As I sit in my air-conditioned home, I cannot express how grateful I am to feel comfortably cool despite being menopausal (ha, ha) and during an extreme heat wave. For the last three days and for another two, we have been experiencing dangerously high temperatures in the nineties, with heat indexes pushing us into the triple digits. The humidity is crushing in this Great Lakes state!
Even though I love to camp, be outdoors, and then end the night sitting by a campfire in Michigan’s beautiful state forests, I am all too happy to be sitting cool as a cucumber inside the house this upcoming holiday weekend.
Thankfully, I live across the street from a large, clean, refreshing inland lake where I can go jump in anytime the heat gets to be too much. In fact, my son and his friend are doing just that as I write this article.
Speaking of lakes…the Great Lakes are a main reason why the humidity is so high during the summer in Pure Michigan. Then again, so is corn? Let’s see what the experts have to say about it.
NPR (National Public Radio) reports that, “Corn sweat is real. Corn draws in water, then releases it into the air through evaporation. And all that moisture produced by more than 90 million acres of corn nationwide can make it more humid,”.
According to the experts at World Atlas, “Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor present in the air, and scientists measure it using several indicators, including relative humidity and dew point.
Relative humidity describes how close the air is to saturation. It is expressed as a percentage, comparing the amount of water vapor currently in the air to the maximum amount the air can hold at a given temperature.
Michigan is also known for its variable but often humid climate, caused by its proximity to the Great Lakes. Surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes, the state has a steady influence of moisture-laden air, particularly during the warmer months. Cities like Detroit and Grand Rapids frequently see average morning relative humidity levels around 82% before dipping into the low 60s in the afternoon.
Michigan’s climate is classified as humid continental, which is a climate characterized by large seasonal temperature differences and moderate to high humidity in the warmer months. During late spring and summer, increased heating from the sun drives evaporation from the Great Lakes, injecting significant moisture into the atmosphere. Winds from the west and south then carry this moisture across the state, contributing to elevated humidity levels.
Seasonal patterns play a key role in Michigan’s humidity profile as well. The highest humidity levels typically occur from June through August, when lake temperatures rise and evaporation peaks,”.
How to stay cool in 100 degree heat?
Growing up with hot, humid Pure Michigan summers, we learned to stay cool by finding a river, stream, pond, sprinkler, or a Great Lake to cool off in. That is, of course, if we did not have the luxury of air conditioning because in the 1970’s and 80s, AC was a luxury!
If you can’t get to a body of water and don’t have air conditioning, another solution to beat the heat inside your home is to be very strategic with fan placement. Although it isn’t super effective during an extreme heat wave, it was all we had when I was a little girl.
For example, during the daytime, the fans would be pointed outwards to blow the hot air back outside. We would also keep the curtains drawn and closed to keep the house shaded and help cool it down.
At night, we turned the fans around to blow the cooler night air throughout the house, and before bed, we would either take a cold shower or just put our feet in the tub to run cold water over them.
We would also get a washcloth, drench it with cold water, and put it on our faces and the backs of our necks to cool our bodies. If that weren’t enough because it was still too hot despite the sun being down- we would camp out in the basement.
No worries, we had a clean, finished basement where we set up cots and brought a little radio to listen to in case there were storm threats, as there typically are when it’s very hot and humid.
When my sons were little, one summer, our air conditioning was on the fritz, and it would have been costly to repair, which we did not have the funds for at the time. So, I explained to my family that we were going to “sweat it out” to beat the heat that summer and that I knew exactly what to do as I grew up without air conditioning.
However, today, my seventeen-year-old son has his bedroom in the basement (his lair, as I call it, ha, ha). This means that my other son and I would have to figure out a way to coerce his little brother into letting us stay in his lair should we not have access to the AC!
It is also important to drink plenty of cold water, stay hydrated, and limit strenuous activities if possible.
How to stay hydrated in the heat
During times of extreme heat, it is particularly important to stay hydrated to avoid heat sickness, overheating, or dehydration. Ever since I was a baby, I have been sensitive to the heat. As a little girl, I played summer sports, and my mom would keep a cooler filled with ice water and washcloths to cool my body temperature down.
I seemed to have grown out of it in my twenties (or at least I didn’t notice it). However, when I became pregnant with my second son in my mid-thirties, that heat sensitivity came back with a vengeance!
My sons were also heat-sensitive when they were little, so I had to make sure we stayed cool, hydrated, and mindful of our time in direct sunlight.
Community Health in Texas recommends, “8 Practical Tips for Staying Hydrated in the Heat:
1. Drink Plenty of Water
2. Electrolytes for Balance
3. Hydrate Before Going Outside
4. Seek Shade and Stay Cool
5. Dress Wisely
6. Snack on Hydrating Foods
7. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol
8. Set Hydration Reminders,”.
Why is the humidity so high in Michigan in summer
In conclusion, Michigan summers feel extra humid because lakes, crops, and heat work together—so stay cool, drink water, and enjoy the season wisely.