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^ The average doesn't tell the whole story; 100 is not a common occurrence, or at least it wasn't. The worst a summer historically gave is several days in a row in the low 90s, but not much worse than that. I could deal with not having A/C in those conditions. But there was already a heat wave of mid 90s last week and now this. It's going to be consistently hot for the next week. The following is data showing hot temperatures for the past dozenish summers.
Number of highs >=33C reported at KARB, June 1 to Aug 31
1999: 9, Max 34C
2000: 0, Max 32C
2001: 7, Max 35C
2002: 18, Max 36C
2003 (used nearby warmer station because days were missing): 2, Max 33C
2004: 0, Max 32C
2005: 7, Max 34C
2006: 6, Max 34C
2007: 8, Max 36C
2008: 4, Max 34C
2009: 4, Max 34C
2010: 6, Max 34C
2011: 14, Max 38C
2012 (expected as of Jul 1): 6, Max 38C
1998 looked like 2007 (used the warmer station because KARB weather station wasn't operational that year), btw.
Doesn't bode well for the rest of the summer unless there's a cooldown. But I won't be holding my breath. You could say that this might be a repeat of 2002 summer, but if it happens every 10 years on average, then we already had it that hot last year and the chances of this happening again would be quite low.
Considering how consistently it has been above average here as well as the situation in the Arctic, things are adding up. I've come to the conclusion that either I've been unlucky to experience consistently warm temperatures or the average, for here at least, is changing towards something warmer.
I think bad luck plays a bigger role than anything else. If you arrived in 2009 the whole year would've been cool rather than warm, and you just missed the cold, snowy winter of 2011. If the big warmth persists indefinitely for several years then there will have been at least a short-term climate change (average change), but "one year doth not an average make".
As for the hot summers coming around once every 10 years, nature usually doesn't work like that. A phenomenon that comes on average once every 20 or 50 years usually doesn't operate that way. They tend to cluster in bunches, or put another way, there could be for example 2 years in a row where it occurred and then it lies dormant for 20 years, when based on averages you'd think it occurs once every 10 years. Tornado outbreaks, superstorms, and cold winters are subject to this misunderstanding a lot.
This leads to one of my maxims: "Mother nature shows no mercy. It won't compromise with you, so you shouldn't compromise with it." This is a reference to the people that try to bargain with nature (like in the stages of grief) and compromise their own hopes and dreams. It's also a jab at the crowd that expects bad weather to relent just for the sake of human convenience.
The upcoming heatwave looks like it'll be on par with the one last week. Forecasted highs between 92-94 F Fri, Sat, and Sun. Next week looks to remain toasty with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Lows generally in the 60s. Humidity is beginning to creep up today.
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