# Why is it so hot in the Midwest? Explain it like I'm a 2 year old. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867 "2012-07-01T01:09:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/21 "2012-07-03T22:03:54Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > What the hell happened to the Jet Stream, that brings down freezing air from Canada in the Winter? > > “Weather Prediction is not a Science, it is a Black Art.” > > -My Quantum Mechanics Graduate School Professor. The jet stream is not a fixed stream. In the winter, it will go north into Canada, or Alaska, and then loop back down to the USA, creating Canadian air masses or Polar air masses. This time of the year, it bends into the Gulf of Mexico and then ascends either to the midwest or east, providing warm, moist Gulf air to those areas. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/22 "2012-07-03T22:12:18Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > The jet stream is not a fixed stream. In the winter, it will go north into Canada, or Alaska, and then loop back down to the USA, creating Canadian air masses or Polar air masses. This time of the year, it bends into the Gulf of Mexico and then ascends either to the midwest or east, providing warm, moist Gulf air to those areas. Warm, my ass! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/23 "2012-07-03T22:29:11Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > No, sweetie, that’s Columbia motherfucking South Carolina. Friday we had the highest temperature ever recorded. Not for June. For ever. Well don’t leave us hanging, what was the temp? ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/24 "2012-07-04T06:44:58Z")
Ok, I’ve looked at what happened a little more and my earlier explanation a few days ago missed one thing, one of those ridges (an area of high pressure) was insanely intense. It wasn’t so much a compounding of normal high pressure and crappy dry conditions, those were making it hot in general, but more blame should be given to one nasty upper ridge for really pushing us over the edge. It still didn’t come from Denver or the western US though. It actually came from the Pacific, crossed the Baja peninsula and drove northeast to center itself over Kansas for a few days, then slid to the southeast. It was already in the southern US by the time I looked at details and I could have sworn it came up from Mexico or the Gulf. It still came from the south, it just entered Mexico on the Pacific side and headed north to the states. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/25 "2012-07-04T13:08:50Z")
Air coming from either the west or south isn’t on its own going to be hot enough to cause what happened. Usually there is another factor that really ramps things up. Often this is sinking air. Sinking air dries out, warms up, clears out, all of which allows for things to get really, really hot. I don’t know if this was going on in this case. Maybe **Fubaya** knows. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/26 "2012-07-04T17:46:40Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Maybe **Fubaya** knows. There’s something no one ever says! I’m certainly no expert but I was looking for graphics to show and ran across this two part explanation complete with nice graphics: part [one](http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/comment.html?entrynum=79) and [two](http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/comment.html?entrynum=80). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/27 "2012-07-06T02:04:03Z")
The Midwest is the bible belt. Now, do you ever see pictures of God wearing a belt? No. No you do not. God is mad at them for stealing his belt. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/28 "2012-07-06T03:18:52Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > The Midwest is the bible belt. Now, do you ever see pictures of God wearing a belt? No. No you do not. God is mad at them for stealing his belt. By G-d, that’s…oops. NM ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867/29 "2012-07-06T05:05:29Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > The Midwest is the bible belt. Now, do you ever see pictures of God wearing a belt? No. No you do not. God is mad at them for stealing his belt. The [midwest](http://www.google.com/imgres?q=midwest&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1680&bih=933&tbm=isch&tbnid=FXu7VFxOzlM9MM:&imgrefurl=http://wikitravel.org/en/Midwest_(United_States_of_America)&docid=-S-TB6_-mKNcdM&imgurl=http://wikitravel.org/upload/shared//thumb/1/1d/Map-USA-Midwest01.png/350px-Map-USA-Midwest01.png&w=350&h=361&ei=wHH2T5O_BeSU2AWV0P3zBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=500&vpy=158&dur=141&hovh=228&hovw=221&tx=113&ty=129&sig=113776263537010314468&page=1&tbnh=117&tbnw=113&start=0&ndsp=42&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:147). The[bible belt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BibleBelt.png). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hot-in-the-midwest-explain-it-like-im-a-2-year-old/626867.md?page=1)