GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — In mid-March of 2012, one of the most unusual and historic heat waves in recorded history blanketed Michigan and much of the Midwest.
According to the National Weather Service, nearly every site in Michigan broke its March heat record as temperatures soared into the mid to upper 80s, in some places for several days in a row. When it began, it was still officially winter.
130 years of records vanished, several times over, due to a dome of high pressure and some help from southern winds. It was so unprecedented that the 10 consecutive days, March 14 to March 13 in 2012, of 70+ degree temps in Michigan, is only comparable to a nine-day stretch of 70+ temps that happened between April 16 and April 24 in 1886, over a month later on the calendar.
By March 24th, trees, shrubs, and produce had started developing a month earlier than normal in many locations across the state. It caused big problems for fruit and vegetable growers when normal April freezes occurred following the heatwave. So for some, it was enjoyable to have summer weather on the heels of winter. But it certainly had its dark side too.
Michigan had another historic stretch of warmth in 2012 that happened around the 4th of July holiday when temps made it to the mid-100s in several parts of the state, shattering more records.
