Then came the searing heat. The last few days of June saw afternoon temperatures reach around 100 degrees, followed by a brief break in the heat for the first three days of July. However, the hot weather had only just begun. Every day from July 8 through 15 all major reporting stations in Kentucky reported 100 degree temperatures. Louisville peaked at 107 on the 14th (their all-time high), Lexington hit 108 on the 10th and 15th (their all-time high), and Bowling Green struck 106 on the 10th and 11th. At night temperatures dropped often only into the upper 70s and lower 80s.
Hot summer weather continued for the rest of July, though not at record levels. Then in August another heat wave swept the region from the 16th to the 28th. Bowling Green recorded another ten 100 degree days during that stretch, peaking at 106 on the 28th. Louisville topped out at 101 on the 19th and 22nd, and Lexington made it to 105 on the 19th (their all-time high for August).
The summer of ’36 turned out to be the 2nd hottest summer ever recorded at Louisville, and the hottest on record at Lexington, and Bowling Green. It was also the 2nd driest at Lexington, third driest at Louisville, and eighth driest at Bowling Green.
Modern air conditioning had been invented in 1902, but didn’t become commonplace in residential homes until the 1950s.