Unbearable Heat and Humidity

When I walked out of my workplace late last night (just a couple of hours ago) it felt as if I were on another planet, with the extreme heat and humidity present. The instant I stepped outside, my glasses fogged up. These conditions are worse than I usually find midday in the hot August summer. But then I remembered that the temperature approached 100 earlier today.

Others can worry about the economy; my concern is this killer mass heat wave affecting half the country. And no relief is in sight. In fact, meteorologists are now predicting even hotter conditions in the next few days as Tropical Storm Emily passes eastern Florida in the Atlantic and draws some of that overheated air in over us from the west.

I vividly remember (and actually own) that great old Twilight Zone episode titled Midnight Sun. In it, the Earth had altered its orbit to cause it to approach the Sun. Temperatures soared, and the global population tried to make it to the poles where conditions were still tolerable. Still, everyone knew that it was just a matter of time before the heat would overcome the entire planet. Incredibly, my wife Melissa, who has recently taken up knitting (and is quite good at it) has been making winter scarfs for everybody. Ha, as if it will ever get cold again!

I think that we seem to be in a social climate when it is somehow politically incorrect to attribute record hot conditions and extremely aberrant weather to global warming. But I'm going to say it anyway: it's global warming!

But this year's unpleasant summer is distinguishable from last year's also unpleasant summer in another respect. Yes, the temperatures are higher. But what is really getting to me is the excessively high humidity as well. If the temperature gets into the nineties, than the humidity needs to drop below fifty for conditions to be bearable. But it ain't happenin', folks...and the nighttime, with steambath conditions of 80-plus degrees and 80-plus percent humidity, is harder to withstand than the day!

I remember once watching an interview on C-Span featuring a scientist who denied global warming. He said that instead of trying to bring the (supposedly) rising temperatures under control through sound environmental policy, we should instead step up production of air conditioners and distribute them globally. And yes, he said this with a straight face. Well, dude, I'm placing my order now for a half-dozen!