Baby It’s Hot Out There!

Gary Boyd

Exceptional heat in the South

A sizzling June heat wave set record high temperatures across much of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle on Sunday. The high temperature at Houston, Texas hit 105 degrees, the warmest temperature ever recorded in the month of June (old record: 104 degrees on June 24th and June 26th, 2009.) The earliest Houston ever recorded a temperature of 105 degrees prior to Sunday was July 26th, 1954. Records for the city of Houston date back to 1891. There have been only 15 days in which the temperature has reached or exceeded 105 degrees in the city:

  • 4 – 1909
  • 1 – 1954
  • 2 – 1962
  • 3 – 1980
  • 5 – 2000

So far this month, new maximum temperature records in Houston have been established on four out of the first five days. Galveston and Houston both crushed their previous record high temperature for the day (June 5th) by a remarkable seven degrees. Residents can expect another day of triple-digit heat today, thanks to the upper level ridge of high pressure parked over the state. Houston will likely break the old record of 98°F for the date.

via Hottest June on record may be in store for Houston.

When you add these high temperatures onto our “exceptional drought” it really isn’t pretty outside. Taking our trip west yesterday to my family reunion we passed mile after mile of stunted crops…Pastures that were scorched by the sun to a point we don’t usually see at the end of summer. The fields of sorghum we passed by were looking ripe already, but, the plants were only about half as tall as they usually are when the heads turn red. I suppose it could be a new dwarf variety but, for some reason, I doubt it.

We passed lots of cotton this year and the fields looked sparse. There was a lot of open space in the rows…All in all it’s not a good year to be a farmer.

And the whole way home the thermometer in the care fluctuated between 98° and 100°.

As I was having my coffee this morning before 8am the sun filtered through the trees  was already feeling hotter than it has in the past week or so. I do  not plan on spending too much time outdoors today.

I’ll also be spending the afternoon watching the radar from the Weather Underground and trying to wish the little afternoon thunderstorms that pop up to wander our way…If only for a few minutes of  respite.

Stay Cool…Summer hasn’t begun yet.

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