"The weather is hot this summer"
Kan. Crops wither under stifling heat wave
By ROXANA HEGEMAN Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press
WICHITA, Kan. — Harvey Heier checked his dryland fields and watched helplessly as his corn plants withered under the unrelenting heat wave. The plants along the edge of his fields are brown.
Before the scorching temperatures hit his farm, it looked like he might have a decent corn crop thanks to scattered rains earlier in the season. But now he figures he's losing bushels off his production every day.
"It is like the death of a loved one," he said.
Fierce heat blanketed the nation from California to the Northeast Monday. Scores of communities reported temperatures of more than 100. Redding, Calif., about 160 miles north of Sacramento, reached 110 degrees. Parts of Oklahoma hit 109.
Temperatures at Heier's farm reached 100 or 101 Monday; a day earlier it was 106. No relief was forecast until the end of the week.
In Kansas, the state Agricultural Statistics Service reported that the high temperatures continued to stress row crops. Corn condition has deteriorated, with the agency rating 12 percent of the crop as poor to very poor. About 34 percent remained in fair shape, while 45 percent was rated as good and 9 percent as excellent.
"Corn lucky enough to be in places that received beneficial rains last week are probably positioned as good as it can be for this time. They are not immediately under as much drought stress," said Jere White, executive director of the Kansas Corn Growers Association.
In California, the United Farm Workers union launched a radio campaign to educate farmworkers throughout the state about their right to drinking water, shade and breaks _ rules developed after five farmworkers died of heat-related deaths last year.
The heat also has taken its toll on livestock. In rural Doniphan County in northeast Kansas, one cattleman lost 32 head of cattle in Sunday's extreme temperatures. Veterinarians are urging farmers to water pens frequently and keep their livestock under shade coverings to help farm animals beat the heat.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4053868.html
Heat wave broils much of nation; New York hits 98 degrees
By NAHAL TOOSI
Associated Press Writer
July 18, 2006, 1:31 AM EDT
NEW YORK -- With people across the nation taking refuge in air-conditioned spaces and precious spots in the shade, New Yorkers sweltered in a broiling heat wave that prompted officials to open cooling centers for residents.
"Any walking around today and you are just burning up," Elia Escuerdo, 37, of the Bronx said Monday. "I'm giving up. I had a doctor's appointment, but I'm just going home to sit near my air conditioner."
On the streets of New York, shade competed with parking spaces as valuable commodities. People made their way under narrow awnings, lounged under trees and took breaks beneath the umbrellas of hot dog stands.
The temperature broke a record at LaGuardia Airport in Queens, reaching 98 degrees for the first time on the date since meteorologists began recording weather conditions there in 1948, the National Weather Service said. The heat index, which measures the combined effects of heat and humidity, reached 100 to 104 degrees around the city.
One of the four LaGuardia terminals and part of a second lost power when high demand caused by the heat triggered equipment problems. Some flights were diverted to other gates.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--heatwave0718jul17,0,2987322.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
North America enduring continental heat wave
Updated Tue. Jul. 18 2006 6:20 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Residents in southern Canada and a large portion of the United States are enduring a continental heat wave as temperatures soar across North America.
"It is a continental heat wave that stretches over most of the United States and a good chunk of southern Canada -- all of Ontario, a good chunk of Quebec, the Maritimes and even Manitoba," David Phillips, Environment Canada's senior climatologist, told CTV.ca on Monday.
But the significance of this heat wave is not actually how hot the temperature is, said Phillips. It's how far the heat wave spreads.
"It's not the most intense one and it probably won't be the longest one," he said. "But it's more the characteristic that it's a large piece of geography that is covered by this particular heat wave."
Environment Canada said temperatures in Ontario were expected to climb to 35 degrees Celsius with humidex and smog advisories.
The City of Toronto issued a heat alert for the second straight day Monday.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060717/heat60717/20060717?hub=CTVNewsAt11
Ohio heat wave to last all week
JOE MILICIA
Associated Press
CLEVELAND - Northern Ohio was expected to get a break, but the southern part of the state is in for more 90-degree heat Tuesday.
After weeks of rain, Ohio is into its first heat wave of the year.
Swimming pools, which spent half the summer closed because of rain, are one of the main sources of refuge from the blistering heat and humidity.
"If you want to cool off, you're going to go to the pool," said Roseann Elliott, who manages two public pools in Lancaster.
Many children who live near the central Ohio city's smaller pool don't have air conditioning in their homes, she said. The city's larger pool usually has about 250 or 300 visitors a day, but Monday there were more than 500 as temperatures approached or surpassed 90 degrees throughout much of the nation.
Even the Lancaster Fire Department wants to take a dip. They scheduled their water training this week in anticipation of the heat wave, Elliott said.
Monday marked the second 90-degree day of the year in Cleveland, where 22 outdoor pools that are normally closed on Mondays and Tuesdays were being opened. Thirteen recreation centers also were turned into cooling centers.
Tony Godel, working on a remodeling project at a hotel in downtown Cleveland, was already sweating through his brown Corona Extra T-shirt by 10 a.m. He planned to drink a lot of water.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15061689.htm
What makes a hot spell a heat wave?
BY GREGORY KORTE ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
It's hot, but is it a "heat wave?"
There's no universally accepted definition of a heat wave. However, with temperatures in Cincinnati hitting the 90s since last Friday - and with the trend expected to continue at least through this Friday - it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"We've hit 90 for four days," said Mike Gallagher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington. "So if you were to say anything, I guess you could call this a mini-heat wave."
The average high temperature for July in Cincinnati is 87 degrees.
The heat index - a sort of reverse wind chill factor - should exceed 100 for the next few days. The index - alternately called by some television weathermen as the "humiture," "humidex" or "apparent temperature" - includes the effect of humidity to estimate what the temperature feels like.
Another measure of how hot people are feeling is the megawatts of electricity increasingly used for air conditioning.
Sunday's demand was 3,916 megawatts in Ohio, according to Duke Energy, the electric utility that acquired Cincinnati Gas & Electric this year. The all-time record, set July 25, 2005, was 4,708 megawatts. Demand for Kentucky was unavailable.
The utility doesn't expect to set new records today, but demand usually increases as a heat wave goes on.
"All it takes is a few days," Duke spokesman Steve Brash said. "The thing about Cincinnati is that generally we don't have real long heat waves or real long cold waves."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060718/NEWS01/607180334/-1/CINCI
Heat wave has Wacoans even hotter over utility bills
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
By J.B. Smith
Tribune-Herald staff writer
As fierce summer heat drove Texas’ electric use to record levels Monday, even those huddled around their air conditioners were sweating their utility bills.
Even before Waco temperatures topped out at 105 degrees late Monday afternoon, Texas’ electrical grid hit a record peak of 61,018 megawatts, according to the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas.
Central Texas’ extreme summer heat has hit unusually early this year and, combined with skyrocketing utility bills, has already put a financial strain on everyone from fixed-income retirees to businesses to Baylor University.
TXU Energy, the area’s dominant electric provider, has hiked its residential rates by about 25 percent since last summer, citing high natural gas prices. Customers on TXU’s standard “price to beat” plan have seen average bills increase from $183 last June to $227 this June.
More than 150 low-income Waco residents lined up for electric bill assistance early Monday morning at the Economic Advancement Opportunities Corporation office on Franklin Avenue, while others sought help at the Salvation Army and Caritas.
The demand for utility assistance is the greatest that EOAC executive director Johnette Hicks has seen in eight or nine years. The demand is hard to meet, she said, even with charity funding from TXU and Reliant Energy and a state assistance grant that tripled this year to $1.9 million. Some elderly applicants are spending half their monthly incomes on electricity, she said.
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/07/18/07182006wacheatwave.html
Heat Wave Measures
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Heat Wave Measures
To protect yourself in the intense heat, you can take precautions: use an air conditioner to cool down your home, pull all drapes and blinds to keep rooms cool, spend a few hours in an air-conditioned place. Drink water before you feel thirsty. Avoid alcoholic drinks, as they dehydrate the body. Take a cool shower or bath as often as necessary. Avoid activities that require effort and protect yourself from the sun by wearing light, pale-coloured clothing and a hat.
In case you don't feel well, or if you feel dizzy, tired, headachy, have trouble breathing, have chest pains or swollen legs, contact Info-Santé or your doctor, or in case of emergency, phone 911.
Environment Canada issues an extreme heat and humidity warning when forecasting an outdoor temperature of 30ºC or over and a Humidex (temperature and humidity combined) of 40ºC or more. A heat wave generally means a period of at least three consecutive days when the air temperature is over 32ºC. In such case, Montréal might call for air-conditioned shelters to be set up for residents not coping with extremely hot weather conditions, in order to provide them with a bit of fresh air if another heat wave should occur in the coming days.
Pools open until 9 p.m. on hot days
On very hot days, LaSalle's outdoor pools remain open until 9 p.m. It will be the case Saturday, July 15, Sunday, July 16 and Monday, July 17.
In case of another heat wave, you will be able to contact Borough Hall at 514 367-1000, where you will be informed whether special measures have been set up in LaSalle.
http://www.messagerlasalle.com/article-24252-Heat-Wave-Measures.html
Sizzling weather puts heat on ComEd
July 18, 2006
BY MAUREEN O'DONNELL Staff Reporter
Dangerously high temperatures Monday broke ComEd's record for electrical use, prompted the National Weather Service to issue its most urgent heat warning, and kept ambulances and air conditioner repair technicians running to keep up with demand.
A 50-year-old woman who was found unresponsive by her landlady in the 4800 block of North Troy was suspected of dying from heat complications, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford. Also Monday, a teen drowned at Foster Avenue Beach, Langford said.
The weather made Daryl Carlson a popular guy.
Carlson, an air conditioning repairman for Carlson Heating, Cooling & Electric in Glenview, was running from call to call for sweaty-but-grateful customers.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-heat18.html
Russia delays launch of new rocket with European Wesat Metor
MOSCOW, July 17 (RIA Novosti) - The first launch of a new generation carrier rocket, Soyuz-2.1a, has been put off until Tuesday for technical reasons, mission control said Monday.
The rocket was to have piggybacked a European weather satellite into orbit at 8:28 p.m. Moscow time from Baikonur space center.
"The launch has been postponed for technical reasons. It will take place on July 18, at 8:28 p.m. [Moscow time]," an official at Russia's Federal Space Agency said.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060717/51487813.html
BAY AREA
4th Spare Air day this year -- gasp
Extra state funds for transit assistance arrived last week
Bay Area commuters will get free rides on buses, trains and ferries today -- for the fourth time this summer -- after a forecast of hot, smoggy weather for the region prompted transportation and air-quality officials to declare another Spare the Air Day.
No fares will be charged all day on 25 public transit systems, including BART, San Francisco's Muni and AC Transit, the agencies announced Sunday.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District declares Spare the Air days when the weather is conducive to high smog levels, typically when temperatures are high and there is little wind.
Sweltering temperatures in late June brought on three Spare the Air Days -- quickly using up most of the $7.5 million that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission budgets to reimburse public transit agencies for lost fares.
But last week, the agency approved an additional $5.3 million in state transit assistance funds -- enough to pay for three more free-fare days.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/17/BAGOLK0B4M1.DTL
The nation's weather
By WEATHER UNDERGROUND For The Associated Press
© 2006 The Associated Press
— The heat wave broiling much of the nation wasn't expected to relent Tuesday, with temperatures predicted to soar past 100 degrees in parts of the Plains, Great Basin, Desert Southwest and California Valley.
Apart from the heat, a strong cold front was on track to push southeastward through the Northeast, northern Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, bringing a slight risk of severe thunderstorms, some with large hail and damaging winds.
Farther west, another system is expected to move out of the Northern Rockies and High Plains then into the Dakotas by late Tuesday afternoon, triggering severe thunderstorms across eastern South Dakota into western Minnesota.
Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Monday ranged from a low of 40 degrees at Stanley, Idaho to a high of 125 degrees at Death Valley, Calif.
___
On the Net:
Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com
National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov
Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4053837.html
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