Frank,

I poked my head outside saw my shadow and felt the massive heat and went back into my burrow until Feb.

I predict 6 more weeks of summer heat.

Puxatawny Phil visiting Baltimore.

Ummm,

That heat was horrible and gave me a touch of heat stroke.

My name is correctly spelled

"Punxsutawney Phil"

Sorry about anyone who thought I was some blog posting imposter.

Phil

Both Philadelphia Park and Delaware Park cancelled racing today due to the heat. If you think this heat is tough on humans imagine how thoroughbreds feel trying to race on Lasiz [a diuretic] in weather like this! Back to thread, yes, I've been out to water my tomatoes and promptly reported back inside. When will we get some relief?

fr: No relief in sight. Unless you consider the low 90s relief. In that case, maybe Monday and Tuesday. Then, it's back into the fryer.

I was out early this morning -- I didn't think it would get this hot since the clouds started forming. Oh well.

I hate to turn this into a political post, but something must be done. No, I don't mean climate change, I mean mass transportation in Baltimore. I have been without a car following a transmission failure this month. Drivers have absolutely NO IDEA what people who have to ride a bus must endure.

First, I wait, with no shade for up to 40 minutes, in a dress shirt and carrying a tie and suit coat, for the no. 9 bus. Then I wait at the light rail, for another 20 minutes. Then I walk 6 blocks to the office.

There is no shade anywhere for light rail patrons, and most bus stops don't have shade either. So every day I spend an hour, in long sleeves and dress pants to get to work, and another to get home.

Can one understand how embarrassing it is to walk into an office with your dress shirt soaked--every inch of it?

Politicians are constantly harping that public transport is "subsidized" and cost too much money to upgrade, but they never mention the fact that the roads, bridges, potholes and the like are subsidized for drivers in an order of magnitude greater.

I sure miss living in DC with their subway system. Baltimore treats its vulnerable people like dirt.

Just yesterday, I got off the light rail in Lutherville, and number 9 bus was loading passengers. I sprinted full speed (not easy for a 58 year old in dress pants and a business shirt) toward the bus, and the driver watched me the whole way. He closed the door just as I arrived. I knocked on it so he would open it. He actually smiled at me as he drove away.

What happened to the readings at the Custom House? I believe that used to be the reporting station for Baltimore. I'm sure the readings there would be the same as the Sun site and probably greater.

FR: That site was dismantled by the NWS and replaced by the Science Center site in the mid-1990s. It was regarded as unreliable because of its rooftop location.

I've been outside since 10am working on re-building my deck with a friend of mine. Finally at 4pm we took a break. It's been brutal out there (we're in Columbia, reported heat index of 113 earlier when we stopped).

It's 102 here in Middletown, MD at 6pm. What concerns me is the lack of rain, every storm system since mid-June has bypassed us, with just under an inch of rain since. I get annoyed at "Accuweather" with all their silly claims such as early last week "2.14 inches of rain on way", "80% chance of a t-storm today", they are by far the most ridiculous weather service I have ever seen (I was a meteorology major) and this is when I enter Middletown, Maryland to query a forecast. On Friday it said, "0.54 inches of rain on the way", quite amusing, not one storm formed within 50 miles of Middletown and we received 0.54 inches more of dust in our fields. Bottom line, we are nearing a severe drought out here in western Frederick County and aside from a tropical system, I think its going to get very bad by September. I feel for the farmers, the crops must be getting hammered from the drought and excessive heat.

John

Is there a chart somewhere that equates temperature, dew point and heat index? Or does this vary with other factors?

FR: There is. This link will take you to a pair of charts - one for temperature and relative humidity, the other for temp. and dew point. http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/conversion/heatindex.html

My daughter is working at a performing arts camp this summer. The camp has a tradition of having a "preview" show for parents at an outdoor mall, followed by dinner with the parents, and then a movie for the campers. Excessive heat warning? No.. the show must go on!! Thus, in support of my child, I found myself standing outside for an hour from 3:30 -4:30 this afternoon, praying that the kids who were singing and dancing (in the sun, no less) would be ok. I had a steady stream of sweat running down my back -- and I was standing in the shade.

"Hot" doesn't even come close to the discomfort level. If I had the chance, I would shake the woman in charge until her teeth rattle. Thank God there was a breeze, which at least provided some minor relief.

Frank,

I just had to slap myself as I was actually happy to see at 8:20pm the temp was only 95 at the science center.

It quickly dawned on me just what we are going to go through tonight as I can't see this getting much below 90 degree's before dawn.

Throw in the wonderful humidity and bad air and its gonna be a rough night here in Balmer Hon.

People don't forget to check on your elderly or infirmed neighbors and friends as this weather is literally killer.

Fran In Baltimore

FR: It's 90 degrees on the WeatherDeck in Cockeysville at 9:30 p.m. When the upstairs started to get warm and stuffy this afternoon, I figured something was wrong. I checked the programmable thermostat and it said, "System malfunction. Call for service." Rats. So I called and left a message. Our HVAC guy called back an hour later and said he'd come by Sunday morning at 8:30. We got back from dinner tonight and found the AC running again. Still a bit warm, but cool air coming from the vets again. Now I'm thinking maybe BGE cycled off our compressor today, which might explain the "malfunction." Anyone else notice anything similar? Do these thermostats show a malfunction when BGE switches off the compressor under the Peak Rewards program?

Spent an hour out watching Fluid Movement's latest @ 3pm. Literally dripping sweat on the poolside. Envied all the performers but the singer who succumbed to heatstroke just before the opening. Good show, wish I'd been in the water with 'em!

Please don't forget ; this weather is not good for your pets,either. While delivering pizza, I saw so many dogs just tied up in yards- no shade or water. Made quite a few phone calls to Animal Control. Some of us have to be out in this mess; if you do, be sure to stay hydrated. It was 120 degrees in our store; those ovens really heat things up. I drove in all 3 blizzards,and prefer the snow. Tips were better, too!

Frank - a question if you could help:

In winter, it seems that BWI and IAD generally compete for the lowest nighttime lows most nights, especially during cold snaps, with DCA coming in often as much as 6 - 10 degrees warmer, probably due to UHI effect plus the proximity of the Potomac.

However, in summer, BWI and DCA seem to be the hottest locations (BWI this summer it seems) while IAD lags a few degrees behind...not just at night, but daytime as well...this is harder to explain to me.

Why is this???

FR: Hmmm. My best guess? Urban heat island effect again. BWi gets a boost from Washington's urban heating in prevailing SW winds. Which begs the question of why BWI is colder in winter. It's certainly colder relative to downtown Baltimore thanks to downtown's heat island and the Patapsco. My impression is that Dulles is fairly consistently colder than BWi in winter.