OK, this past week was brutally hot. But despite the hype (my own included), we set no records.
So if your a fan of Global Warming, you'll be surprised to hear that 76 years ago was when a lot of our summer time records were set. Yeah, long before the superhighways, Mother Nature was heating things up!
During the Summer of 1930, 21 days were 100 degrees or above in Washington DC. It was also the beginning of the longest drought of the last century, the "dust bowl" that covered 2/3 of the U.S for several years. Dry conditions promote higher temperatures.
If you look back in time, there appears to be a warming trend in the 30's, 40's and 50's. Then a cooling trend in the 50's, 60's and 70's. And then warming again in the 80's, 90's and now.
The point is weather always seems to be cyclical. Extreme swings in one direction seem to even out on both small and large time scales.
By the way, the Highest temp recorded on earth? September 1922 in Aziziyah, Libia - 136 degrees! Now that's a heat wave!
