Twin Cities set record high of 96, leaving sweaty multitudes looking for ways to play it cool and safe

Mike Kramlinger said his T-shirt would probably be wet by the end of the day. Even at 8 a.m. Saturday, sweat had begun to soak through it.

Kramlinger, 52, of Little Canada, owns Mike’s Kettle Corn and sets up shop at outdoor markets and festivals around Minneapolis. On Saturday he was selling kettle corn and standing over a hot burner popping corn — one of nearly 100 vendors working at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, which drew hundreds of shoppers despite forecasted temperatures reaching into the 90s this weekend.

“We’re out here no matter what the weather is,” he said.

It was a record-breaking day, and it felt like it. According to the National Weather Service, the Twin Cities reached 96 degrees as of 4:30 p.m., shattering the previous record for the date of 95 set in 1910. And the humidity made it feel like 105.

Just in time for summer’s first weekend, an extreme heat warning for the Twin Cities and most of Minnesota began at noon Saturday and was expected to continue through 9 p.m. Sunday.

Minneapolis officials urged people to protect family members and pets from extreme heat. According to city officials, seniors, small children, people with underlying medical conditions and pets are at greatest risk.

“We want everyone to take this heat seriously,” Rachel Sayre, director of the city’s Emergency Management Department, said in a news release. “The heat can be just as dangerous as severe storms or snow emergencies.”

Xe Thao, 39, another vendor at the farmers market, woke up at 3 a.m. in Northfield to load her truck with flowers and get to her spot by 5 a.m. Even at that early hour, she said, “It was really sticky.”

Sharon Monthei, 70, who lives in Uptown, took time Saturday morning to enjoy the air conditioning at the Minneapolis Central Library before heading into a meeting that she almost skipped due to the heat.

“I thought about staying home,” she said. “I’ll stay inside as long as I can, and I’ll probably get a lift home, or a lift wherever we’re going. I won’t be on the bus.”

Monthei, who has lived in Minneapolis since 1991, said she felt like there was something weird about the weather this summer compared with previous years.

“We had all of this cold weather, and now suddenly we’re getting really hot weather,” she said. “It’s quite a bit different.”

Tytiana Jackson, 25, of St. Paul, was fanning herself Saturday at the Farmers Market. As 3-year-old daughter Tavaya sat in a stroller with a shade pulled over the top, Jackson said she worried about unhoused people who may be stuck outside with no reprieve from the heat.

“For homeless people, unfortunately, all we got to do is pray,” she said.

On Saturday, Catholic Charities’ Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul was stocked with water inside and out as staffers prepared for an uptick in people seeking help. The center offered meals and showers as well.

Chasity Higgins, 27, a unit supervisor for the center, said workers were helping those who were homeless and vulnerable stay out of the heat.

“A lot of our folks can have underlying health issues, asthma and things like that,” Higgins said. “We also have a lot of older individuals … and we know that they can be more susceptible to things like heat stroke and such.”

For Tracy Alexander, 46, a former Memphis resident who has stayed overnight at the Dorothy Day shelter for a year, Saturday’s heat seemed mild compared with summer in Tennessee. But the effects of hot weather are no joke, he said. He’s relieved to have access to air conditioning, cold water and a place to rest his feet, thanks to the center’s services.

“I’ve seen people outside with coats and stuff on, because they’re afraid of losing their things,” he said. “I just pray for them. Like, bro, you better buy you a buggy or something, wearing all that stuff in this heat.”

Alexander himself was in a tank top jersey and shorts, which he called his “classic” summer outfit. To avoid the worst of the heat, he was going to wait until 3 p.m. to run his errands for the day.

“We all need to look out for each other during extreme heat,” said Toni Hauser, emergency preparedness and response manager for the Minneapolis Health Department, in a press release. “Check in on friends, neighbors, older adults, loved ones and pets this weekend. Taking just a few minutes to check in could save someone’s life.”

Sam Ohl, 18, of south Minneapolis, spent Saturday afternoon jumping off a footbridge into Lake of the Isles with his friends. It’s his second time he’s hung out at the lake since graduating a few weeks ago from Washburn High School. He and three friends thought jumping into the water would be a good idea on a toasty day.

“Being wet and sitting in the sun feels good,” he said.

One of Ohl’s friends, Hugo DeArmond, just got back from vacation in California after finishing his junior year at Washburn. The 16-year-old said the bridges at Lake of the Isles are a popular spot for Minneapolis teens looking to beat the heat.

They weren’t the only ones. Kayakers, paddleboarders, anglers and swimmers flocked to the lake to escape the soupy weather.

At Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Zach Schneider, the marathon’s marketing director, said the temperatures made it tougher for runners. But he said Saturday’s race was not the hottest they’ve ever run.

Even so, there were a few heat-related ailments. Medical Director Kathryn McLellan said 250 people were treated at the medical tent, which she said was close to average for the race.

Most of those issues were heat-related or due to dehydration. 10 runners had cases of hyperthermia or overheating, with body temperatures over 104 degrees. McLellan said all were discharged.

“Our medical team has been busy but not overwhelmed,” Schneider said.

Loring Park on Saturday morning saw a few dog walkers, grounds keepers pulling up weeds and a couple sitting on a bench by the lake, the woman holding an umbrella to shield her face from the sun.

Sarah Horsefield, 45, was out for a stroll in the park with her 15-year-old rescue dog, Jake. She said she had finally turned on her air conditioning and shut the windows at home to prepare for the heat. Jake was miserable, she said, and another dog walker, Noah Favela, 29, said his dog Zepher was panting more than usual.

Jocephus Lomax, 75 also known as Music Man Joe, set up on the sidewalk just outside of the farmers market to play songs on his trumpet, piccolo and recorder. He started playing music in 1963, when he was 15, and plays his instruments outside year-round, through harsh winters and hot summers.

Lomax started playing at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and planned to stay until the market closed for the day. He looked forward to treating himself at the end of the day with his favorite ice cream flavor, butter pecan.

“I’m like a captain going down with his ship,” he said.