Incredible Heat Wave

A lot of times the media can over-hype things that simply are not that big of a deal. However, I want to take a few moments here and make sure we all realize how incredible the Southeast heat wave actually is.

In Charlotte, today is the 30th consecutive day with a high of at least 90 degrees. The streak will probably end at 32, meaning we will miss the all-time record by 1 day. As bad as the heat has been here, it has been worse off to our west.

Nashville, Tennessee is running over 9 degrees above average for the month of August. That is amazing. Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama are over 7 degrees above normal.

While our drought situation is certainly bad, with extreme drought conditions for much of the area, it is worse in the Tennessee Valley. The U.S. Drought monitor continues to designate much of Alabama and parts of Tennessee, Georgia, and western North Carolina in the "Exceptional Drought" category. That is a bad as it gets.

This heat wave and drought over the Tennessee Valley is one of, if not the, worst in recorded history. Let that statement sink in. I actually don't think people are talking about how significant it is nearly enough.

Now, some folks will inevitably say this is due to global warming. Not true. It is simply the Southeast's "turn" to endure drought, and all of the meteorological variables lined up correctly this time to make it historic.