Extreme weather across the United States
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
People across the United States are scratching their heads at the recent meteorological events.
In the Northeast, umbrellas were out as heavy rains littered the streets and brought uninvited tornados. New York, typically humid and hot, has not had the mercury hit 90˚F at all these summer months. This could be the coolest summer on record for these states-a welcome change for many (Except for the tornados: they weren’t welcome). The upper Midwest is also taking advantage of the cooler weather with lower electric bills, less heat-related medical emergencies and better sleep at night.
Those in the Pacific Northwest sold stores out of air conditioners and fans as record heats of up to 115˚F scorched the atmosphere. The Oregon Zoo had to take extra steps to help their animals stay cool. “Cool spots” were also open to the public if they did not have air conditioning at home. A “cool spot” is a place that has air conditioning where people could hang-out for a while and get relief from the elements. Fire houses, hospitals, senior centers, etc. were the typical places that opened their doors this week.
Click here to learn more about extreme weather across the United States.
