Heat Dome

[JASON M]

Hello everyone, I'm sure that most of you are aware of the now happening heat dome. It's been going on for just over a week now, pushing indexes of over 100F to the midwest. It's now moving east, and I hope all of you are ready because it's not nice at all. No matter how good you think it'll be for the palms, it will NOT be good for you. Drink lots of water and stay inside when you can. 22 people have died, lets keep it like that.

Jason

[Xenon]

We get nearly 4 months of highs in the mid 90s-low 100s *F, with nighttime lows in the high 70s (low 80s on the coast). Heat Index is currently at 112*F. I don't mind it at all, much better then winter. Of course, people up north aren't used to it, we respond the same way when it snows here

Jonathan

[JASON M]

We get nearly 4 months of highs in the mid 90s-low 100s *F, with nighttime lows in the high 70s (low 80s on the coast). Heat Index is currently at 112*F. I don't mind it at all, much better then winter. Of course, people up north aren't used to it, we respond the same way when it snows here

Jonathan

If only it was 20/30F warmer all the time in winter, that'd be an awesome heat dome

[Xenon]

We get nearly 4 months of highs in the mid 90s-low 100s *F, with nighttime lows in the high 70s (low 80s on the coast). Heat Index is currently at 112*F. I don't mind it at all, much better then winter. Of course, people up north aren't used to it, we respond the same way when it snows here

Jonathan

If only it was 20/30F warmer all the time in winter, that'd be an awesome heat dome

Don't you mean 50/60*F warmer?

Jonathan

[JASON M]

We get nearly 4 months of highs in the mid 90s-low 100s *F, with nighttime lows in the high 70s (low 80s on the coast). Heat Index is currently at 112*F. I don't mind it at all, much better then winter. Of course, people up north aren't used to it, we respond the same way when it snows here

Jonathan

If only it was 20/30F warmer all the time in winter, that'd be an awesome heat dome

Don't you mean 50/60*F warmer?

Jonathan

yes... although i'd be fine with 20-30F -.-

[amazondk]

Peoples reaction to heat is an interesting thing. There is a lot of mental reaction to how people handle it in one part or another of the world. Here where I live there really is no temperature except warm to hot. We have now entered the dry season and for the next four or five months very few days will have highs under 90 F. And, in the months of August - September - October many days will have highs hovering around 100 F or more. And, the lowest humidity on hot clear days stays around 50 percent. The sun on the equator during this period is brutal to say the least. But, most people do not complain much. You do not move to fast mid day and AC does help quite a bit. But, life on the streets goes on as normal without missing much of a beat. I always drink a lot of water anyway.

dk

[Takil-Explorer]

In this part its the opposite...To cold, windy and wet!

Alexander

[Eric in Orlando]

The heat dome sits over FL 6-7 months a year !

[Erik]

Jason, it has been sitting over TX/OK for many weeks now. We hit 40 C by noon again today. No end in sight, but I confess we are praying for a Gulf hurricane to miraculously head up here and end the drought. My pasture is brown and livestock are eating expensive hay.

[SubTropicRay]

If only this heat could be bottled somehow for the coming winter.

[amazondk]

Ray,

If Joe Bastardi is right it would come in real handy.

dk

[gsytch]

The heat this summer has been brutal. Living within a mile of the coast, it has been dry and sunny. Sunniest summer I can remember. My total rain for the past 3 weeks is 1.1" in about 5 light rains. Thunders often. Dark. Windy. Oooooops went by. I had to water the lawn and landscape last night at 7pm as plants were wilting. The sun just fries. I have noticed even the palms are not pushing out growth. I mean, fertilizing is difficult when there isn't any decent rain to wash it in. I have not seen a downpour in weeks since that one day deluge in early July. Just sun. I hope this winter is not as bad. I can handle some cold, but not the persistent cold of the past two winters!

[Tyrone]

I hope you get some rains soon. It sounds like you are having a typical summer from my area. Totally dependent on reticulation.

Best regards

Tyrone

[palmnut-fry]

Well another ghastly hot day in Big D! Talk about heat dome, the other night (Weds, July 27), we recorded the all time highest LOW temp of 86 degrees F!

This is since records had been kept locally beginning in the late 19th century! The previous heat dome mentioned in this thread split in two, one went over the gulf south, the other up in the midwest. Now, they are converging to form one giant dome (the weather guy said he expects it to be one of the biggest in the last decade). Now our high today of 101 F well be cool compared to the highs of almost 110 F all this coming week! My yard is in tatters, I've lost 3 of my 20-year old Fatsia japonicas that were nicely tall (though the babies appear to be hanging on), my oakleaf Hydrangea is shriveled, and most of my bedding plants have croaked. And all this with me watering constantly every week since this summer began last April! And we've actually had it better in this area of Texas compared to the rest of the region as far as rain, only just now entered the official state of 'severe drought'! YIKES

[Takil-Explorer]

Well if you folks want rain, and chilly weather?? Come and get it, we have plenty of it downhere!

I WANT WARM SUNNY WEATHER NOW!!! FED UP WITH AL THAT LOUSHY SHITTY WEATHER HERE!!!

Alexander

[Al in Kona]

Hey you guys in Texas and other surrounding areas, it's been 3- weeks since you reported here, has it cooled down any? Or has it zapped your energy to even want to push your keyboard to report?

You just might want to come to Hawaii to cool off. The ACCU weather forcast for Kailua-Kona reports these high/low temperatures for the next 5-days:

87/75, 87/75, 87/74, 85/75, 85/74. (Aug. 24 thru Aug. 28, 2011)

[The Silent Seed]

Wow! Makes me even more grateful for our nice 65 - 85 degrees we're having now.

[Al in Kona]

Wow! Makes me even more grateful for our nice 65 - 85 degrees we're having now.

True but will you still be saying the same when winter arrives? lol Winter here is typically low 80's during day and mid 60's during night. All depending on your elevation of course.

[war_eagle]

Hey you guys in Texas and other surrounding areas, it's been 3- weeks since you reported here, has it cooled down any? Or has it zapped your energy to even want to push your keyboard to report?

No, unfortunately it has actually gotten hotter and drier. I've recorded a little over 2 inches of rain since Feb 1. The average for that period is about 30 inches. The ground is completely parched and our thick gumbo clay soil is literally cracking open. We have an ongoing, record breaking, streak of about 20 straight days with highs above 100F. We have had, thus far, 33 days above 100F this summer. The average is 4. Usually our swamp-like humidity makes it tough for the air to heat above 100F, but not this year. The forecast for the next few days ... 102/77 106/77 103/76 100/77.

[Palmə häl′ik]

yep.

the midwest is a scorcher!

I was just up in St.Louis a couple weeks back, and it was 102F with a index of like 112F!

We just don't see that triple digit drama in FL...

And that clay they got up there....

That ish is somethin' fierce too!

Diggin' through that stuff is what seperates the men from da boys right there!

~Ray.

[The Silent Seed]

Those who grew up in New England, such as myself, will always answer with a resounding YES - the rest are already relocated down South I really love the extreme changes in weather and climate from season to season - I can't imagine winter without winter So yes, I love every bit of it - I actually love shoveling snow I am sure that I feel this way because I have a year-round tropical jungle, as opposed to those people who have to haul their plants inside the house in the fall, which is a back-breaking job, literally. I have some friends who actually gave up on growing plants for this reason! Today is very hot, at 83, so I really feel for those guys in Texas.

[war_eagle]

I actually picked up 1.1 inches of rain this past Thursday. That's 50% of the total rain I've received since Feb 1 (before Thursday). But the slight relief didn't last long. It was 105F on Friday and 109F today! 109F ties the record for the all-time high temperature in Houston.

[palmnut-fry]

Well, feeling quite baked here in Big D. Just paid my highest water bill since moved here 16 years ago. Haven't had to water like this since late 90's, our last whopper summer! It's so hot that if you don't water, even the native hackberry trees are turning brown without it. Seen lots of casualties, even the more moderate sized lawns many are giving up, or never tried at all to keep it up. I just can't let my investment all dry up, and luckily, I can maintain my meager lot on not too much watering.

It's been encouraging, since the last frigid winter, to see as many as the palms I thought surely dead, came back. But the heat is more stress, and if not watered, they die from drought! I always said, and I grew up here, Dallas is the hell hole of the gardening world! Awful weather, 'cept maybe a few good months in between the ugliness.

This time it's different though, compared to at least 1980, the last similar year temp-wise. We are poised to beat it's record of 69-100* plus days. As then at least, Dallas was much smaller and less concrete so at least it was cooler at night back then. The nights refuse to cool down now, and the land is so parched that it is causing massive cracks in bare earth. All we do is pray for when the first 'real' cold front makes it through. I had to go a buy another new window unit, after my one upstairs I came home to find, gave out. Poor thing just was all pooped out! Lucked out on a killer deal at Lowe's and this new one is really a blessing.

Here's my attached pic of my Blue hesper that perished after this awful year! She almost made it to reproduction heaven

Hope everyone up in the N/E is okay! And may the palms hold tight in them winds and rain! God bless!

[happ]

The summer in Texas has been unbelievable this year. I'm sure everyone down there is looking forward to a nice cool autumn. The heat has shifted westward into California. Today was 100F\ 37.7C [4 degrees cooler than yesterday] and humid.

[_Keith]

This is the hottest summer I remember in my 55 years. We usually get a few days each summer in triple digits. This year, we started in June, which most years is a very pleasant month here. And we had a drought to go with it. Tough year for sure.

They are projecting highs over Labor Day Weekend will not rise above 90. I am gonna feel like a cold front came through.

[Xenon]

112*F this afternoon on the western edge of Houston..