Is this hot weather unheard of…or just unusual?
You may have heard me sarcasticly joke on the air back during that hot streak in August that heat "relief is on the way...it's called November!" I use that worn out line just about anytime there is a hot streak in the summer to get the point across that it isn't going to cool off anytime soon, so we just have to deal with it. Yet, it's October 8 as I write this and my forecast calls for 90+ degree weather for the next 3 days! The average high temperature in Florence for October 8 by the way is just 78 degrees while the average for Myrtle Beach is just 77. Actual high temperatures Sunday were 88 in Florence and 84 in Myrtle Beach. Those numbers are certainly above normal for this time of year, but not all that uncommon. The trouble is even warmer weather is on the way with high temperatures this week expected to reach into the lower, possibly even MID, 90s through Wednesday. That means high temperatures in Florence will be 15 degrees or so above average. Now THAT'S unusual. But is it unheard of?
Not really.
In fact, did you know that way back in 1954, way before there was global warming, there were 2 consective days (10/5-10/6) where the high temperature in Florence was 100 and 102 respectively? That's a whopping 24 degrees above average! Think about it. The average high temperature during the hottest part of summer in Florence is 92 degrees. Now add 24 to that number. A high of 102 degrees in October is about like if we had a high temperature of 116 if it were the heat of summer. Now THAT'S unheard of!! In fact, the hottest temperature on record in Florence occurred in July 1954 when the high was 108 which was about 16 degrees above normal for that day. Add 16 to our average high for today of 78 to make it relative to October standards and it would take a high temperature today of 94 degrees. The forecast for Tuesday calls for 93. To say the least, the hot weather we are experiencing this week is VERY unusual and almost unheard of.
Here are some simple stats to put it into perspective:
-Latest 100+ degree day: 10/6/1954- 102 degrees
-Latest 90 degree day: 10/13/1954- High 90 degrees
-Last time we hit 90+ in October: 10/9/1990
-Earliest freeze ever recorded: 10/14/1988.
Finally, consider that we have about 3 hours less sunlight than we did in July and August which means less time for the sun to bake the earth and heat us up. I think you get the point: it's hot...VERY hot. It isn't unheard of hot, but it certainly is VERY unusual. Gotta love South Carolina!
Posted by
on 10/08 at 11:38 AM
