HEAT: IT WAS – IT IS – IT MIGHT BE
From the 1976 movie Network, the famous quote from Howard Beale could, with a small change, easily be attributed to today’s tremendously nauseating heatwave: “I’m as hot (mad) as hell and I want the whole world to know.” By the time this article is published, the intense heat wave will have diminished. But not too much. Regardless, the time that we were enthralled in the midst of this weather disturbance has become a recently horrendous and vivid memory not to be forgotten in forthcoming years.
When learning the location’s weather for DeKalb County, Tennessee, the television weather forecasts do not apply to our county. Persons are hearing the Nashville, Davidson County, weather forecast, which includes combining miles of hot pavements, magnanimous street-filled traffic, heat into the air emissions from back-to-back stalled traffic, and a larger-than-life heated barely-breathable atmospheric conditions. The direct result is a covering of unclean hot air, which, in essence, warms the atmospheric levels and surrounding air vapors. DeKalb County has a clean, quiet and warming atmosphere; whereas, Davidson County has an extremely-heated, non-breathable polluted atmosphere. The end result is locating and obtaining your home forecast, always available on WJLE’s (101.7 FM) weather domain from the National Weather Service. Usually, there is a 6–10-degree lower temperature in DeKalb County from the temperature in Davidson County. Therefore, if watching your television’s weather forecast, deduct the broadcast total 6-10 numbers and you’ll have your DeKalb County total. Thus, if television reports 65F degrees in Nashville, it would be around 55F degrees in DeKalb County. Cool advocates contentment.
In a Thursday interview, Alyesa Clement, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Nashville, Tennessee, said the cause of the overly-extreme heat wave is that “a hot weather system is caused by a high-pressure system (see below).” Clement continued, “Yes. This high temperature is unusual for this time of year. For last Thursday and Friday, the temperatures were in the triple digits.” Things will change for the better by Monday, August 28, 2023 when the highs will be in the 80’s and the lows in the 60’s. “Good sleeping weather!” said Debra Smith Black. More good sleeping weather is scheduled to begin today (Wednesday) when the high temperatures will be in the 70’s and the low temperatures will be in the 50’s!
“Humans have been warming the planet for decades by emitting climate-warming greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. That’s made extreme heat waves more common,” many researchers say. Additionally, a new study has found that climate change is making heat waves more common. “The life-threatening heat waves that have baked the U.S. cities and inflamed European wildfires in recent weeks would be ‘virtually impossible’ without the influence of human-caused climate change,” a team of international researchers said last week.
Clement added, “There are remnants of other months and times with these high temperatures, for example August, 2011. On this past Sunday (Aug. 27), “the temperature's highs were only forecast to be in the 80’s.” Twenty (20) degrees cooler with no excessive heat warnings!
In conclusion, Clement offered the “best advice” for when subjected to an intense weather system – past, present, and future:
· Stay indoors and remain cool.
· Hydrate (drink plenty of water and liquids)
· Seek shade when outdoors after the morning hours.
· Check your automobiles for children and pets. Do not leave them in cars. Inside temperatures will escalate until death or injury!
· Remember:all ice cream will melt!
From www.weather.com, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has listed below some signs and symptoms of a heat illness:
· Heat cramps – First sign of heat-related illness and it may lead to heat exhaustion or stroke.
· Sunburn - Painful red skin and blisters. Stay out of the sun! Apply aloe-vera lotion to burned areas.
· Heat rash – Many red clusters of small blisters that look like pimples on the skin (usually around the neck, chest, groin, or elbow). Keep the rash dry. Use powder to soothe the rash.
· Heat exhaustion – Heavy sweating; weakness or tiredness; clammy skin; fast pulse; dizziness; nausea; headache; fainting; vomiting; and muscle cramps.
· Heat stroke – Throbbing headache; confusion; dizziness; nausea; temp above 103; hot, red, or damp skin. Delay getting to the hospital can be fatal. This is the more serious and life-threatening of the other heat illnesses.
Heat-related illnesses are preventable. And, swimming in a pool filled with pressurized hot water ain’t pretty! Blowing smoke instead of bubbles! Get outta here!
Therefore, regarding the excessive heat wave that has overtaken our southern lands:
It was predicted to be life-threatening one week ago.
It is too hot to breathe.
It might be in the NWS geological weather-history references and books.
According to the recent “Old Farmer’s Almanac’ located within the written confines of The Tennessean newspaper reads, “Winter might make a comeback this season while bringing chilled, wet weather to Tennessee after what was an unusually warm winter last year throughout the United States.”
“The Farmer’s Almanac, which recently published its winter 2024 extended weather forecast, predicts that traditionally cold temperatures and snowy weather conditions will return again to DeKalb County, Tennessee. In other predictions, it is also revealed that there will be a chilled and wet winter for the Nashville, Tennessee area.” For hundreds of years, including today, the “Old Farmer’s Almanac” has been an integral part of many lives - reporting on hundreds of daily living topics,
FYI: The first day of Winter, 2023 is on Thursday, December 21ST. The first day of fall is on Saturday, September 23rd. The leaves begin to fall during the first and second weeks of October, 2023. Then, the time changes, followed by Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Computer websites for local weather updated forecasts include: www.accuweather.com, www.theweatherchannel.com, www.weather.com, all broadcast mediums, www.wjle.com, www.cnn.com, www.ap.com, etc.
For questions or further meteorological information, please call the National Weather Service in Nashville at 615-754-8500 weekdays.
