‘Unhealthy’ air quality expected in eastern Minnesota through Monday afternoon due to wildfire smoke

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What would you guess is the deadliest disaster in Minnesota history? A wildfire? Blizzard? Tornado? It was none of those. In 1936, a 

long-term heat wave killed at least 900 across Minnesota

Heat is America’s top weather killer, even in the age of air conditioning and community pools. 

For the return of the long-running Climate Cast, we wanted to revisit the terrible cost of the 1936 heat wave that hit 90 years ago this month. On July 14, 1936, experts estimated a person was dying every three minutes in Minneapolis alone as a direct result of the heat. 

In this episode, MPR News chief meteorologist Ben Cathey speaks with with Geoff Williams, the author of a new book, “

.” Williams calculates that at least 12,000 people died across America. He thinks Minnesota’s official death toll is likely severely under-calculated.

Click play on the audio player above to listen to this episode or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast.

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All week, Minnesotans have been sweating through one of the worst heat waves in recent memory. But what the state is experiencing doesn’t compare to the deadliest weather event in state history. 

Learning from deadliest disaster in Minnesota history

People slept outside to beat the heat in July 1936

Learning from deadliest disaster in Minnesota history

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