Sunset on a steamy summer

Posted on by farlane
Steaming into Sunset by Diann*

Steaming into Sunset by Diann

Summer is pretty much in the books, and Fox 2 Detroit shares that Summer 2025 was a hot one for a unique reason that bodes poorly for our future:

Because the summer of 2025 is not over, it’s not included in the rankings. But as of Aug. 14, the average daily temperature is 74.3 degrees – making it one of the hottest.

Here’s the difference: this year’s overnight lows have been some of the highest ever. The region has dealt with multi-day periods of sustained heat unlike any other year.

“When people talk about how hot it was back in 88, they’re right to do so,” FOX 2’s meteorologist Derek Kevra said. “But what they got was some relief days. We have had very few relief days this year.”

In the summer of 1988, there were seven days when overnight lows fell into the 40s and 26 days with overnight lows in the 50s. The summer this year has had barely any nights when temperatures fell that low. That included a 150-hour stretch where temperatures didn’t even fall below 70 degrees. Over the entire month of July, only three days have fallen into the 50s.

This isn’t the first time I’ve shared Diann’s photo of the coal powered SS Badger steaming out of its home port of Ludington back on Labor Day 2008 & it won’t be the last! Here are a few others that I’ve featured over the years – see more in her Third Coast gallery on Flickr.

More Michigan-focused climate change posts on Michigan in Pictures.

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3 thoughts on “Sunset on a steamy summer”

  1. Ugh to this hot and steamy Summer is what I say! As a walker, I was not happy with the heat/humidity and the stormy weather (some of which was predicted to be volatile, some of it actually volatile and worrisome), plus the wildfire smoke. As you say, this weather does not bode well for the future Summers and I hate to think that this new normal is for the rest of my days and the best warm-weather walking out with my camera will be in September or October going forward. Fall is my favorite season anyway, so who knows what to expect now? I am loving the weather just as it is now (with the exception of today’s wind).

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      1. I’ve never been to Costa Rica, but traveling while on a Panama Canal Cruise, it was so hot the last two weeks of October, I felt like I would melt. In those days I was carrying my 35mm equipment, a big camera bag and lugging it all around everywhere. Compact 35mm cameras were just becoming popular. Several people I met had them, slipped into a pocket or purse and we exchanged photos afterward – theirs were just as good as mine. I am loving this Fall-like weather.

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