Did you ever wonder how cold and how hot it has ever been?

By David McClelland

We have experienced some very hot weather in Michigan already this year. I wondered what the record temperatures were. All temperatures herein are expressed in Fahrenheit. It turns out that the hottest it has ever been in Michigan was recorded in Mio on July 13, 1936 when it was 112 degrees. Yes, that was indeed a hot one.

Where has it been even hotter? Many places. The hottest ever in the USA was on July 10, 1913 at Greenland Ranch, Colorado. It was 134 degrees that day. Glad I missed it.

How about the coldest on record in Michigan? My research revealed that, on February 9, 1934, it was -51 degrees in Vanderbilt, Michigan. Wow!

My first duty station in the U. S. Air Force was in Duluth, Minnesota in the early '60's. It routinely reached -30 at night and once was -54 degrees. I never thought I would be colder than that. Later, while on a mission in Alaska, I experienced -65 in Clear, Alaska. I couldn't believe it could get colder than that, but I learned that the coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States was in Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska, when on January 30, 1966 it was -80 degrees. Talk about cold! Brrrr!!!

Can you recall your coldest and hottest days on this Earth? Think about it.