North Dakota was sweltering during the summer of 1930. The state was in the grip of an oppressive heatwave. Heat and humidity had caused extreme discomfort for several days. Temperatures hovered in the high 90s, and the humidity made things even worse. Hettinger was the hottest spot in the state, hitting 101 degrees. Other towns weren’t far behind. Beach and Grand Forks recorded 99, and Williston reached 98. North Dakotans were getting tired of the heat.
The entire region suffered. Mitchell, South Dakota, was the hottest place in the country, reaching a scorching 108 degrees. A Minnesota man died after being overcome by the heat. A carpenter in Missouri also died while working on a job. A locomotive fireman collapsed and died as well. Others were hospitalized.
A railroad accident on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe line was blamed on the heat. Rails expanded and buckled, derailing three freight cars.
On this date in 1930, the meteorologist at the Bismarck weather station offered a sliver of hope. He predicted a thunderstorm might move in later that night, or early the next morning. But relief was short-lived. The hot weather continued, with temperatures around 100 degrees becoming the norm. Each day, newspapers predicted cooler air was on the way and each day, they were wrong.
Not every forecast was so optimistic. One meteorologist warned that any break in the heat would be brief. He was right. The minor storms didn’t end the heatwave, which dragged on into August. As Labor Day approached, North Dakotans finally began to breathe a little easier, though the temperatures didn’t drop by much. Still, 84 degrees felt a lot better than 112.
The rains returned in 1935, but one wet year wasn’t enough to end the drought. And as they suffered through the brutal summer of 1930, North Dakotans had no way of knowing a hot, dry decade still lay ahead. The drought didn’t truly begin to ease until the end of the 1930s.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Relief From Heat Promised. Bismarck ND. 7/9/1930. Page 1.
- Bismarck Tribune. “Score Die in Midwest Heat.” Bismarck ND. 7/10/1930. Page 1.
- Bismarck Tribune. “Weather Cools Off.” Bismarck ND. 8/11/1930. Page 1.
- Extreme Weather Watch. “Bismarck Weather in 1930.” https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/bismarck/year-1930 Accessed 6/24/1930.
- ND Studies. “Drought.” https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr8/content/unit-iv-modern-north-dakota-1921-present/lesson-2-making-living/topic-3-agriculture/section-3-drought Accessed 6/24/2025.
