Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A Record Broken


For 31 years, all summers have been compared to the summer of 1980.
It was the hottest on record with 69 days of temperatures over 100 degrees.
Yesterday, the mercury rose to 107 degrees and a new record was set.
We were all too hot and exhausted to care or celebrate.

The first 100 degree day of the year was recorded on June 13.
Each and every day in July was 100 degrees or more.
Last month, the temperatures fell for a couple of days.  With that, we failed to break the record for the number of consecutive days of 100 degrees.  The summer of 1980 will continue to hold that record.

We could easily reach 100 degrees again today, and then cooler temperatures are supposedly on the way.
However, concerns still remain.

The summer brought not only record temperatures, but record drought.
Everything everywhere is dry.
I drove through residual smoke from fires in East Texas on my way to Market.
On the return trip, I drove past still smoldering grass and pine trees just inside the Texas state line.
Yesterday, large fires broke out in nearby counties.


I have given up trying to keep landscape plants alive.  Even with city enforced watering restrictions, our water bill is more than double its normal summer amount.  I won't even discuss the air conditioning bill.
At least we still have a house to cool.  Thousands of homes in nearby areas, and other parts of Texas, have gone up in flames.  Residents have lost everything, and even a few lives have been lost.

When the rains finally come, maybe then there will be cause for celebration.

5 comments:

Eileen said...

This makes me hot just to read it! We have friends in the Austin area so we have been hearing about living with the heat and smoke. I hope the weather evens out for everyone soon! Too many extremes this summer!

ShirleyC said...

I'm not sure where you live, but I'm familiar with the heat records. I live right on the TX line south of Shreveport.
Wildfires have been breaking out all around, and they've included our parish in the Firewatch Alert. It was 107 here yesterday also.
They say even though it's about to get a little cooler, this drought will last for a while.
We get our water supply from the Sabine River which feeds into Toledo Bend Reservoir. I've been so afraid our water supply will run out. The river is so low that no one can launch a boat anywhere around here.
We have one friend whose dad, and 2 sisters lost their homes in the fire near Jefferson. It's so sad!
All we can do is pray!

Saint Nolt Sews said...

We are feeling the same pain in Houston. No rain and no break from the heat. Fire broke out yesterday on the West side of Houston.

We live adjacent to acres of woods. The trees are dying and the grass died long ago. It is fuel for fire and I smell and watch daily for anything to happen. We normally watch for flooding and hurricanes, thoughts only in my dreams.

We are praying for rain.

Laurie said...

I have a niece outside Austin that tells of 3 foot cracks in her soil. One of her two wells went dry. The fire was coming her way but was contained before it got to her home.

We here in Michigan have had a dry summer also, but today we have rain!

Anonymous said...

Too hot and dry, but the burnt homes and lives are so very sad. Prayers for cooler temps and rain for Texas. I was so aggravated during Tropical Storm Lee.. our area got 10-15 inches of rain in 3 days...while homes are burning to the ground 8 hours away...doesn't make sense!?! And then all the rain on the East Coast from Irene and Lee!?! whacky weather indeed

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