Without the 1930s U.S. summer heatwaves, as well as the wintertime 24-hour 87-degree steam-heat being pumped into 66 College St., would Lovecraft have lived even as long as he did?

The hotter it gets, the more energy I seem to have — mental and physical alike. I perspire freely, but am comfortable for all that. I can relish temperatures of 97° and 98°, and never want it cooler than 80°.” “I can’t steer my finger-muscles when it’s much under 70°.

It seems 1930 was a special shock to the nation because of its duration and because it was the first big leap up. 1931 was a repeat. 1932 and 1933 appear to have been modestly high but not brutal. Then a huge spike in 1934, followed by a more average 1935, then “Cthulhu is rising!”-scale brutal in 1936. But that is nationally. It would be interesting to compile a reliable and more precise “heatwaves where Lovecraft was” timeline.