SHEBOYGAN – Air conditioning, ice cream and the Lake Michigan lakefront get top billing in the minds of many during the month of July when the warmest temperatures of the year arrive.
The city’s reputation of being cooler near the lake hasn’t always worked as planned, however.
Back in 1995, according to July 13 and 14 clippings from the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, the thermometer almost blistered when weather served up a record 108 degrees Fahrenheit and crept ahead of the previous 1936 and 1948 records of 107 degrees for the city.
During that record heat wave in 1995, the only area in the county warmer than Sheboygan was Random Lake with 110 degrees recorded.
Sheboygan hit 108 degrees during 1995 heat wave
Despite the advances in cooling technologies, people and animals were affected by the heat.
Several factories let employees leave early to escape the heat.
The Press reported that first-shift employees at Tecumseh Products left at noon. General Manager Ken Miller said: “We’re not sending anyone home, but if they need to go home, they can. It gets pretty warm in the die-cast area.”
Kohler Co. spokesman Pete Fetterer told the Press the company could not determine how many employees left early, but some employees did cut their workdays short.
Two roofers from Kaltenbrun Bros. Roofing Co. Inc., the Press reported, went home early after feeling lightheaded because of the extreme heat.
County hospitals were called on to treat people for heat exhaustion. Between Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center, Valley View Medical Center and St. Nicholas Hospital, some 10 total individuals were treated.
Popular places to seek relief included the cooling waters of Lake Michigan along the city’s lakefront and Jaycees Quarryview Park.
Relief was slow to arrive as hot, muggy weather stuck around for several days during the 1995 heat wave.
How Sheboygan residents tried to beat the heat
In 1995, the Press published a list of the best ways to beat the heat. They included the following:
Farmers were being advised to make sure there was an ample water for livestock.
Sheboygan heat waves also hit in 1948 and 1934
In 1948, an August heat wave was nearly as hot at 107 degrees, with factories shutting down and some 3,000 people jamming the Sheboygan quarry waters.
During that heat wave, Sheboygan hospitals reported no one arrived at their doors with heat prostration.
Air conditioning was not as common then as it is today. People flocked northward to the balmy 76-degree temperatures that Two Rivers offered. Hotel rooms were quickly filled to capacity by those seeking relief in Two Rivers, the Press reported.
Another well-known heat wave in July 1934 also presented Sheboygan with 107-degree weather. The steamy hot weather back then killed hundreds nationwide. During that heat wave, an unofficial 120 degrees was recorded at Muscatine, Iowa, the Press reported.
It was finally cooler near the lake during that 1934 heat spell when winds shifted off the lake, cooling cities along the lakeshore and ending the intense heat for many.
Gary C. Klein has written Throwback Thursdays since 2017, covering dozens of businesses, people, sports and events from the early days of the area to recent history. He has been a photographer for the Press since 1993. He can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @leicaman99. Check out his other work at www.sheboyganpress.com/staff/4383066002/gary-c-klein/.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Throwback: Sheboygan’s record 108-degree heat wave
Reporting by Gary C. Klein, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
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By Gary C. Klein, Sheboygan Press | USA TODAY Network
