Well, probably not quite as hot as that; but hotter than what most of us would set our shower temperatures to or take a bath in.
According to Weather Underground’s Dr. Jeff Masters; Needles, California equaled a record high temperature on August 13 of 118°F (47.8°C) – and it may have been hotter but for a thunderstorm in the mid afternoon.
However, the rain itself was a rather toasty (46.1°C) – which set a new world record. I’ve lived in some pretty hot places and have felt warm rain, but nothing anywhere close to being hot. According to Dr. Masters’ report, the rain also fell in 11% humidity – which is the lowest humidity rain has ever occurred anywhere on the planet since records began.
Weird and wacky weather continues throughout the world as it has always done; but even more so now. One odd weather event does not make climate change real, but a bunch of them in greater frequency certainly lends more credibility to the concept.
For example, in regard to hot rain, the previous record was 109°F (43°C) observed in Mecca, Saudi Arabia in June 2012 and in Marrakech, Morocco in July, 2010. 3 records in just over 2 years. Hmm.
Heck, climate change isn’t just a concept any more or an if; it’s happening – and we’re certainly part of the cause. But my opinion or anyone else’s means nothing to Mother Nature I guess – she’ll do whatever she needs to in order to restore whatever she determines to be balance.
Still, even though the future looks ominous, weather is such an interesting topic and it’s good to see more folks wanting to learn about it.
Weather is a big deal; bigger than the Olympics or any other “panem et circenses” type distractions. Being aware of the weather could one day save your life in a world where the unexpected happens more often. I’m confident many people in tornado prone areas would agree.
Rain trivia: Around 505,000 cubic kilometres (121,000 cu mi) of water falls as precipitation around the world each year, with 398,000 cubic kilometres (95,000 cu mi) of that falling on the oceans. Source
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Weather vs. climate.