15 July 2024
Excessive heat from the western U.S. is now in the East and the next two days promise to be brutal.
Right now I’m in Tidewater Virginia where today’s high temperature will be 97°F and “feel like” 107°F. Just after dawn the turkey vultures warmed their wings in my sister’s backyard. I’m sure they know where and how to stay cool later today.
We humans, however, are not always in control of our time and some humans are not as smart as turkey vultures so every newscast reminds us to be careful and stay cool.
Yes, today will be hot but tomorrow will be worse. There will be Extreme Heat even in the mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Fortunately Wednesday will bring relief. Watch the heat for 15-17July on these maps.
As Earth continues to warm, we need to take a cue from the turkey vultures. Our outdoor time will need to be during the cooler hours (night), then stay indoors during the heat of the day. Humans will need to become nocturnal to survive. Our homes will need to be underground or underwater — the only places where it will be cool. People cannot count on having unlimited air conditioning. The future is going to be a very different place in a hundred years.