Tech | July 21, 2011 | 119 comments

Nearly two dozen dead as prolonged heat wave moves East

source: http://news.yahoo.com/prolonged-heat-wave-heads-east-blamed-22-deaths-173225653.html

Image
JanforGore
A heat wave baking the central and southern United States was blamed on Wednesday for at least 22 deaths this week as forecasters warned that the abnormally hot weather could last into August as it moves east.

The National Weather Service said 141 million people in more than two dozen states were under a heat advisory or warning because of the soaring temperatures, the most recent in a series of heat waves that have scorched the country's midsection off and on since late May.

In Wichita, Kansas, where temperatures have reached 100 degrees or more on 24 days so far this year, forecasters warned that the mercury would hit at least 100 degrees each day through next Tuesday.

"It's just draining, physically draining," said Chris Vaccaro, a Weather Service spokesman.

AccuWeather.com predicted the effects of the current heat wave -- in terms of stress on the power grid, damage to roads and bridges, and lost lives -- could eclipse the effects of the deadly heat wave of the summer of 1995, which claimed hundreds of lives in Chicago alone.

"When all is said and done, with the number of days of extreme heat and humidity of the current heat wave, it may be more significant and impact a larger area," said AccuWeather's Jim Andrews.

Hospitals in Wichita treated 25 heat-related illnesses, according to the National Weather Service. In Des Moines, Iowa, 16 people have been hospitalized because of this week's high temperatures.

The high heat and humidity have been stressing U.S. crops, particularly corn, which is now in a key growth stage when heat and moisture can cut final yields.

Grain traders in Chicago and Kansas City also said the drought and heat in the Plains was beginning to cause concern about the fate of next year's output of hard red winter wheat crop, the primary bread wheat of the United States, which is grown in a parched swath from Texas to South Dakota.

Farmers plant that crop each autumn and harvest the following summer. But if rains did not come soon, farmers may not plant wheat because of the powdery dry soil.

The prolonged brutal heat was also endangering livestock. Up to 1,500 cattle have died in South Dakota because of the heat wave, according to the state's veterinarian, Dustin Oedekoven, and he expects that number to rise.

"The weather is certainly extraordinary," Oedekoven said, adding that high day-time heat and humidity with little relief at night has made it "a challenge to keep livestock comfortable."

In Wisconsin, dairy farmers like Dave Daniels, the owner of Mighty Grand Dairy farm in Kenosha County, were blaming the prolonged heat for a drop in his herd's milk production.

In Indianapolis, homeowners were being asked to stop watering their lawns through at least Sunday.

"We are asking our customers to curtail lawn-watering activities in order to maintain adequate water pressure for our customers and firefighting activities," said Matthew Klein, executive director of the Indianapolis Department of Waterworks, owner of Indianapolis Water.

More at the link.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/updraft/assets_c/20...
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119 comments // Nearly two dozen dead as prolonged heat wave moves East

  • sue4e3
    • 0
      sue4e3  

    • I am not here to debate. I am on this thread to tell everyone if you are in the US and are in the heat wave pull your shades during the day and check them often .my mothers house burnt down this morning..It was caused by the sun coming through the windows along with heat combusted a stack of magazines she had in her bedroom . she wasn't going in there during the day to conserve air conditioning .So if you have a room you are not going in in the day check it often in this heat

    • 10 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • sue4e3:

      That's awesome, and terrible, and wonderful she survived. The combination must've made a natural heatbox. I could see magazine ink, applied in deep layers, perhaps dark, could achieve flashpoint & spontaneous ignition.

      Even though the magzine "evidence" burned up it would be right easy to duplicate the conditions in a lab and prove it sufficient to get her money back to build a new house. The inks they use do absorb extra heat I know they do because when you hold them in your hands they absorb extra heat FROM YOUR HANDS.

      Gives ya a nice cozy-warm feeling that influences you to buy more magazines = Repeat Sales. This "accident" didn't just happen.

    • 10 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • sue4e3:

      Human hands are more than just "warm" they emit radiation. The magazine manufacturers have deliberately ENGINEERED THEIR PRODUCT TO ABSORB RADIATED ENERGY.

      Somebody needs to be burned over this ($$$$). For one thing, if no other reason than the magazines do not contain a fire warning to keep out of DIRECT SUNLIGHT.

      Whew. Some days I really do wish I was a lawyer.

    • 10 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • coolplanet
    • 0
      coolplanet  
    • JanforGore:

      We are witnessing a new weather phenomenon where "blocking highs" are pushing into the Arctic and Antarctic in winter, forcing frigid air toward the equator, and producing record heat at the poles. This is an unforseen feedback which is exacerbating global warming to the tipping point.

    • 10 months ago
  • coolplanet
    • 0
      coolplanet  
    • coolplanet:

      Comments please.
      This is very important to understand.
      Perhaps Google "blocking highs."
      Blocking highs were predicted by climatologists back in the 1980s to reak havoc upon climate by the mid 21st century but we are seeing them now, big time.

    • 10 months ago
  • IceKat
  • IceKat
  • coolplanet
    • 0
      coolplanet  
    • IceKat:

      Last January and February an enormous high pressure system pushed up the Pacific off Hawaii into the Arctic driving the cold south and causing the hottest winter ever recorded in the Arctic.
      The same phenomenon is happening right now in the Antarctic.
      This is something new and unexpected.

    • 10 months ago
  • IceKat
    • 0
      IceKat  
    • Image
    • coolplanet:

      Something new and unexpected to you perhaps, but not to those who know about these things. It's called weather. It isn't new, unprecedented or happening faster, or more severe than ever.

      Antarctica isn't all that hot at the moment. South Pole, Amundsen-Scott Station:
      Coldest Day: July 22, 1965.... -80.6°C (-113°F)
      Warmest Day: January 12, 1958.... -15.0°C (5°F)
      Look at the image for today's scorching temperature (-67C in case you have trouble finding it).
      Shouldn't the warmest day have occurred last year? According to your ever-warming planet theory it should be getting warmer, but once again reality steps in and proves you wrong.

    • 10 months ago
  • totally_dilapidated
  • meesh76
    • -2
      meesh76  
    • totally_dilapidated:

      I know exactly what you're saying--most of these folks would have probably died anyway???--The fucking pussies--and just wait til January when the frigid, abnormally climate changing cold temps kick in....let's see how many of the bums will let themselves freeze to death....

    • 10 months ago
  • totally_dilapidated
  • meesh76
    • 0
      meesh76  
    • totally_dilapidated:

      totally dilapidated--you are a total fucking bobble head!!! We have record earthquakes, record tornadoes, record storms, record heat, record cold, your ignorant to the world you inhabit. You sit with your piece of politics about climate SCIENCE denial, but it doesn't take a fucking genius to look out of your goddamm cave and see that weather patterns all over the EARTH are out of wack. This is not make believe. Polar ice caps melting at record pace--tell the polar bears that they are dillusional I guess!!! Read a book. Watch the weather channel. You ape!!!

    • 10 months ago
  • meesh76
  • totally_dilapidated
    • 0
      totally_dilapidated  
    • meesh76:

      astonishing!
      you read me as a climate change denier!

      am i living in a parallel universe of worm sweat intelligence?
      is comprehension missing because your brain synapse is compromised?
      are you the outcome of environmental waste poisoning?

      dood
      i am ranking and filing complaint on current climate in the category of stfu because it is inevitable when over-population meets the industrial revolution

      we have been warned over and over again since the counter-culture of the 60's
      i am past accepting the whining and complaining...

    • 10 months ago
  • meesh76
  • totally_dilapidated
    • 0
      totally_dilapidated  
    • meesh76:

      i have not reproduced
      i pedal a bike, ride my motorcycle, use mass transit
      i'm a veg head
      recycle
      garden for a living (do other peoples gardens for pay)
      beat on dum fks like you
      and
      paint write play like any normal human would

      so
      what do you do for planet earth that really matters on a carbon footprint way?

    • 10 months ago
  • FunkyFriend
  • squarethecircle
  • FunkyFriend
  • tverdell
  • squarethecircle
  • squarethecircle
  • RaceBannon
    • 0
      RaceBannon  

    • there shouldn't be a debate, the earth is getting far warmer to support plant life. Ya know the key organisms to our ecosystem. I'm going to be cruel on this a global ban on automobiles will be a good step.

    • 10 months ago
  • SandyBerman
  • RaceBannon
    • 0
      RaceBannon  
    • SandyBerman:

      cars poise a problem of efficiency and equilibrium. To take it further its against practical engineering practices to think our cities are structured to suit the needs of automobiles or any one technology, its insanely dystopian. The car was great not we need something else trying to preserve it only reveals our foolishness.

    • 10 months ago
  • Danny_Mcstotts
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  

    • http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0721-hance_seaice.html

      There's a 'heatwave" in the Arctic as well.

      Arctic sea ice could hit a record low by the end of the summer due to temperatures in the North Pole that are an astounding 11 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (6 to 8 degrees Celsius) above average in the first half of July, reports the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Already the sea ice extent is tracking below this time in 2007, which remains the record year for the lowest sea ice extent. The sea ice hits its nadir in September before rebounding during the Arctic winter.

      On July 17th sea ice extended 2.92 million square miles (7.56 million square kilometers), which is 865,000 square miles (2.24 million square kilometers) below the average sea ice from 1979 to 2000. Already the sea ice maximum this year (hit in March) was tied with 2006 for the lowest ever. The sea ice melt also began earlier than usual this year.

      Experts predict that sea ice could vanish entirely from the Arctic during the summer within a few decades due to worsening climate change with massive impacts for the fragile Arctic ecosystems. A recent study found that the declining sea ice was forcing polar bears to make marathon swims and likely increasing mortality among cubs. While polar bears have become the symbol of the perils of declining sea ice in the fragile Arctic environment, a number of other species could suffer from less sea ice including narwhals, ringed seals, and walruses. Sea ice is also vital for the global climate. Reflecting sunlight, the sea ice keeps the Arctic cool and impacts global weather systems.

      Average temperatures in the Arctic are rising around twice as fast as global temperatures, making the region especially sensitive to climate change.

      Yet the melting Arctic has been seen by a number of Arctic governments not as a warning of climate change impacts, but as a chance to increase industrial exploitation of the region, including deep sea oil and gas drilling, and commercial fisheries."

    • 10 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • JanforGore:

      That has been one of Al Gore's themes about the ice reflecting sunlight, versus melted ice water absorbing more sun energy. Man, this planet's in deep, because when you lose your "Control Group" everything else can go flying off scale.

      A lot like it's doing right now. Ice helps keep everything stabilized.

    • 10 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • Gravity_Man
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • Gravity_Man:

      Yes, he is wise and prescient and I love him for it. BTW, Gravityman, what is your opinion on the effects of an oil well blowup in the Gulf that was spewing methane out into the atmosphere unabated for say five months from April to September before reportedly being plugged? Would it be enough to contribute to a tipping point of sorts?

    • 10 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • JanforGore:

      I imagine it would, from my non-scientist POV, because nothing that happens nowadays should be considered alone. The methane added into all the other deep ocean methane being released from higher temperatures, and the Siberian permafrost methane, and the arctic methane.

      The Totals are what matters => the Synergy force exerted. Fortunately the atmosphere is being held from exploding into one big flashfire by the extra H2O vapor.

    • 10 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • JanforGore:

      Well, what we have doesn't seem a compete washout just yet however if a meteor or asteroid decides to drop in for dinner, and it happens to be loaded with something volatile on board, that would be worthy of great concern entering into a heated atmosphere like we have right now.

      I think that would hurt.

    • 10 months ago
  • Gravity_Man
  • IceKat
    • -1
      IceKat  
    • Image
    • JanforGore:

      "Already the sea ice extent is tracking below this time in 2007..."

      But don't expect them to tell you that the ice extent was only below the 2007 level for a few days, and don't expect them to tell you when the ice overtakes the 2007 level.

    • 10 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • IceKat
  • totally_dilapidated
  • harleyblueswoman
    • +1
      harleyblueswoman  

    • 100 here in balmy Illinois...heat index 115!!! Not much of a breeze either!! Humidity at 55%...just like walking out into an oven!!! I think the corn is cooking in their husks.....steamed!!! I do remember those pre AC days and nights back in the 50's, 60's and 70's...really don't know how we ever made it!! Lots of days at the community pool....trying to sleep in front of a fan and praying for a breeze!! God bless all the people who work outside!!!
      The news said not to drive anymore than you have to either cause the carbon dioxide and stuff combined with the intense heat actually becomes toxic to breath!!! and it is all being kept down at our level!!!!!

    • 10 months ago
  • mickyjon420
  • JanforGore
  • nikonwilly
  • mickyjon420
  • mickyjon420
  • Gravity_Man
  • Fishinflick
    • 0
      Fishinflick  

    • Drove from upstate NY through MA to CT and back, with intermittent AC (paid to have it fixed, but...) Actual temps between 88 in the Berkshire Mountains, and the mid-high '90s in NY and CT. With the humidity it felt like a sauna 100+ heat index. In our old remodeled church only the bedroom loft has AC, too hot to blog, computer is in the studio, must retreat immediately! From record snowfalls, twisters (Springfield MA - 30 minutes away...) to this! No Climate Change my ass!

    • 10 months ago
  • HarukoHaruhara
  • Warren_Merrill
    • 0
      Warren_Merrill  

    • It's 97 and windy at the beach. It's a hot breeze. The heat index is 103. When I got in the car the thermometer said 105 driving down the street. I feel sorry for anyone working on rooftops (did it as a kid and fried), paving or other hot jobs. The low tonight is supposed to be 79.

      There are very few people on the beach. There isn't a kid outdoors. When I was a kid cooling off meant getting in the shade under a tree, drinking from a hose and having water balloon fights.

    • 10 months ago
  • SandyBerman
  • Warren_Merrill
  • totally_dilapidated
  • Warren_Merrill
  • totally_dilapidated
  • ingsoc1984
  • ingsoc1984
  • Paratus
    • +2
      Paratus  

    • HOt, hot, hot. We have given five IV's w/ fluid just today so far + carrying water on the ambulance and handing the stuff out like candy. Lots of people suffering in this heat. Thank God for AC and fans. Hydrate on and stay safe everyone.

    • 10 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • Gravity_Man
    • +3
      Gravity_Man  

    • According to the above article weather projection map the big splotch designating YOUR BUTT'S ON FIRE has moved north of the Mason-Dixon line while the southern portion of Florida is in danger of getting snow.

      NOPE. NO CLIMATE CHANGE HERE, MOVE ALONG TO THE OASIS SPOTS WHERE THE AVERAGES ARE FOLKS.

      Millenium, with Cheryl Ladd. hahahaha Let's see, oh yeah. Nice death stats from 1936 when NO ONE HAD AN AIR CONDITIONER OR HEATPUMP.

    • 10 months ago
  • nikonwilly
    • +1
      nikonwilly  

    • Humidity,humidity,humidity....this is what sucks the life out of me.....I lived in Florida where the humidity is really bad during the summer months and Las Vegas where the humidity isn't up to Florida standards , but the pure heat of 100+ degrees is like a hair dryer blowing in your face. I work construction, (carpentry) often very hard physical labor and this heat takes it's toll.
      One thing I always find amazing , how quickly your body releases the fluids you drink ....(while working)...it's takes about 45 secs from once you drink until it's pouring back out through the sweat glands....Today I went through 3.5 gallons of water and quit work rather early!!

    • 10 months ago
  • SandyBerman
    • SandyBerman  
    • This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • SandyBerman:

      Which is the juxtaposition between climate change and humanity. This is indeed a test of how far we have truly evolved as a species. And I know that is one reason why we aren't seeing nearly the amount of action we need to see regarding this because to them poor, old and brownskinned people are expendable. Especially if it frees up resources they can then plunder. Of course, they would never admit that.

    • 10 months ago
  • Varex_Sythe
    • +2
      Varex_Sythe  

    • I don't know how well it works on the East coast, but a trick we used to try in Southern Oregon when the days would reach a little over 102 degrees was to open up all of our windows at night, when if finally cooled off, and put up some fans to suck the cool air through the house. Then someone had to get up early before the day started to heat up, and close all of the windows and blinds. It did a fairly good job of keeping the house cool and we did not regret not having an AC too often.

      Also, if you can afford it and have not gotten it done already, I would suggest improving the insulation on your own home if you own it. Sure, insulation is usually advertised for being able to keep the heat in, but it also keeps the heat out on really hot days.

    • 11 months ago
  • Warren_Merrill
  • Wyley_Wombat
  • HarukoHaruhara
  • remanns
  • Misti
  • bailey78
  • remanns
  • remanns
  • bailey78
  • harleyblueswoman
  • remanns
  • Misti
  • JanforGore
    • +3
      JanforGore  
    • Misti:

      Opening the windows is not a good idea. I make a point of keeping all windows closed, all blinds completely drawn and I do use my air conditioner on a timer. When it is cool enough inside it shuts off and I then keep it off while circulating the cool air with ceiling fans. It stays cool enough for awhile and I don't use too much air conditioning that way. Of course, hydrating yourself is the most important thing to do.

    • 11 months ago
  • squarethecircle
  • JanforGore
    • +2
      JanforGore  

    • The problem is that many cities are also unprepared for events like the one that hit France/Europe in 2003. Prolonged heatwaves that are more extreme put pressure on medical services, electric grids (many of which are old) and other services as well as affecting animals, water and crops. The idiots (and I'm being nice) in Congress need to get their heads out of their A&&es!

    • 11 months ago
  • Misti
  • queenofit
    • +1
      queenofit  
    • JanforGore:

      We had a blackout yesterday, surrounding communities are asking folks to conserve their electricity or they too will suffer with blackout or "brownouts". This is not going away, and as the temperatures continue to rise we will see more electric issues. Naysay all you want, but those who don't believe in climate change will be left sitting in the same dark (hot) houses as those of us who have been saying it is coming.

      Jan, you know I wasn't directing the "naysay" at you. I re-read this, and though I know you know that, it kind of reads that way, it was just to "naysayers" ;)

    • 10 months ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • queenofit:

      No worries, I knew that. Stay cool and safe. And yes, "naysayers" simply at this point in my view either have their own personal issues they need to work out, or they just like seeing green in their bank accounts more.

    • 10 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • artemis6
    • +1
      artemis6  

    • This is bad . this winter could really suck too . It seems the conveyer belt is not working as it used too . Everyone not in Deep earth homes is going to suffer , it may be so bad that even that will not help much .

    • 11 months ago
  • Johnny_Los_Angeles
  • Stoneyroad
  • JanforGore
  • IceKat
    • -2
      IceKat  
    • JanforGore:

      "It's going to feel like 115 here today."
      It's going to be around 97F but of course quoting the heat index sounds more dramatic.
      Record New Jersey temp was 110F (43C) July 10, 1936 - looks like man-made climate change took a trip in a time machine and blasted NJ in 1936!

    • 11 months ago
  • IceKat
    • -3
      IceKat  
    • Image
    • JanforGore:

      Sorry, just reading through some stuff and I came across this (nj.com):

      "The records to beat for today are 98 in Newark, 96 in Trenton and Atlantic City and 99 in Central Park in New York City. Each has at least a shot of falling today. If the temperature reaches 97 in Trenton today, it would break a record set more than a century old, originally set in 1908. "

      Apart from the differences in technology, and the positioning of thermometers, what else do you think might have caused record temperatures in 1908? Surely an anomaly seeing as man-made climate change could not have been in effect at that time?

      Image shows NJ residents enjoying pre-global warming activities.

    • 11 months ago
  • squarethecircle
  • squarethecircle
  • IceKat
  • wynnmeg61
    • 0
      wynnmeg61  
    • IceKat:

      It is not just global warming -- it is climate change, Snow pack in S WY is 140% of normal this year. Roads that are usually cleared and opened by memerial day took until July 4 to open this year. There are still ice walls on each side of the road 18feet high at their lowest point.

    • 10 months ago
  • tverdell
    • 0
      tverdell  
    • IceKat:

      Try to realize we are talking about weather trends, not daily records.
      Consider all of the evidence of extreme weather over the past 10 years.

      We have the hottest summers on average followed by the coldest winders on average.

      Me thinks this is a problem.

    • 10 months ago
  • squarethecircle
  • squarethecircle
  • JanforGore
  • squarethecircle
  • IceKat
    • -1
      IceKat  
    • squarethecircle:

      Good point. There's no way I could have this personal view based upon a sound scientific background if I wasn't being paid to write this by an oil company!
      Maybe my views rely on scientific data and education rather than blind faith.
      Seriously, you really need to think of a better argument than that immature response.

    • 10 months ago
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