MikJournal Monday 07/22/2019...A Break in the Heat

Welcome to another edition of my Journal for this Monday morning July 22, 2019. Today is T-day. No, I don't mean thunderstorm day, but Transition day, a well-deserved respite from the heat AND humidity beginning later today and tonight that takes us through the rest of the week.

This morning is still quite muggy. Shower chances will be modest, and rainfall amounts will vary today. Afterward, a sharp contrast in air masses takes place. Much cooler and drier air takes over with oppressive dew point readings that were well into the 70's being replaced by readings in the 50's. Temperatures in the low to mid 90's knocked down to the low and mid 80's. That's right. Instead of "feel like" temperatures in the 100-105 degree range, it will feel 20-25 degrees cooler. Summer's version of a Polar Vortex. Well, relatively speaking.

Rainfall chances go down after today. So, if you needed the rain, today's the day. If you didn't need the rain, this is your week.

Checking the numbers for Louisville and Lexington, both 'official' locations are now running behind last year's record rainfall totals. It's amazing how some areas have received little rainfall this month contrasted with nearby areas.

For example, Lexington's Bluegrass airport has received 2.42" for the month of July. The Mesonet site about 6 miles away "as the crow flies" has tallied 4.69".

Here in Louisville, the official location has recorded just 0.98" for the month whereas a 21-mile "as the crow flies" trek along I-64 and US 60 to Simpsonville has totaled 4.62".

Putting aside the Geography bee for the week, I would like to take this opportunity to express my disappointment for some people who feel that we are "getting too soft" when it comes to the heat. Instead of relaying the basics of heat safety and all the practical precautions, why do such ones need to poke fun at why the NWS offices coordinated an Excessive Heat Warning for millions when most of us never exceeded those ranges?

Well, why you are at it, why not poke fun at residents living in Brooklyn, Long Island, and Queens NY where the heat has resulted in a strain on its power grid resulting in outages of greater than 24 hours? Do me a favor, turn your power off, no air-conditioning, no fans, in this kind of heat, and let me know how you feel later. Let's see how tough you are.

Better yet, give up your inside job for a day and come outside and work with me. Show me what you got.

Then, why not publicly voice your sentiments to the families who lost 6 loved ones to the heat this week and explain to them that their loved ones were just not tough enough...they were too soft.

No, we're not getting soft, we're getting smart.

I say kudos to the staff at Yankee stadium for setting up supplemental hydration stations on all 3 decks and the bleachers while making announcements over the Public Address system to the fans to keep drinking water. That's not being soft, that's being smart.

And as for those 'exaggerated' heat warnings issued by the NWS offices, I say "Thank you". And thanks for posting those necessary reminders for heat safety. Yes, thanks for being one of the smart ones around here.

Make it a great week, people. The weather is going to be great. Enjoy!

MS