Click here to see whether your locale is suffering from either abnormally dry conditions, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought or exceptional drought. For those of you in Texas, there’s a big old patch of exceptional drought down there, so you should have lot’s of sunshine.
And if you’ve been wondering how hot it’s been so far this summer, NOAA (specifically the National Climactic Data Center) is here to tell us that the planet has just had the eighth hottest June on record. The warm weather resulted in higher residential temperature related energy demand in the US about 7.5% above average. Meanwhile Russian scientists are abandoning their Arctic research station near the North Pole because they’re literally skating on thin ice. No word on how Santa Claus is doing. Maybe he’s hiring submarines to house his elves for the Summer. Oh and a new study says global warming will likely lead to an increase in the number of people who suffer from kidney stones.
Nonetheless, I’m sure all of the above is good news for global climate change skeptics, somehow.
We’ve been deluged with rain this year. Note that ‘climate change’ is just that, and it includes more variability such as freaky periods of rain and drought.
My well is sputtering. Been looking for solar powered fans, went to the river to get water and ran into, literally, a black bear panting from the heat. My brave dogs ran back behind me to bark ferociously. Gawd I just love hauling water, thanks Mr. Bush for bringing Hell to my neigborhood.
We can’t go hiking in the mountains because the snowpack is still too deep. On the other hand, we’ve already set a lot of record highs this year.
may I ask where that snowpack is?
eighth hottest June on record?
not in my hood. I waiting for summer to arrive.
‘global warming increases the number of people who suffer from kidney stones?
now that’s a painful pisser.
thanks for the reminder steve..we’re having extreme drought in Central TX (Austin area).. Booman will be able to tell you how that feels..it’s insane! When I was in Washington DC a little over a week ago for one week, it rained!! Growing up in the Netherlands, I hated the rain, it ‘always’ rained and felt depressing. Now..I love it! Interestingly enough, last year, when I looked to kill off my st. augustine grass in the backyard in the summer, it actually rained practically all the time, effectively keeping it alive!
Ingrid
As I write this, the weather in Seattle is cloudy and 59°. Unlike some of the cretins who frequent the talkback section of the local paper, however, I do not take this as a refutation of “global warming.” Especially since Mark Twain once said that the nicest winter he ever spent was a summer on Puget Sound.
Last week it was warm for around here — up in the 80s someplace. Once it gets past about 78 I don’t keep track any more; past there it’s just plain Too Hot.
East of the mtns this summer is dry & toasty – 90’s. Did you end up renting a Prius for your trip?
I wish. A Prius would have cost us about $800 if we could have gotten one, and would have had less legroom than my daughter’s car.
No, we ended up renting a Lincoln town car. The mileage wasn’t where I wished it would be, though it wasn’t horrible either, but my wife’s leg has been acting up and the town car provided her with enough room to stretch out a bit. Plus the price was pretty reasonable — $480, which included a tank of gas.
We crossed the state on I-90 two weeks ago next Monday. Yep, it was hot between Ritzville (where we stayed the night) and Ellensburg. Reminded me of my days growing up on the Columbia down in the Tri-Cities.
Nope. Both places I call home are smack dab in the middle of “average.”