Heat Wave
In July of 1963 old timers may remember the hit record “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas that climbed to number one and stayed there all summer.
Folks in the Southwest may remember the summer of 2023 with the unprecedented Heat Wave that climbed to the number one spot and lasted all summer setting record after record for heat.
This was not the summer to fly out for some fun and excitement in Las Vegas as temperatures on most days topped 100 and frequently stayed above 110 degrees. I wonder if folks who moved to the sunny climate of Arizona in the past few decades are regretting their move.
Phoenix just set an almost unbelievable record of 31 consecutive days of temperatures above 110 degrees and 16 of those days the thermometer did not fall below 90 for the overnight low. Last Wednesday the record was 119 for the afternoon and a death-rattling 97 for the overnight low.
Imagine the lives of those whose AC failed or who are too poor to even have AC. People die in this kind of heat and while no one heat wave can be attributed to global warming scientists tell us that in all likelihood these extreme heat events are made worse by the continued pouring of green- house gases into our air.
More people die from heat than any other weather-related event. Heat waves and the resulting deaths are a problem the world over and we are told it is only going to get worse. It has not rained in Phoenix for over 130 days and the heat dome keep a lid on the summer monsoon season which has been delayed but now looks like it may be a possibility and this could bring a bit of relief.
The summer monsoon brings a few thunderstorms to cool things down but also can bring too much rain in just a few minutes causing flash flooding. Since 1890, average July temperatures in Phoenix are 8 degrees warmer. In California the York Fire last week consumed 110 square miles of forest and daily we hear about the heat and humidity in the south.
Here in Southwest Pennsylvania we have had a few hot days but a friendly cool front from Canada visited this past week lowering humidity and temperatures to comfortable levels. We usually experience a few of these fronts each summer and this is what makes summers so special in our area.
As we move into August, average daily temperatures start out at 84 for the high and 62 for the morning low. By the end of the month averages are 81 and 59. We had several mornings this past week with mornings in the 50s.
Records for August are a high of 102 on the 4th in 1930 and a chilly low of 34 on August 29th, 1982. Rainfall averages 3.2 inches from scattered showers and afternoon thunderstorms.
Looking ahead, the forecast calls for a cooling trend in the northern tier of states and continued heat in the south.
In our area, temperatures are expected to be about normal and rainfall just a tad above the average. Notice the days are beginning to shorten and this translates to a slow decline in temperatures.