Disaster Recovery News

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.

Photo by D'Arcy Norman CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Residents in the Northwest feel like they are living Dubai. In a long string of hot days, residents and visitors are experiencing record highs that have not been seen since 1981. Some part of the Willamette Valley in Oregon reached temperatures of 107˚F (Dubai only had a high of 102˚F). The National Weather Service has issued severe weather warnings for those in Oregon and Washington, telling people to stay in locations that have air conditioning, drink plenty of water, and avoid going outside. The hot weather is expected to continue through the weekend. Read more about the heat wave.

The hot weather has prompted scientists to forecast a dreary future for the vegetation of the western United States. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that scientists expect the wildfires this year to be one of the worst on record because of the record hot conditions and droughts many areas are experiencing. Predictions of wildfires based on climate are surprisingly accurate, but do not account for lightening and poor judgment on the part of humans. Human activity accounts for most of the wildfires that begin. The amount of wildfires per year has increased with the increase of global temperatures.

Learn about protecting your home from wildfires.