When Was Michigan’s Hottest July On Record?

It has been a very hot summer, and many of us have seen our AC on for months at a time. As it turns out, it hasn't been just us: the contiguous United States experienced its hottest July on record last month. Across the country, multiple heatwaves wracked the country, and if we look abroad, Europe has seen people die from repeated rare heat waves. In fact, it marked the second-warmest July in world history. 

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Basically, it has been hot, and there's no sign of that changing anytime soon. While the entire mainland US averaged 76.89 degrees, Grand Rapids saw an average temperature just below that, at 74.9 degrees, according to NOAA. So, where does this rank all time, and when did Grand Rapids experience its hottest month? Here's the facts.

Grand Rapids' Hottest July

Michigan's hottest day on record came 90 years ago during the summer of 1936, famously known as the "Dust Bowl Summer," when temperatures from July 8th to the 14th ranged from 100°F to 104°F, with the hottest day being July 13th, when temperatures hit a high of 108°F.

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While this is the hottest heat wave Michigan has ever seen, the hottest July on record occurred in 2012, when temperatures averaged 79.2°F across the month, according to the National Weather Service. Because Hurricane Sandy was occurring at the time, Lake Michigan's water temperature was 15°F above normal, while water levels were at record lows. Suffice to say, it was a strange summer.

Davslens Photography

Currently, July 2026 ranks 8th all-time for average temperature. In fact, aside from 1955 in third place, the top 10 have all been recorded after the year 2000.