Why is it so hot everywhere?

Question

I mean I know its summer time and everything. But out of the 16 years I've been living, I've never seen the entire United States being as hot as it is. What's up with that?

Answer 1

First of all, the temperature today here in downstate Illinois is 88 degrees. The record temperature for this date here is 91 degrees, which was set nine years ago. In these parts we call it...July. My goodness, hot temperatures in July? How can this be? The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Please save us, Father Algore!

The present heat wave is caused by the jetstream that has positioned itself somewhere around the Canadian border, keeping cooler air to the north and warmer air to the south. Sometime in the next few days it will drop down to it's normal seasonal level, making it possible for the high temps here to move on out.

The simple truth is that nobody, not even the scientists who (reportedly) believe that the earth is in some sort of death spiral due to "global warming," can be certain of that. The data on our planet's climate simply don't go back several million years so we really have no idea how unusual or how significant this (one degree!) warm-up really is. Any prediction to the contrary is just a guess, and is more a political issue than anything else.

What we do know is that successions of very cold winters and very hot summers have come and gone since the beginning of the planet, and will continue to do so.

Now go have a nice glass of iced tea and try to stay out of the sun.

Answer 2

I don't know, why don't you ask ole' Al Gore? He seems to have all the answers...

J/k. The truth is, about 4 years ago, the sun reached it's peak in solar flare activity cycles. That put out a whole lot more ultraviolet radiation riding on solar winds. Since the peak, Earth, mars and Jupiter have been accumulating a little more heat each year. The temperatures are expected to begin falling again in about 2-3 years. Actually, maybe you were too young to remember, but about 10-15 years ago it was this hot. I remember it well cause I was about 12 when the temperature reached 102 in Louisiana. I know it gets hot down there, but it never reaches 102. On January 20, 2005, scientists observed the most powerful proton storm from a solar flare ever recorded. It was bad enough that if astronauts had been out on a space walk at that time, their brains would have been turned to bio-chemical mush.

Anyway, that's what's up with that.

Answer 3

Ask Al Gore.. Just 40 miles from an ice packed mountain in Northern CA. it was a 117 degrees a few weeks back..humidity 10...many parts of the Northwest have seen changes to triple digit weather over the last few years. With more warm rains through the winter and spring months resulting in landslides and floods.
Not that the general public seems to care, but polar bears are drowning because the ice packs are melting. No one seems to care.

Answer 4

Global Warming?

Answer 5

I'm a native New Yorker. And it's been hot like this in the past. Heat waves comes and goes, but there are new record highs because of global warming. Humans are depleting the earth of oxygen (by burning carbon fossil fuels) and clean water, etc.

Answer 6

While it's easy to say Global Warming, I did see a news report on the basic reason for the U.S. heat wave.

Apparently we have some strong southern winds blowing heat from the Mexico upwards and then in an arc that travels to the east, thus making all of the U.S. hot.

Hope that this helps.

Buddhadan

Answer 7

Ive noticed the same thing. We dont even have winters where i live anymore. It is caused by global warming. What we've been warned about for several years.

Answer 8

Global warming.

Answer 9

Here in Northeast Ohio it's 90 degrees and feels like 93...it's so hot you could probably cook a steak on my sidewalk!

...I don't know why it's so hot - all I know is that SOMEBODY needs to do a rain dance immediately!!!

Answer 10

Global cooling