Posts tagged ‘2012 heat wave’

Hot Hot Hot

by , posted on Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 at 4:47 pm

It’s official. The NOAA says this July is the hottest month on record, and not just the hottest July, though it is that too, but the hottest month. Oh, and also, the last twelve months are not the hottest consecutive twelve months the country has ever experienced.

Here in Kane County it’s still plenty hot and very dry, although temps seem to have moderated a bit, and there have been a few storms dropping some significant rain. It’s cloudy right now in fact. We are still listed as in severe drought however, with much of the country even worse off. As always, I will have my eye on the drought map update tomorrow.

My daughter and I have spent the last week or so planting things in the garden we would never even consider planting at this date – more squash, more beans, more carrots – as they would normally not have a prayer of maturing before the first frost. We did it on purpose, as sort of an experiment, as projections are for exceptionally warm temperatures to persist through October.

We want to start experimenting with what we can grow when in our new climate, as some things we normally grow are performing very poorly this year – the lettuce bolted freakishly early for instance, and the spinach and pea yields were on the pathetic side – while plants that love warmer weather, like tomatoes and peas, have been outperforming.

So we want to play with planting odd things at odd times, and are looking at plant zone maps just to the south of us for clues as to how we might best adjust planting times and varieties that might work here well in future.

If you’re pretty sure about the new reality, might as well plan for the new reality. Denial rarely plays out as an effective solution.

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It’s No Katrina

by , posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2012 at 10:32 am

Nor is it an earthquake, or a series of lethal tornados, or any other sudden disaster. It is rather a natural disaster in slow motion, creeping and steady and relentless, and apparently not photogenic enough to merit your standard-issue disaster-type media coverage. drmon
They’ve got maps – along with a twelve week history rolling history of this drought unfolding – right here.

Along with juicy tidbits like “Looking Ahead: In general, July 4 – 8, 2012 doesn’t look promising in terms of relief, though the intense heat should subside somewhat.”

Here’s what intense heat subsiding somewhat looks like where I’m at:

Today Jul 5
101°F
77°F
Mostly Sunny
Chance of rain:20%Wind: W at 12 mph

Fri Jul 6
102°
74°
Mostly Sunny
Chance of rain:10%Wind: WSW at 7 mph

Sat Jul 7
95°
67°
Isolated T-Storms
Chance of rain:30%Wind: N at 15 mph

Sun Jul 8
83°
63°
Partly Cloudy
Chance of rain:20%Wind: NNE at 12 mph

Mon Jul 9
83°
60°
Sunny
Chance of rain:0%Wind: NE at 8 mph

Tue Jul 10
84°
63°
Sunny
Chance of rain:0%Wind: NE at 8 mph

Wed Jul 11
86°
68°
Sunny
Chance of rain:0%Wind: SE at 8 mph

Thu Jul 12
89°
66°
Sunny
Chance of rain:0%Wind: S at 8 mph

Fri Jul 13
89°
68°
Sunny
Chance of rain:0%Wind: SW at 9 mph

Sat Jul 14
90°
71°
Sunny
Chance of rain:0%Wind: SSW at 9 mph

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