Summer of 1980 Remembrances

So, how's it going?  I hope the few of you who read this blog are doing ok, even in the extreme heat we are "enjoying" here in S Central Kansas.  Some are comparing this summer to that of 1980 - here's some info about it: 
Sweltering heat took a long, unwelcome vacation in Kansas during the summer of 1980. The blistering heat arrived with a vengeance on June 24th when the mercury soared to 103 degrees. Afternoon high temperatures broke the 100-degree barrier each day for the rest of the month, culminating in a monthly high of 110 degrees on the 30th. The nighttime provided very little in the way of relief as lows in the mid to upper 70s were prevalent during that one-week span. Little did anyone realize that the atmosphere was just getting "warmed up". During July, the heat wave hit full throttle when high temperatures cleared the 100-degree hurdle a staggering 24 out of 31 days, including an eighteen day stretch from the 3rd to the 20th. The 4th was, quite literally, hotter than a firecracker, when another 110-degree reading was achieved. The record heat reached a pinnacle on the 12th, when Wichitans baked in 112-degree temperatures.  It appeared that the heat wave was losing its grip, when a cold front crossing the region on July 21st caused temperatures to "nosedive" back into the mid 90s with overnight lows dropping to near 60 degrees. Not so, as temperatures shot right back up into the 105-110 degree range from the 28th to the 21st. The heat wave that wouldn't die was entering its third month. The record heat didn't break stride as August took the baton and raced to a high of 110 degrees on the 1st. In fact, 11 of the first 13 days of August would see triple-digit highs. It was on the 14th that "the sizzling Summer of 1980" began to east its grip on Kansas, as temperatures settled back into more seasonal levels. However, it was too late, as 20 record high temperatures were set between June 24th and August 13th, all of which stand to this day. During the months of June and July, Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport only received 1.81 inches of rainfall, 0.47 inches of that was in July.


We had moved here from Ft Worth on July 1, with our firstborn baby daughter, who was born in April of that year.  We had a nice apartment with some AC, but it was upstairs and it wasn't able to stay cool.  The word "misery" comes to mind as I remember that summer.  We had help to unpack our truck and haul all of our stuff up a flight of stairs and into our new home - but I recall lots of sweat and effort from those older people in our congregation who came to help us out.  Oh, it was something else!