Photo by Eva Bronzini on Pexels
Every year, it seems we continue to set global climate records…in the wrong direction. Yesterday was apparently the hottest day ever. The average of temps across the globe topped out at 62.62 degrees Fahrenheit, according to this CNN article (and make sure to check out the detailed graph visualizing previous years’ data -- as with other climate change data tracking, the spikes that we’re seeing are just so scary). That average beat out our previous record, according to the same article, of 62.45 degrees Fahrenheit, which was set way back in August of 2016.
While the heat record is a result of a variety of factors, including climate change, this particular spike is being exacerbated by the current El Niño weather pattern that we’re in. This pattern is much more complex than what I can simply summarize here, but it involves the warming of waters around the equatorial Pacific, and that heat increases the heat that we’re feeling up here on dry land.
That additional heat also allows the air around us to hold much more water, leading to disgustingly humid summer days here in New England where I live. There’s a reason that people say that it doesn’t matter if it’s 90 degrees outside…as long as it’s a dry heat. If there is little humidity in the air, our bodies take advantage of the cooling effects of wind evaporating our sweat to cool our body temperatures. However, if your sweat isn’t able to evaporate efficiently given the high amounts of humidity that already exists in the air around us, well, you can see why we would find temps of 80 degrees with high humidity to be so much more oppressive than those higher temperatures in arid conditions. And if you’re interested in scaring yourself even more, Google wet-bulb temperatures, and you will see how climate change is leading to increases in wet-bulb temperatures globally.
In the past, we would get super humid days in the summer, and then the humidity would break with a burst of rain and thunderstorms, ushering in cooler and drier air. But, with the hotter air just able to hold in so much more water, even after we have rain storms, it still remains wet and sticky outside. In fact, these past few weeks have been filled with heavy rain storms followed by gray days thick with humid air. One of my favorite Twitter follows, Only In Boston, showed a video of the usually spectacular Boston July 4th fireworks completely shrouded in humid fog this year.
Typically, people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, where you find your mood severely depressed by endless long nights, in the winter. However, I’ve been feeling myself becoming glum and moody after these endless days of rain, oppressive humidity, and gray skies. And this comes on the heels of our skies having been clouded over from smoke from the recent Canadian wildfires.
Thankfully, the rain has finally broken; at least for today. And even though it is still hot and humid here in New England, the sun has finally pushed its way through the clouds. Going for my daily walk and feeling the sun shining on my face did so much to boost my mood. Even now, as I write this at 7:00 p.m. at night, because the days are still long, it is still quite light outside, and that has brought out a smile that had been hidden by all of these dark and moody days.
Don’t get me wrong, I generally love rain and thunderstorms. In fact, I will often listen to ambient music that incorporates the sound of rain and thunder. But I have learned that I really love it when the rain storms happen on cold and chilly days or when they usher in the breaking of a summer humid spell.
How has the summer weather been making you feel this year? Is it hotter than normal where you are? Are your ACs cranking? Let me know in the comments below.
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