Thursday, June 25, 2009

Hottest Day Ever

It’s official: yesterday, Audubon Park recorded the highest temperature ever in the entire history of the city of New Orleans. And we have a long history.

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Now, 104 degrees might not sound like much to those accustomed to the searing heat of places like Arizona or Australia (I can remember in Adelaide my kids would get out of school if the temperature hit 45 Celsius). But you add in our humidity and it can be a killer. Plus, it’s only June!

The normal high for the end of June is 90 degrees. The previous high temperature for this time of year—99—was set in 2006. The city’s previous record high was set on August 30, 2000 (August is when we expect this kind of weather). There is a pattern here, and I don’t like it.

Yes, oh ye doubters, the world is heating up.

Ironically, it actually did cloud up for a while late yesterday afternoon. The sky grew dark, the wind blew, the temperature plummeted into the 80s, and we got all excited thinking it was actually going to rain. I've heard rumors that some places did get a shower. All we got is a spitting. But I must say, those brief moments of relief were heaven.

(I should probably mention that the National Weather Service gets their figures for the city from the airport, which is 16 miles to the west of the city, in the swamps. There the temperature was “only” 102.)

9 comments:

Lainey said...

I hope your area's electricity grid doesn't go down. That's what I worry about here in Houston. As per the Houston Chronicle:
The index reached 108 Wednesday and is expected to reach that level today and Friday. Houston's actual temperature hit 104 degrees Wednesday, the hottest it's ever gotten in June.

Steve Malley said...

Sounds like the kind of day that's made for very little clothes or movement, very many tall cold drinks...

Charles Gramlich said...

We finally got some rain yesterday, and I was to get out on my deck. It was so nice.

cs harris said...

Lainey, I went to a movie last night and they were warning people they were having trouble with the their a/c. But I hear this dang high is finally moving, which should bring some relief to both of us.

Steve, a tall cold drink sounds really good!

Charles, I heard rumors some people got rain. Not me. Glad to hear you got it, thought.

Lainey said...

Tropical wave in the Western Caribbean. See SciGuy in Houston Chronicle:

http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2009/06/a_tropical_wave_worth_watching_yep.html

cs harris said...

Aw, heck, Lainey; I hadn't seen that. I'm not ready for this again.

Barbara Martin said...

Eventually the front will change bringing cooler temperatures and rain.

cs harris said...

Well, we got our rain on Sunday night, Barbara. Now I'm waiting for the cooler temperatures.

orannia said...

I had to convert the temperature - 40 degrees Celsuis is HOT! What's the humidity like?