It's so hot, I can barely move outside. Somehow, these guys play baseball... Driller Warren Schaeffer towels off sweat in the dugout after coming off the 100 plus degree field in the 3rd inning of their game against the Arkansas Travelers Monday in Tulsa. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
It’s a bad sign when your thermostat is set at 83 degrees and the air conditioner runs nearly all
night long.
That’s what mine did last night. Granted, I live in a nearly 100-year-old building that doesn’t have the best weatherization and not the most powerful AC unit, but still. It was set at 83.
It didn’t help that outside early this morning, the temperature only dropped to
88 degrees, which tied an all-time record high minimum temperature set the day before. It broke the old record of 87 set, you guessed it, Aug. 2, 2011. And on July 16, 1980.
It got to the point where I had to sleep in the living room, next to the AC and with two fans blowing on me. Even that was miserable.
It was also miserable last year, but our collective memory is spotty at best. Everything that is currently bad feels like it's the worst ever.
In reality, it’s summer. And in the northern hemisphere, the summer months in temperate climates are generally hot. Just like the winter months tend to be a little chilly.
So, let’s just look at last summer, which I thought at the time was the worst summer ever that could never be topped.
- On July 31, 2011, the high was 107. The low was 82. This year’s forecast high for July 31 is 111, and the low was 88. Advantage: 2011.
- The average monthly temperature for July 2011: 90.9. In 2012: 88.5. Advantage: 2012.
- Monthly rainfall this year was at 1.38 inches, 1.88 inches below normal. In 2011, Tulsa had 0.36 inches of rain, 2.6 inches below normal. Advantage: 2012.
- Highest in July 2012: 109. Highest in July 2011: 107. Advantage: 2011.
- Number of days with temperatures 100 or above in 2011: 26. In 2012: 18. Advantage: 2012.
My thesis: Both this summer and last summer were just awful.
What’s even more depressing is that the brunt of last year’s torture came in August, when temperatures reached 113, close to an all-time record. On the other hand, we had 5.76 inches of rain last August, and after the rain started, temperatures dropped drastically with some days in the mid 80s for a high.
In the near future, it won't get any better for you here in Tulsa. It's 100s for the
foreseeable future. (Well, for you... I'll be in Los Angeles in my foreseeable future, where it is currently 80 and sunny. I should pack a jacket, just in case.)
So, the end is on the far horizon, because it has to be with the movement of our planet. It's 53 days to autumn. We can make it. Together.
Then, together, we can all find something new to complain about, like how sad the foliage is because of the drought, or how cold/warm/wet/dry the winter is. Then, again, how hot the summer is one year from now.
That makes sense, right? I can’t think straight. It’s soooooo hot outside.
--Jerry Wofford
