Why's it So Freakin' Hot?

When people back east complain about heat, I always roll my eyes. I live in Las Vegas, where we can go two or three months with over 100-degree temperatures. It's not rare to see 100 at midnight in the heart of August. And though the media will read 115 on some days, actual thermometers will go much higher (can't scare the tourists!).

But even I know that this year is different. It started getting hot here in April. June felt like July or August. And now, people in Ohio are apparently melting. It makes many people wonder, "Is it global warming? climate change? It isn't an unreasonable question. Of course, my right-wing friends no doubt think this is a psychological heat wave. Or some kind of Obama conspiracy. Well, what do the scientists say about it?

[Excerpt]

What's Behind The Record Heat?

Heat is beating records around the country: the first five months of 2012 have been the hottest on record in the contiguous United States. And that's not including June, when 164 all-time high temperature records were tied or broken around the country, according to government records.. .

Read more at: Yahoo! via Live Science

Is it Hot, or is it Just Me?

Public Domain Photo, Flames & Melting by Jamie

Whew! Having an open air Jeep was always one of my dreams, and ordinarily I love it, but. . . Oh. My. God. Even with the bikini top on (the Jeep's top, not mine!), I think I lost 5 pounds just in sweat. I had to go out for a bit, and before I did, I put my trusty 1950s Honeywell thermometer out on the patio (in the shade). It can read up to 110° 120° (my mistake), and by the time I got back, that needle was pegged.

So, I called the Channel 8 time & temperature lady/man/machine thingy (it changes from female to male in mid-O'clock). She/he/it says it's 120°. AOL/Weather Channel says it is 113°, but it feels like 104°! My sweaty ass, it does.

Our ABC affiliate said yesterday that the hottest temperature on record for Las Vegas ever was 117°. TINFOIL HAT ALERT: Uh-huh, sure it was. That's just what you tell the tourists. I've been here for 13 years, and I can tell the difference between 100° and 110°, and let me tell you it is noticeable. So imagine the extra ten on top. You just know.

What the heck is AUGUST going to be like in this valley? Damn. I don't know if this has anything to do with Al Gore's theories, but I think I'm going to start paying more attention.