Detroit's hot summer of '88...

[Lowell]

I most recall the drought that occurred in late spring-early summer. When it finally broke with an after-dark thunderstorm, we were so happy that we ran out into the backyard, let it drench us, and whooped it up.

This from the National Weather service.

The 1988 Summer Drought and Heat - Not only was the summer of 1988 one of the hottest on record, it was also one of the driest.

It was arguably the worst drought in Southeast Michigan since the droughts of the 1930s. The drought was worst early in the summer, as rainfall began to increase late July through August. Between June 3rd and July 15th, rainfall at the three climate sites was as follows; Detroit – 0.64 inch, Flint – 0.12 inch, Saginaw – 0.69 inch.

Had it not been for two days with measurable rain, there would have been 37 consecutive days with no rain at all, not even a trace at all three climate sites.

Particularly hard hit was the agricultural community where losses were well in the millions. The dry conditions were only worsened by the extreme heat. Detroit, for example, broke 90 degrees on 39 days and had 18 days of 95+ high temps. There were also several days where highs came close to or exceeded 100 degrees across the entire region.

[Meddle]

So, in other words, the Farmer's Almanac is a load of manure.



I remember a lot of summers in the 60s and 70s as being quite uncomfortable. House was a typical brick bungalow with steel casement windows, no AC and not much window to open for ventilation. Attic mounted whole house fan was all there was.

By '88 many of us at least had window shakers.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

That would seem pretty remarkable. The Old Farmer's Almanac doesn't show any highs over 100°F during July and August of 1988. Could you be thinking of a different year?

No. It was 1988. I remember well because it made me get central air in my house and do away with window air conditioning!

[Jimaz]

No. It was 1988....

I agree. I think we've already established the discrepancy between Old Farmer's Almanac and other sources. The discrepancy was likely due to different temperatures at different weather stations or the OFA data was simply in error.

I had already moved to Phoenix in 1988 so I was coping with my own Hellish heat where it was over 100°F for most of the months of July and August. LOL!

[MikeM]

July 6th, 7th, and 16th of 1988 set record highs for the date of 100, 101, and 102 degrees. Not sure about other dates that may have exceeded 100 but were not record setting temps or have since been exceeded. July has 19 days with record highs at our over 100 degrees.

August 17th was a record high of 100. There have been four other dates in August with record highs of 100 or above. There were two days in early August with record highs of 99 and 96.

[One Shot]

What was the excuse back then? Global warming? Too many styrofoam Big Mac containers?

[jcole]

People were worrying about what we were doing to the planet back in the 70's. Hence, Earth Day, the Ozone Layer, air pollution, water polution, littering, etc. Us damned hippies were trying to get things cleaned up even back then. You probably don't recall when driving toward the city seeing a haze of yellow and gray surrounding Downtown and the west side where the Ford Plant and Marathon were spewing their crap. Or the dead fish and garbage in the Detroit and Rouge rivers. It took yeaars just to get things as clean as they appear now, but all those pile up years of pollution in so many ways have taken their toll on the sky and earth. So, yeah, the beginnings of climate change has been on its way for decades and decades.

What was the excuse back then? Global warming? Too many styrofoam Big Mac containers?

[Gistok]

^ I agree jcole... just look at old photos of the Detroit from Windsor in the 1920s and 1930s... at how much pollution was in the air back then, from coal power and the first autos.

[Gistok]

In the late 1920s and 1930s most people in Detroit who wanted to escape the heat would often either spend the night on Belle Isle, or spend many cool hours at their downtown movie palaces.

Until about 1928 most move palaces closed for the summer, due to the excessive heat that would build up in the theatres in the summer. By 1926 some theatres would put huge blocks of ice into their theatre ventilation to keep open in the summer months. By 1928 theatres would be among the first buildings with an A/C system. And since the downtown palaces were open well into the night, some patrons would buy tickets to theatres all night, so they could beat the heat.

[Jimaz]

...By 1928 theatres would be among the first buildings with an A/C system....

And I'm sure that was welcomed!

Somewhere I read that the very first air conditioners were invented for the printing industry. Humidity caused paper to curl, making it difficult to handle. A/C was intended to dry the air rather than to cool it. The cooling effect was just a pleasant side benefit.

• The Invention That Changed the World

[Al Publican]

Is there a list of the hottest summer in Detroit during the 20th century by average daily high temperature?

[MikeM]

Is there a list of the hottest summer in Detroit during the 20th century by average daily high temperature?

Not sure if that exists.

You can find the average daily temperature record for each day of the year, as well as the record high and low, by using the DTX NWS monthly climate record page. For instance, the record average daily high for today was 85° in 1931.

Or you could go to their daily climate data page and search each year and month for each day's high, low, average temp, etc. It only goes back to 2005. Sept 12, 2005 the high was 91°, the low 61°, and the average 76°.

Or you could check their top 20 lists for the top 20 warmest months, on a monthly basis. Warmest September was 1881 with an average temp of 72.2°.

Or check their decadal tables for the average monthly temperature by year and month. Warmest September from 2001-2020 was 2015 with an average of 69.3°. Chart made from the averages of June, July, and August 2000-2020:

[mkd]

Is there a list of the hottest summer in Detroit during the 20th century by average daily high temperature?

Here's the average annual temperature in Detroit 1897-2022: https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/...rature-by-year

Top 3 warmest years: 2012, 1998, 2016.

They have other interesting stats like # of days above 100 degrees: https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/...of-100-degrees

Apparently we haven't been over 100 since 2012..

[248lurker]

I remember the heatwave of '88. I had just finished my freshman year o high school and the weather was brutal that my parents and those of my neighborhood friends didn't even encourage us to go out and play because it was too hot. We spent those 100-plus degree days running through each other's sprinklers, playing cards on my neighbor's porch out of the sun, and not much of anything else.

I remember that. Me and my family was sleeping in our cold damp Detroit old finished basement. A hot La Nina Summer under the large heat dome and a Omega Block.

My parents and I spent the hottest of the overnights in our basement as well because the overnight lows were still pretty high and the fans we had at the time were inadequate.

[jackie5275]

I remember 1988 was a damn hot summer. I remember apartment hunting on a day when it was 106. Yeah, I know none of the records indicate that temp, but temps can vary from the "official" one at the airport. I had a friend who was in a golf league who kept cancelling because it was too hot to play. I think they called off half the season because of the heat.

[oladub]

Having grown up largely before home and auto are conditioners were common, I resisted the notion of buying a home air conditioner until 1988 as an extravagance. However, coming home from work dusty, hot, and tired day after day to a cranky wife and children helped me make the jump and buy an 8,000 btu window air conditioner that cooled the dining room and a couple of adjacent rooms. I should have done that years before.