Mid-Michiganders are breathing a small sigh of relief following sweltering temperatures and high humidity that cooked the area for multiple days.
That’s especially true for people who primarily work outside, like Carolyn Miller, the Arboretum and Invasive Species Coordinator for the Michigan State University Beal Botanical Garden.
“You take that first breath outdoors and you’re like ‘Whoa.’ You’re baking,” Miller said. “So, it’s sucked the life out of you, and you’re baking in the heat. Take your pick!”
Miller said heat waves can make garden work difficult and dangerous, calling the heat "oppressive." She said she’s noticed the summers getting hotter in Michigan over the years.
Garden worker Seth Dornbos said he’d never experienced such hot temperatures in June.
“When I did experience the heat, it was in July and August,” Dornbos said.
Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids Scott Thomas called this recent heat wave unique.
“This is certainly one of the longest stretches we’ve had. Most of the time when we get these types of events, it will be one to two days,” Thomas said.
He said another heat wave is possible this summer, but difficult to predict, but he expects temperatures for the rest of the summer to be warmer than normal.
Temperatures in mid-Michigan typically reach around 100 degrees about two to three times a year.
This story was brought to you as part of a partnership between WKAR and Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.