"When the heat's on you..."

-Lyrics from the The Heat Is On by Glenn Fry 

in the 1984 soundtrack to Beverly Hills Cop 

9:30 AM EDT Wednesday 7/20/2011 

Unlike Glenn Fry, we don't have to say "tell me can you feel it" as to whether the heat is on. It would be easier to discuss areas of the country which have temperatures less than 100 degrees today. 

In addition to a hundred million people already covered by Excessive Heat Warnings, the NWS has added large portions of the eastern megalopolis to areas under Excessive Heat Watches, as shown in brownish red on the Advisory map from the Eastern Regional Headquarters of the National Weather Service.

The culprit is an efficient alignment of climate norms and weather extremes. The Northern Hemisphere is approaching the dead middle of summer, known as the "dog days." A full month of high sun angle, compounded by an above-normal increase in summer melt-off of Arctic sea ice, reduces the "recharge capacity" of polar regions to produce a dome of cold high pressure this time of year. Add the widespread exceptional drought in the central and southern U.S. as a boundary layer factor, the lack of tropical moisture, and the El Nino/La Nina oceanic influence in a neutral state, and you have many of the ingredients to create a high heat bake for much of the country. 

How hot is it? As if we need to rub this in further, but since you asked we can give a few examples for perspective: In Enid, Oklahoma it was reported that portions of Highway 412 buckled under several days of 110 F temperatures. In northern Minnesota Monday night, midnight temperaturees were hovering just under 100 F in some locations.. no kidding! The St. Louis region has an  Excessive Heat Warning in effect through Saturday. That's right...3 more days on top of today. In a take off of the 1980's Wendy's commercials... "Where's the relief?" check in with Lead Forecaster Mark Ingalls in our Pacific Northwest page for some evidence of cooler weather in that region. you'll have to get on your favorite Southwest flight for a one-way trip to the Pacific Northwestyou would have to get on a plane and fly to the safety of the Pacific Northwest, where temperatures from Portland, OR to Seattle, WA today should hold in the upper 60's. Now that feel awesome right about now, huh? 

What can you do? In a life-threatening  heat wave, the best actions to take are simply to tap the cooling power of water.  This MedicineNet.com article has some reasonable tips. If outside, our suggestion is to "tank up" before you start your day. While outside, regularly constantly sip water up to eight ounces  every few hours if possible, and reserve outdoor activities for the early morning or after sunset. 


For those in public safety or utility work charged with keeping our society humming and cooled, we know you may not have the option of avoiding the heat. Take frequent breaks, constantly sip water and double check with your supervisors to make sure safety of workers is forefront in their minds. NOAA Heat Safety Tips in the previous post.

Any help from the tropics? 

Our Tropical Team was wondering that too. Are there any indications that suggest relief will come by way of a moisture-laden tropical cyclone arriving in the U.S.?   

With Tropical Storm Bret having moved away from the coast, Meteorologist and Tropical Team Forecaster Randall J. from St. Petersburg, Florida took a different look at the pattern ahead, and filed this report to answer your question:

"Our team's tropical analysis for the month ahead shows that upper level wind shear over the Caribbean has become more favorable for development in the near term. Water temps in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Atlantic will continue to rise and reach their peaks moving into August. This pattern traditionally produces deep, warm pools which provides increased "fuel" for tropical storms. Looking toward end of July, there is a low chance for another storm to form in the Atlantic. Into August, activity historically increases, with September the most active month of the Hurricane season. Until a system can move from the Atlantic into a favorable shear environment over a warm waters, odds are low the tropical will deliver significant relief to the U.S. near term." 

Wish we had better news for those looking to see Mother Nature throw a "Tropical Hail Mary."

Local forecaster in Seattle Times 

Lead Forecaster Mark Ingalls of Kennewick, WA had an epic day yesterday, and we wanted to share the joy with you. After appearing in the Tri-City Herald front page on Sunday, he learned on Monday the Seattle Times had picked up the story, followed by the Tacoma News Tribune. Capping the media explosion was a radio interview with Seattle's KOMONews.com at 5:15 PM Eastern Monday afternoon. Our thanks to the news reporters and journalists for giving our developing Western U.S. team quality time with the public. Let your friends and colleagues know by visiting our Pacific Northwest page, in facebook, they can have equally reliable and accurate forecasting as is found throughout the East.