GRAND RAPIDS, MI — And now, a break in our coverage of West Michigan's now-severe drought for other weather news bound to make you sweat.
The National Weather Service this week published figures showing how this year's two 100-or-more-degree days stack up historically in West and Mid-Michigan.
As it turns out, we are nowhere close to hitting the record of six 100-degree days that baked Grand Rapids in 1936.
Of course, we are not living in the Dust Bowl era that plagued the United States in the 1930s. But the figures paint an interesting picture about regional temperature extremes.
Grand Rapids, for instance, has not experienced two 100-degree days in a given year since 1947, according to weather service figures.
There also were two 100-degree days recorded in 1911, 1897, 1894.
It is worth noting the city's climate record for Grand Rapids begins in 1892. There was at least one 100-degree day in 1898, 1918, 1921, 1931, 1953, 1964 and 1988.
There has never been only three 100-degree days in Grand Rapids' recorded history, meaning the city very well could set or again surpass that record this year.
There were four 100-degree days in 1916 and five in 1934, according to weather service figures.
Elsewhere in West Michigan, Holland's record for most 100-degree days sits at four in 1916. The city's climate record begins in 1905.
There were three 100-degree days in Holland in Dust Bowl-era 1934, two in 1947 and one in 1913, 1953, 1985, 1996 and 1999.
Muskegon, interestingly, has never had a 100-degree day since its climate record began in 1896.