 tornado in Ogle County, Illinois. A mother and three children died as a home was leveled south of Egan. A half hour later, three more died and six were injured in a home south of Davis Junction, Illinois. The late afternoon devastated parts of central and eastern Michigan. At 6 PM, in Tuscola County, Michigan, a home in which a funeral was taking place was destroyed. The thirty people in attendance ran safely to a ditch before the home was "lifted and dashed to the ground." A man in a nearby home was killed by debris as he watched the events from his window. Two hours later, two people were killed as thirty homes were destroyed at Mount Clemons, Michigan. At 9 PM, the third F5 tornado of the year began leveling homes near Ortonville, Oakwood, and Thomas, Michigan. Nine people died in a single home at Ortonville. On the ground for thirty miles, the funnel killed at least forty-seven people.

Also a full article from the Oakland Press from earlier this year

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/03/16/news/local_news/doc4f63491b920ac334485286.txt?viewmode=fullstory

[dmc76]

If this happened now it would hit some very populated parts of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb and Oakland Counties.

I found this blip online about that event

May 25, 1896

This week of almost continuous strong and violent tornado activity (perhaps the most violent single week of tornado activity in US history) continued with a 1 AM, F4 tornado in Ogle County, Illinois. A mother and three children died as a home was leveled south of Egan. A half hour later, three more died and six were injured in a home south of Davis Junction, Illinois. The late afternoon devastated parts of central and eastern Michigan. At 6 PM, in Tuscola County, Michigan, a home in which a funeral was taking place was destroyed. The thirty people in attendance ran safely to a ditch before the home was "lifted and dashed to the ground." A man in a nearby home was killed by debris as he watched the events from his window. Two hours later, two people were killed as thirty homes were destroyed at Mount Clemons, Michigan. At 9 PM, the third F5 tornado of the year began leveling homes near Ortonville, Oakwood, and Thomas, Michigan. Nine people died in a single home at Ortonville. On the ground for thirty miles, the funnel killed at least forty-seven people.

Also a full article from the Oakland Press from earlier this year

http://www.theoaklan...wmode=fullstory

That's pretty darn creepy to even think about.

[SpartyOn]

A time machine would be nice once and a while. It's probably safe to assume that the great vast Boreal forests of the north and broadleafs to the south played a massive role in the climate. There have been some studies on this though. The floristic tension zone in MI is and still continues to be debate to this day. Why is there a well defined line that roughly runs from Bay city then SW to about Lansing and points west from there. This line separating almost 2 completely different forest types. Its partly climate or something to do with soils or a massive forest fire 100s or thousands of years ago that burned like hell. MSU has a couple links I'll post later today on this neat MI climo mystery.

[Jonger]

A time machine would be nice once and a while. It's probably safe to assume that the great vast Boreal forests of the north and broadleafs to the south played a massive role in the climate. There have been some studies on this though. The floristic tension zone in MI is and still continues to be debate to this day. Why is there a well defined line that roughly runs from Bay city then SW to about Lansing and points west from there. This line separating almost 2 completely different forest types. Its partly climate or something to do with soils or a massive forest fire 100s of years ago that burned like hell. MSU has a couple links I'll post later today on this neat MI climo mystery.

It is a very interesting topic..... I have sorted through several studies and websites on the floristic tension zone.