Despite increasing heat waves, US saw one of its worst in 1936

By the time cool air from Canada’s Hudson Bay arrived to relieve the baking Upper Midwest in July 1936, the United States had endured a scorching heat wave that even reached New York.

“North Winds Halt Hot Wave,” exclaimed the headline on The Chicago Daily Tribune on July 15, 1936, as temperatures soared to 100 degrees in Illinois and 120 degrees in North Dakota, resulting in 5,000 deaths.

The 1936 heat wave, partially fueled by the Dust Bowl drought, lasted for 12 consecutive days in some areas, with devastating impacts across the nation.

Fast forward to 2023, when Phoenix experienced a record-breaking heat wave with 110-degree temperatures for 31 days, reflecting a concerning trend of increasingly severe heat waves globally.

Now, as the U.S. faces another blistering summer in 2024, early heat waves are hitting the Northeast and Midwest, raising concerns about extreme heat’s dangers in urban areas.

From historic heat waves to modern climate challenges, the evolving impact of extreme temperatures underscores the urgency of addressing climate change in a rapidly warming world.