Lawrence Person's Futuramen

Here in Texas, we’re pretty much used to it hitting 100º for several days running in the summer. What we’re not so used to is it hitting 105º every day for weeks on end. Lately it’s been about 95º when I went out to walk my dog at 10:30 at night.

This is, to say the least, unpleasant.

We’re also breaking power-consumption records.

This is the hottest summer I can remember, and the drought is even worse. Not only is it worse than any I can remember, it’s the worst since they started keeping rainfall records. In 1895.

If you need visual confirmation, this graphic should do the trick:

100% of the state is under drought conditions, and 75% are suffering from D4 exceptional drought. Maybe they need to add a D5 level: “It’s dead, Jim.” Yes, it’s worse statistically than the Dust Bowl. (Thank modern agriculture, irrigation and lack of wind for not picking up the topsoil and dropping it on other states.) It also threatens record agricultural losses.

I fully expect it to be cooler in Reno for the Worldcon than it will be in Austin.

One consolation: So far, it doesn’t look like we’ll break the all-time record for the hottest day in Austin history, which was 112º on September 5th, 2000. That was not fun. (I was out riding my bike the day before, when it only hit a temperate 109º…)