Sure It’s Hot Now, But It’s Nothing Compared to Minnesota’s Summer of 1936

There's no doubt we're in the middle of a pretty good heat wave here in southeast Minnesota right now. But even this hot weather pales in comparison to how hot it was 80 years ago.

Being a history buff, I'm fascinated by the tales of Rochester and Minnesota during days gone by. And certainly, 1936 was a long time ago. 80 years, to be exact. Which makes it even more fascinating to learn how the state coped with a massive heat wave that occurred in July of that year.

According to a story in the Pioneer-Press, the heat wave of 1936 was serious stuff. The story says, "Temperatures topped 90 degrees for 14 straight days, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources data." And, it got much hotter. "A two-week heat wave peaked on July 14, when the daytime temperature reached an unprecedented 108 degrees in the Twin Cities — it remains the highest ever recorded," the story says.

And, it was deadly. It's hard to fathom today, but the story says nearly 900 Minnesotan died during that two-week period due to the excessive heat. Can you image that?!? Nearly a thousand fellow Minnesotans didn't make it, all thanks to the summer heat and humidity.

Of course, back in 1936, while air-conditioning WAS around (it was invented back in 1902 by a guy named 'Carrier'), it certainly wasn't as widespread and common as it is today. Nor were all the technological advances that warn us about the heat, and how to stay safe. And those now-familiar plastic bottles of water we take for granted also weren't around, which made it even tougher to stay hydrated during a gripping hot spell.

Trying to envision life in Minnesota during a massive heat wave 80 years ago is difficult to wrap your head around, isn't it? I mean, I drive from my centrally air-conditioned house in my air-conditioned SUV to arrive here at the air-conditioned Quick Country studios, and only experience the oppressive heat and humidity for a few minutes at the most, as most of us do these days.

But a glance back at the history books shows that it wasn't that long ago that most of Minnesota was at the mercy of Mother Nature. And, she wasn't always all that kind. Something to think about as you crank up that AC today...