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Orbitally modulated insolation is thought to be among the key mechanisms driving ice sheet change. Yet, late Pleistocene ice sheets attained maximum marginal extents prior to summer insolation minima, suggesting that additional mechanisms influenced ice growth and decay. Continuous orbital-scale terrestrial temperature records can help define the role that temperature near ice sheet margins plays on the timing and structure of glacial maxima. We hypothesize, based on a 360kyr long air temperature record from the Chinese Loess Plateau and shorter records from North America and Europe, that midlatitude terrestrial temperature influenced the rate of ice sheet growth prior to and during glacial maxima; cold conditions prior to glacial maxima enhanced ice sheet growth, while warming during glacial maxima inhibited further growth, despite low summer insolation. Thus, the midlatitude surface energy budget may be an important component of understanding and modeling ice volume, particularly for intervals prior to and during glacial maxima, when ice sheet margins reached midlatitudes.