You know it's hot when......

[Petrol & Powder]

.....you go to start a diesel tractor that hasn't run in days and the glow plugs will not cycle because the coolant is already hotter than the thermal cut off temperature.

OK, there was no need to even use the glow plugs but I'm accustomed to at least seeing the indicator light come on when I turn the key to the run position. My first thought was the bulb had burned out. Nope - just too damn hot for the thermal couple to even close while it was sitting there.

 

[CZ93X62]

Supposed to be 119* in Palm Springs Thursday--121* on Friday--120* on Saturday--and cool off to a brisk 117* on Sunday. THAT is the Low Desert summer stuff I am familiar with. It is usually 8*-12* cooler here, on any given day. After these first heat events, the evap rate on the Gulf of California brews up some afternoon T-storms (known as chubascos south of the border), which cool things down when they pour forth......and often fill dry washes with muddy surprises for off-roaders. I have seen all five of the Canyons in the Coachella Valley produce extreme and sudden flooding--Andreas/Palm in P.S., Cathedral Cyn in Cat City, Magnesia Cyn in Rancho Mirage, Deep Cyn in Palm Desert, and La Quinta Cove between Indian Wells and Indio. Flood control measures have been upgraded considerably since I worked there, but there is still damage done every year. The northern tier of states has its extreme weather, but so does the Southwest--and heat can kill ya just as dead as deep cold, and just as fast. Gotta have respect for your environment, or Darwin will punch your ticket early.

 

[RBHarter]

Yep the desert is a fickle mistress .
It'll give you 2nd degree burns from holding on to car door to long and from the sun . Then you get a little break with a late afternoon thunderstorm and the temperature drops 20° under the storm another 20° as the rain evaporates . All of that generates a nice cool breeze as the shade creeps across the valley and you freeze to death because the effective body contact temperature is 55° from 110 .....

 

[CZ93X62]

The Song Of My People, R.B. 2nd degree burns, then hypothermia 20 minutes later. Lovely, indeed.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

As for Darwin punching your ticket early, I think we should never interfere with Darwin.

 

[CZ93X62]

Today was RIDICULOUS. 109* at 3 P.M. in Redlands, so we bailed out of here and went up to the mountains for a while. Up around 7K feet elevation, it was a much nicer 88* or so. We just got home about 30 minutes ago, and it is still beastly hot outside. Storm clouds are building over the mountaintops, a precursor to August if there ever was one.

 

[Rally]

I can't hardly imagine 109! Weather man said we have had 23 days in July with above normal temps for here. I've never seen it this dry, hope to never see it again. Had a couple days over 90 last week and suppose to get down to 53 tonight, that's more to my taste for summer! I'd rather walk on water than swim in it!

 

[dale2242]

It`s only an hours drive to the left coast from home.
Summer temps are normally in the 60s.
It`s a good escape when the temp soar here inland.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

We broke a record this year for consecutive days over 90. A cold front stalled over us today and this will probably be the day that streak comes to an end. Thankfully despite the temperatures in the high 90's for most of the summer, we also had regular thunderstorms, so it didn't get dry.

It gets a lot hotter out west but we have humidity that makes it miserable even in the shade.

 

[obssd1958]

104 yesterday, and supposed to be 106 today. Temps are predicted to be over 100 through the weekend, drop to the 90's 'til Thursday, then back over 100.
C'mon September!!!