This summer has been excruciatingly hot, as it has in my areas of the United States over the past few months. In Houston, Texas, we’ve had forty-five days of triple-digit temperatures in 2023. We came up one day short of a record set in 2011 of forty-six days of temperatures above 100 degrees. Therefore, the summer of 2023 will go down in history as the second hottest year on record.
With these extremely high temperatures, rainfall has been absent. Where I live, we went through summer in Stage 3 conservation, making it mandatory that watering your yard and vegetation was only allowed in the evening twice a week. People installing swimming pools were not permitted to fill them. How disappointing would that be.
Scorching temperatures can ruin any activity or event in a matter of minutes. Three types of illnesses are possible with extreme heat. They are cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. Adequate fluid intake is vital under these circumstances.
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, “Heat cramps are the mildest form of heat illness and consist of painful muscle cramps and spasms that occur during or after intense exercise and sweating in high heat and results from a loss of water and salt in the body. It occurs in extreme heat conditions and excessive sweating without adequate fluid and salt replacement. “
“Heat exhaustion occurs when the body cannot cool itself properly and, if left untreated, can progress to heat stroke. Heat stroke, the most severe form of heat illness, occurs when the body's heat-regulating system is overwhelmed by excessive heat. It is a life-threatening emergency and requires immediate medical attention.”
Houston is on a subtropical latitude near the Gulf Coast waters, where we experience humidity and warm temperatures during the summer. And this summer has been no exception, and the hottest day reached 103 degrees on July 31st. And this temperature does not account for the “feels like” temperature.
According to local meteorologists, a heat dome was parked over Texas and many other states. A dome causes the air to sink, warming the region, inhibiting rainfall – trapping heat in the atmosphere and creating a heat-island effect. We have lost numerous plants, trees, and flowers with no rain. The nurseries will be happy when Fall truly arrives, and we all go to replace those dead specimens.
With the hot temperatures, most of the population stays inside where the air conditioning keeps the temperature in the 70s – much more pleasant. One of my big worries has been for people experiencing homelessness. Houston has many cooling centers, but as we all know, many homeless people do not want to participate in such programs or shelters.
So, a quick note to remind everyone that these shelters and programs need continual funding and volunteers. I have included a few links for your convenience.
- https://www.homelesshouston.org/preparing-for-summer-heat-2023
- https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/mental-health-substance-use/mental-health-crisis-services/programs-people-who-are-homeless-or-risk-becoming-homeless
- https://nationalhomeless.org/
Anyway, we continue to pray for rain, but not in a hurricane capacity. After living through Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I will never pray for rain like that. (NOTE: We received almost an inch of rain on Wednesday evening. Thank you, Lord!)
All my best,
Julie
Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti