We're havin' a heat wave! (June 2012)

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by aaronmidnight

That's a good point, nashvols.

In fact, sometimes I wonder if all the heat records are due to all the concrete and asphalt we've added to our cities (in addition to the greenhouse gasses.)

After all, BNA is only 75 years old. Think how much smaller the airport must have been in the 1950s when the previous heat record was set.

Last week, I drove from Brentwood (still pretty green but with lots of subdivisions) where it was ~95 degrees out to rural Franklin and the temp on my car thermometer dropped to 88.

I've got to get one of them digital thermometers to do my own checks in my backyard. Do you have a recommendation on a particular thermometer to buy at Amazon, for instance, if you're happy with yours?

The concrete heat island definitely has an effect. Also, since weather data has been recorded since 1871, moving the location where it is "officially" recorded also has an effect on the records. I'm not sure when the monitoring officially moved to the airport.


As far as thermometers...I don't know. Mine seems to do fine. It's one of those that reads temp and humidity. Don't know exactly how accurate it is, so I can't exactly "recommend" it. I just have it for the sake of it...I don't keep my own records or anything.

[aaronmidnight]

I don't think the concrete effect can explain the 109 degrees last week or the four days straight of 105+ weather!

Has anyone gotten any rain? I heard thunder a couple of days ago and the sky was yellowish all day, but not a drop.

Today, my weather-clock-radio showed a thunderstorm sign, but again it was totally dry.

All my landscaping looks baked and I'm sort of nervous that fireworks pyromaniacs are going to burn down the city tomorrow night despite all the bans. After all, Brentwood has banned fireworks (I think) but they're still selling them from a tent right down the road in Nolensville...

I don't think we're that far away from mandatory water restrictions unless we get some SERIOUS rain soon!

(The monthly view on Weather.com shows a grand total of .24 inches in the past five weeks or so for Brentwood and some of that fell in .01 increments that can't have had any benefit to the landscape. The last rain we got that was even slightly meaningful was 0.11 inches on June 11th - Monthly Weather Forecast for Brentwood, TN (37027) - weather.com.)

[CountryGirl2b=]

I know, my plants are all wilted. I try to water in the morning but heard I am supposed to be soaking them for 30 minutes a day. Can't do it . . . I think I hear them at night whispering "water . . . waaaaaater!" Poor things. I do wonder if we DO get some decent rain if some of them will bounce back?

We had loud thunder, dark clouds, and then about 4 drops earlier this week. You could see the tiny watermarks on the deck. But we did get a bit more yesterday . . like maybe 5 minutes? Funky smell afterwards, like wet hay. Sultry. Felt like Savannah.

They SAY next week might be 'stormy' . . sure hope so . . . Enough is enough!

[El Passeaux]

I am getting so sick of the threatening weather, the clouds, wind, the stars are aligning for rain but then nothing happens. It seems here in Hendersonville we get missed every time, it is east and seems to build up near percy priest and heads toward Murfreesboro every time, is that due to topography?

[Pammyd]

Originally Posted by CountryGirl2b=

C'mon. It's the elephant on the board! The HEAT!!! 102 today here in Franklin.
So, how are you keeping cool? Where in Middle TN has the best air conditioning?
Do you use of of those shades in your car that you put in the front window? Does it work?
Someone told me I should water my VERY thirsty withered plants at NIGHT and not in the morning. Any thoughts?
Places to swim? Public pools? Does Percy Priest have a beach? No swimming at Radnor, is that right? (crocodiles???)
What do you have your AC set at? I have mine at 79 and it's delightful inside. 23 degrees cooler than the outside.
Last question. I was thinking about getting one of those blow up pools, maybe 18 inches deep? But someone (I think) told me that here in MT it gets SO warm for extended periods of time that it's like a hot tub after a few days. Anyone have a grown up kiddie pool????
Stay cool! :c rying: (sweat, not tears . . . )

I'm not in Tennessee, but it is dang hot here in Connecticut too...at least for us it has been. We have been in the 90's for goin on our second week now. It is also super humid at times here. Again, today in the 90's and just not comfy for us at all. I have seen on the news that Tenn. has been super hot..WOW..102. Years ago here in CT, I can recall having the temps go that high but not recently. We keep cool in our pool. We have a 20X40' inground pool that came with our home, former owners put it in. It is expensive to take care of but a blessing to have and NO CROCS HERE..Yikes. Even at 90 plus degrees the water in the pool gets warm, so we add more to it from time to time to keep it at maybe 70.
We keep our AC on 70 sometimes 68 depending. If it were hotter outside, I would probably boot that temp on the AC up to 72 but no higher than that.
Yes, those blow up pools do get warm and would get super warm with temps up over 100. I am wondering if you could purchase some sort of cover that may or may not keep the temps of the water down a little?? You could ask if you go look at them at a pool store.
Stay cool and enjoy the rest of the summer!

[CountryGirl2b=]

I think maybe huge blocks of ice might keep the water cool? We are on voluntary water restrictions so doubt it would be PC to fill up a pool . . . . Sort of glad to hear it's hot in CT, too, as that's where I used to live. In Simsbury. The humidity has just started to kick in, making it feel hotter.

Hey, I heard there's a lobster glut in Maine and lobster is very cheap?

Please send LOBSTERS!!!!!

[DonCorleone]

Originally Posted by El Passeaux

I am getting so sick of the threatening weather, the clouds, wind, the stars are aligning for rain but then nothing happens. It seems here in Hendersonville we get missed every time, it is east and seems to build up near percy priest and heads toward Murfreesboro every time, is that due to topography?

I have noticed that too. I know the last system (was it the 4th?!?) that came through was a straight north to south system. Kind of rare for this area...usually it's more of a east by northeast to west by southwest type of movement. In other words, pretty much follows I-24.

I don't think it's topography. I think it's just bad luck. Rain dance anyone?

[Antioch]

Originally Posted by DonCorleone

I have noticed that too. I know the last system (was it the 4th?!?) that came through was a straight north to south system. Kind of rare for this area...usually it's more of a east by northeast to west by southwest type of movement. In other words, pretty much follows I-24.

I don't think it's topography. I think it's just bad luck. Rain dance anyone?

I have always noticed that in the weather patterns, if you look back at some of my previous post on weather a lot of the storms, snow or rain seem to follow the same tracks and a lot of times the areas near Percy Priest Lake, Antioch area, north western Rutherford Co. and Murfreesboro, Wilson County, north eastern Williamsom County and all those areas in and around a 10-15 mile radius of the lake always get hit, and then moving on norteast, or if its in the strange pattern southwest, but somewhere near 1-24 or Priest Lake. However, we have only gotten a few sprinkles on the Antioch side of the lake, always can see the dark clouds and wind, but no down pours...

[aaronmidnight]

We've moved to mandatory water restrictions here in the Nolensville-College Grove utility district. For violators who water more than 6 hours per week (which still seems like a lot to me) they are threatening to turn off the water... Is it even legal for them to do that?

Also, people are only allowed to water certain hours (middle of the night for automatic watering systems, 6-9 am or 7-10 pm for hose watering) and certain days, depending on street address.

If these measures don't help, the water utility has warned it may ban irrigation altogether.

Hoping that the forecasters are right about the heat wave breaking Sunday/Monday and bringing some MUCH-needed rain!

[septimus]

It rained in cool springs last night and the temp dropped about 30 degrees in 5 minutes according to my car but it was dry as soon as we hit the mack hatcher with no sign of rain