Sounding like a broken record? Yeah, pretty much. The predicted high temperature yesterday was 117º. The actual high reached: 118º. 2º hotter than the previous record of 116º. The weather weasels on TV treat this like it is a competition, "celebrating" each new record high.
Global warming? That term seems to set off some people on both sides of the issues. Based on my non-professional observations, that seems to be the case; this are continues to top record highs. "Extreme Weather Alerts" (when the temps are expected to top 110º) are happening more frequently. Another one today, with a predicted high of 114º.
"A cool-off for tomorrow" - that is a quote... "only 110º."
It does affect day-to-day life: with the Extreme Weather Alerts, people are warned about "going outside after noon." I feel for those who have to work outside. Construction in the development southeast of us goes on; more activity early in the day. By mid-afternoon, it tapers off.
Murphy is aware, too. He likes to spend time outside, which means one of us will be out there with him. So, early in the day and just before dark... but, early is better. It was still over 100º at 10:00pm last night.
I try to keep up with the temperature on the hot tub. The water temperature was 103º when I got in around 8:30pm; the outside air temp was 107º... you can't just turn on the tub and have the outside are temp help cool it down. I even ran water from the hose into the tub... after letting the water run for a while to get the hot water in the hose and water lines out. It didn't bring down the water temp in the tub. I tried a new tack overnight: leaving the tub uncovered. That worked: when I took Murphy outside this morning, the air temperature was 90º (at 6:30am) and the tub had cooled to 94º.
The hot tub is designed to have the cover closed when not in use. To keep the water warm. Also keeps the water cleaner. But, you do what you have to do.
Is this all about one old guy grousing about the heat? Well, it is my blog. But it is a lot more than that. Even the saguaro cacti seem stressed locally - there is a limit to how much heat they can endure, too. And looking back where we used to live: the Gulf of Mexico is averaging 2º warmer than it was in 1970. We all know that warmer water is providing more energy for hurricanes, but more than that, it puts more moisture into the upper atmosphere... which means more thunderstorms and potentially severe weather into states north of the Gulf. Like the horrendous rains in Hill Country in Texas. And the damaging storms in the mid-west and east. "Tornado Alley" has moved east, as well.
It's all related. The Earth has warmed and cooled over the eons. We are certainly in a warming period right now. That means more unstable weather. "Unstable" - that seems to be a good term to describe Mother Nature these days.
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And, while we're talking about getting outside early and late in the day: the moon-rise over South Mountain was gorgeous last night. No, I didn't shoot and photos or video. Joan and I were out there with Murphy. It was quite a treat to see the glow of light behind the mountain, followed by the moon-rise. The actual full moon is today, so I may get around to shooting something this evening.
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