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Heat Wave Smashing Records, Topping 100 Degrees

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  • Heat Wave Smashing Records, Topping 100 Degrees

    Heat Wave Smashing Records, Topping 100 Degrees

    By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist
    http://www.accuweather.com/en/weathe...-records/67340

    High temperature records have been falling by the wayside so far this year, and the current heat wave now has more, including all-time records in jeopardy.

    Never mind highs near 100 degrees. The current heat wave has temperatures pushing 102, 105 even 108 degrees in portions of the Plains, Midwest, South and East.

    Meteorologist DJ Hoffman pointed out that as of Thursday, June 28, 2012, more than 20,900 record highs have been broken to date this year.

    "We have had over 7,700 more record highs this year, compared to last year, despite 2011's South Central states heat and drought," Hoffman said.

    The temperature pattern this year got a jump start from way back at the tail end of the winter. Multiple days of record highs were set from the central Plains and Rockies to the Great Lakes during March. Chicago had nine days in a row of record highs spanning March 14 to 22.

    Indianapolis came within 3 degrees of tying their all-time record high of 107 degrees during Thursday with a high of 104 degrees.


    A "sea of heat" covers much of the Central states and the South. This National Weather Service map shows high temperatures from Thursday, June 28, 2012.

    Meanwhile, about 130 miles away in the Hoosier State, in Fort Wayne, the temperature tied their all-time record high set during the dust bowl era in 1936 and 1934, as well as during the blistering summer of 1988.

    According to Climatologist Jim Rourke, "Other vicious extreme high temperatures Thursday included Russell, Kan., with 110 degrees; St. Louis, Mo., with 108 degrees; Little Rock, Ark., with 107 degrees; Kansas City, Mo., with 106 degrees; Nashville, Tenn., with 105 degrees and Dayton, Ohio, with 102 degrees."

    Earlier in the week, all-time records were reached in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.

    "All of these locations and many others not only broke or tied daily record highs for the date, but also set June all-time record highs during the current heat wave," Rourke said.

    During the next couple of days, temperatures are forecast to reach 100 degrees or higher once again in the central and southern Plains to the Ohio Valley. However, even areas in the central and southern Appalachians and the coastal plain in the South and mid-Atlantic will do the same.

    Columbia, S.C. has broken their all-time record high of 107 degrees set on multiple dates. During Friday afternoon, temperatures reached 109 degrees.

    During Friday afternoon, Nashville broke its all-time record high of 107 degrees set in 1952 by reaching 109 degrees.

    Atlanta is on pace to reach or exceed its all-time record high of 105 degrees set on July 17, 1980, before the weekend is over.

    Charlotte, N.C., tied its all-time record high of 104 degrees set in 1954 and tied in 2007.

    Washington, D.C., broke its June record of 102 set in 2011, when the temperature reached 104 degrees Friday afternoon. The all-time record high is 106 degrees set on July 20, 1930.

    Temperatures Friday afternoon inched close to the all-time record of 108 degrees at Baltimore's Inner Harbor with a high of 106 degrees.

    According to Long Range Expert Paul Pastelok, "Given the persistence of the large high pressure area producing the heat and dry conditions thus far, this will not be the last of widespread triple-digit readings this summer."

    "While the heat will tend to be intermittent from the northern Plains to the Northeast, indications are that more of this sort of thing can continue from the southern and central Plains to the interior South in the coming weeks," Pastelok said.

    When a temperature has reached or surpassed the highest temperature on "record" for a particular location, it is considered to be an "all-time record high.

    In many cases, temperature records have been kept for 120 years or more in major cities, while some temperature records in smaller cities and towns may only be in the books for a few decades.

    Current, official temperature readings are taken at height of about 6 feet off the ground with no direct exposure to the sun or reflection from the sun or warm surfaces.

    Many temperature and weather observation sites are located at airfields.

    Before the arrival of airfields during the early 1900s, most observations were taken in inner cities, and while they were accurate to where they were located, they would give higher readings than say in a countryside or suburban location, where most airfields exist, due to the heat island effect.

    The heat wave is also playing interesting tricks with nighttime temperatures.

    Near the outer edge of the heat wave, where a breeze stays up at night and the humidity is elevated, temperatures barely dipped below average daytime highs for the date.

    According to Senior Meteorologists Rob Miller, "In Pittsburgh, the temperature never fell below 80 degrees last night. If it fails to do so before midnight, it will be the warmest night in the Steel City since July 21, 1930.

    In Des Moines, Iowa, the low temperature on Thursday was a mere 81 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, it was only the second time in 75 years in which the low temperature was 81 degrees or higher. The last time this occurred was on July 12, 1966.

    Meanwhile, in the middle of building drought areas of Arkansas, near the center of the high pressure area and a pocket of dry air, the atmosphere is behaving like a desert. At North Little Rock Airport, the temperature began Thursday at 63 degrees, then reached 107 degrees the same afternoon.
    Lawren
    ------------------------
    There are many wonderful places in the world, but one of my favourite places is on the back of my horse.
    - Rolf Kopfle

  • #2
    Yup. It was in the 90's yesterday, and will be again for the next few days.
    Angela

    If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

    BTW, I'm still keeping track of how many times you annoy me.

    Comment


    • #3
      we finally got rain, taking us down to mid70s at 5 pm yesterday. ahhhh... but more high 90s and 100s coming. But now, the humidity is here. And many people without power. yikes.

      110 is what my car thermometer said Thurs @ 5 pm.

      Comment


      • #4
        So far Con Ed has not turned the voltage lower like they did 2 weeks ago. If they do it puts a strain on your refrigerator, AC TV's and even as I found out Oven. My friend had to go buy a new Fridge right after the last voltage cut. I highly recomend this every year, Fill your ice box with ice packs, If you do not have many then use a 2 litter water bottle. It will help in a black out and give you 2 extra days of cold
        Timeshareforums Shirts and Mugs on sale now! http://www.cafepress.com/ts4ms

        Comment


        • #5
          It was 105 yesterday here in NC. I used to be a lifeguard and always said the hotter it is the better, now it's OMG. I can't breathe in this heat. 2 more weeks before I can get to the beach. shaggy

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          • #6
            Crazy. I live in the desert. I don't think we have broke 100 yet. 90, yes..but here that doesn't even require A/C as long as there is a breeze and there usually is. Evenings cool down rapidly. I'm not bragging nor complaining..I'm sure I'll get mine later..when the rest of you are enjoying fall weather. It's just really strange.

            Comment


            • #7
              We haven't had summer yet. Its very strange because central WA is kind of known for being dry desert and its been raining alot.

              Bill

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              • #8
                So glad I moved south. It was as hot or hotter back where I came from and we don't get snow here!
                Pat H

                Comment


                • #9
                  Storms: Mid-Atlantic power outages could last days

                  Storms: Mid-Atlantic power outages could last days
                  It could be several more days before electricity is restored to areas hit by vicious storms that killed at least 13 people and left 3 million power customers to negotiate sweltering temperatures without air conditioning.

                  By JESSICA GRESKO
                  Associated Press
                  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...merstorms.html



                  WASHINGTON —
                  It could be several more days before electricity is restored to areas hit by vicious storms that killed at least 13 people and left 3 million power customers to negotiate sweltering temperatures without air conditioning.


                  Across a swath from Indiana to New Jersey and south to Virginia, officials warned the heat wave could take a toll on the elderly, young or sick. Problems from the storms that began Friday ranged from a damaged prison in Illinois to tree-strewn train tracks that stranded 232 Amtrak passengers for more than 20 hours in West Virginia.

                  Emergencies have been declared in Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, the District of Columbia and Virginia, where Gov. Bob McDonnell said the state had its largest non-hurricane outage in history, as more storms threatened. "This is a very dangerous situation," the governor said.

                  Power officials said the outages wouldn't be repaired for several days to a week.


                  The storm did damage from Indiana to New Jersey, although the bulk of it was in West Virginia, Washington and the capital's Virginia and Maryland suburbs. At least six of the dead were killed in Virginia, including a 90-year-old woman asleep in her bed when a tree slammed into her home. Two young cousins in New Jersey were killed when a tree fell on their tent while camping. Two were killed in Maryland, one in Ohio, one in Kentucky and one in Washington.

                  In Washington's northern Virginia suburbs, emergency 911 call centers were out of service; residents were told to call local police and fire departments. Huge trees toppled across streets in the nation's capital, crumpling cars. Cell phone and Internet service was spotty, gas stations shut down and residents were urged to conserve water.

                  The power outages were especially dangerous because they left the region without air conditioning in an oppressive heat wave. Temperatures soared to highs in the mid-90s Saturday in Baltimore and Washington, a day after readings of up to 104 degrees were reported in the region.

                  Three Baltimore City fire companies set to permanently close this week were staying open several more days to help cope.

                  Utility officials said it could take at least several days to restore power to all customers because of the sheer magnitude of the outages and destruction. Winds and toppled trees brought down entire power lines, and debris has to be cleared from power stations and other structures.

                  "The devastation ... is very significant," New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said after ordering the National Guard to deliver fuel for generators and fresh water to stricken areas. He reported that power had been restored to such tourist areas as Atlantic City's casinos.

                  Illinois corrections officials transferred 78 inmates from a prison in Dixon to the Pontiac Correctional Center after storms Friday night caused significant damage in the state, Department of Corrections spokeswoman Stacey Solano said.

                  No one was injured, Solano said. Generators are providing power to the prison, which is locked down, confining remaining inmates to their cells.

                  In Indiana, a toppled tree crushed the top of Vicki Hunt's car and smashed the back window.

                  "It came so fast," the Fort Wayne woman told broadcaster WPTA-TV. "All of a sudden all you heard was a swoosh, and next thing you know the tree fell ... we heard a big crash, which obviously was my car."

                  In West Virginia, 232 Amtrak passengers were stranded Friday night on a train blocked on both sides of the tracks by toppled trees.

                  Brooke Richart, a 26-year-old teacher from New York City, was among the passengers stranded for 20 hours. She read half a book and took walks outside the train, which had light, air conditioning and food the entire time. But she called the wait "trying."

                  "Thankfully we could go in and out of the train because we were there so long. If you wanted to stretch your legs or take a walk, you could," she said.

                  Amtrak spokesman Steve Kulm said passengers were taken away by buses Saturday night.

                  Some major online services also saw delays and disruptions.

                  Netflix, Instagram and Pinterest resorted to using Twitter and Facebook to update subscribers after violent storms across the eastern U.S. caused server outages for hours. Netflix and Pinterest restored service by Saturday afternoon.

                  Instagram used its Facebook fan page to communicate with users of its photo-sharing service. It posted a message on Saturday morning that blamed the electrical storm for the outage that sent its engineers scrambling to restore service.

                  Meanwhile, utilities said they were struggling to restore power amid the heat wave.

                  Myra Oppel, a spokeswoman for the utility Pepco, reported over 400,000 outages in Washington and its suburbs. "We do understand the hardship that this brings, especially with the heat as intense at is. We will be working around the clock until we get the last customer on."

                  Especially at risk were children, the sick and the elderly.

                  In Charleston, W.Va., firefighters helped several people using walkers and wheelchairs get to emergency shelters. One of them, David Gunnoe, uses a wheelchair and had to spend the night in the community room of his apartment complex because the power - and his elevator - went out. Rescuers went up five floors to retrieve his medication.

                  Others sought refuge in shopping malls, movie theaters and other places where the air conditioning would be cranked up.

                  In Richmond, Va., Tracey Phalen relaxed with her teenage son under the shade of a coffee-house umbrella rather than suffer through the stifling heat in a home without power. Phalen said Hurricane Irene left her home dark for six days last summer, "and this is reminiscent of that."

                  Robert Clements, 28, said he showered by flashlight Friday night after losing power at his Fairfax, Va., home. His fiancee learned electricity wouldn't be restored for days at her apartment complex so she booked a hotel Saturday to beat the heat.

                  "It feels like an oven," said Clements' fiancee, Ann Marie Tropiano, of the apartment she left behind.

                  ---

                  Associated Press writers Vicki Smith in Morgantown, W.Va.; Larry O'Dell in Richmond, Va.; Pam Ramsey in Charleston, W.Va.; Norman Gomlak and Jonathan Drew in Atlanta; Jeffrey McMurray in Chicago; Doug Ferguson in Bethesda, Md.; and Rebecca Miller in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

                  I hope all our members in these areas are OK.
                  Lawren
                  ------------------------
                  There are many wonderful places in the world, but one of my favourite places is on the back of my horse.
                  - Rolf Kopfle

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    The UK, on the other hand has just finished one of its coolest and wettest Junes on record:

                    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/we...-20-years.html

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      And here in Phoenix, we haven't had a day below 110 for a while--and we get only a 20 degree cool down overnight. We're not happy either.
                      "You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity." Adrian Rogers

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                      • #12
                        Our weather is just beautiful. Not too hot or too cold. No June Gloom this month either which normally is the case.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Got a break yesterday afternoon with thunderstorms, but hail only 4 miles away. Nice today so far.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Our weather has been beautiful for the past several weeks. It has been a little cooler ( 5 to 10 degrees ) than normal which is fine. So far we haven't had to turn the A/C on this year.
                            John

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by tonyg View Post
                              Got a break yesterday afternoon with thunderstorms, but hail only 4 miles away. Nice today so far.
                              Had half inch hail yesterday for about 45 minutes. Looked like my yard was popping corn. Only funny because I wasn't out in it and retained power.
                              Lawren
                              ------------------------
                              There are many wonderful places in the world, but one of my favourite places is on the back of my horse.
                              - Rolf Kopfle

                              Comment

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