We're Having a Heat Wave

It's a dream come true for Al Gore.

At least in the U.S., steamy temperatures will coincide with his "the planet is melting" Live Earth concerts.


Map of tomorrow's high temperatures

It's going to be a hot one.

I guess the use of all those incadescent light bulbs and the burning of all that fossil fuel have finally caught up with us.

I often say that context is everything.

It seems to me that Al Gore is a lightweight when it comes to lending context to a discussion.

Al was born on March 31, 1948.

He missed the North American heat wave of 1936.

The 1936 North American heat wave was the most severe heat wave in the modern history of North America. It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and led to an enormous human and economic toll. The death toll exceeded 5,000 which made it the deadliest natural disaster of the 20th century in the United States. Agricultural losses were enormous as well as crops were destroyed by the high heat and lack of moisture.

The year 1936 brought significant amounts of extreme weather. The winter was one of the coldest on record, and the summer was one of the hottest.

This significant heat wave started in late June, when temperatures across the US went up over 100°F (38°C). The Midwest was seeing some of their highest June temperatures on record. Drought conditions worsened due to lack of rain. In the Northeast, temperatures climbed in the mid 90s°F (around 35°C). The South and West started to heat up also, and also saw rainfall shortages. The heat wave began to extend into Canada as well. Moderate to extreme drought started to cover the entire continent.

July was the peak month, in which the heat reached all-time record levels - many of which still stand as of 2006. In Steele, North Dakota, temperatures reached 121°F (50°C), which remains North Dakota's hottest temperature on record. In Ohio, temperatures reached 110°F (43°C), which was close to tying a record high set in 1934. The states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and New Jersey also saw their record highs broken. In addition, the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba both set still-standing record highs in the 110s°F (above 43°C).

Here's an interesting chart:



Look at the actual temperatures for July.

It was sweltering in 1901.

I wonder what caused that spike in temperatures.

And the 1930s, especially 1936, what can you say about that?

What was the problem? No Prius on the road?

After some of the hottest periods on record, the temperatures plummeted.

Here's a chart displaying annual temperatures:



Bottom line:

In the last 100+ years, we've had periods of extreme heat and cold.

Go back further. Evidence of extremes are everywhere.

The fact is the history of the LIVE EARTH is one of cooling and warming.

Is that a crisis?