We were cool and cloudy this week, while folks to our south and west sweltered with hot, humid conditions. Temperatures soared into the 90s mid-week as close to us as Green Bay. The U.P. was in the 60s and 70s at the same time. A huge, hot upper-level high pressure center fueled the heat wave over the central U.S., while a westerly flow aloft along the international border kept Upper Michigan cool.

It’s been a while, but there have been extended heat waves this far north in late August. One of the most notable occurred in 1969. The high temperature at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Negaunee Township hit 91 on August 21 and 22, with two consecutive 90-degree days on the 29th and 30th. The last 10 days of August 1969 came in over eight degrees above average.

There were three consecutive 90-degree days beginning with a sweltering high of 95 on August 19, 1976. The temperatures cooled a bit, but then soared to 93 on August 27. As recently as 1991, the U.P. baked under late August heat. There have been only three times that highs hit 90 or above at the NWS over four consecutive days. The last time this occurred was from August 26 to 29, 1991. By the way, a stretch of five consecutive days was narrowly missed when the high reached “only” 89 on August 30.

There’s been a dearth of late-summer heat over the last decade. Since 2013, the high temperature has hit the 90s only twice after mid-month–on August 25, 2013 (92) and on August 16, 2015 (90).

We will not hit 90 the rest of this month. In fact, it probably won’t even hit 80 over the next week. That’s because of a general northwesterly flow aloft, which means near to below average temperatures. The best chance of showers looks to be on Monday into Tuesday.