100 Degrees

It hit 100 degrees here yesterday afternoon.  The weather folk predict 100 degrees again today.  Then below 100 for a few days.  June appears to start with a string of over 100 degree days.

It has been an unusually cool May.  The 100 degree days can start around the beginning of May.  We made it to May 27 below 100.  You have to understand that when it is under 100 degrees we are not complaining about the heat.  It is a dry heat, i.e., the humidity is low so it does not feel as hot as it would in a high humidity climate.  In fact, a few degrees over 100 can be tolerable if you stay in the shade. Weeks of days over 105 degrees get intense.  Sometimes the weatherman tells us how many days in a row it has been 105 degrees or more.  I hope for a cool summer.  Everyone here laughs at the idea.  By "cool" I mean days primarily under 100 degrees.

We can't remember the last time it rained.  Its been that long.  Monsoon rains usually come after July 4th.  That's not a hard and fast rule, but it is fairly accurate.  Those rains are heavy and of variable duration, sometimes as much as 4 inches at a time, but usually an inch or less. 

It is dry now.  How dry?  Your skin feels dry all the time, especially face, hands, feet, lips.  The air you breathe is dry.  The inside of your nose is dry.  The earth is dry.  The plants are dry.  The coyotes are lean.  The cacti are starting to slim down a bit.  A drink of cold water is the best drink you can have.  Laundry dries on the line in more or less one hour depending on sun and wind conditions -- two hours tops, even for blue jeans.

Stay cool,
Southwest Desert Blogger
C. (c) 2011