Mid-summer report card
For some it has been a beautiful summer with lots of sunny days and just about the right amount of rain.
The corn fields are happy with recent rains and folks with pools and golf outings have been able to enjoy being outside.
We did have two visits from intense heat domes that brought some very warm and humid conditions, however both of these were followed by refreshing rains and cooler, sunny days.
So far the Uniontown area has experienced 12 days of 90 degrees or better this summer. Last year by this time we had 21 of those 90-plus days and in 2024 the total was 16.
In recent decades the average number of 90-plus days has increased from 10 to 14 for the entire summer and this will probably need adjusted upward again if current trends continue in response to our warming planet.
Probably the worst days so far were when we had the heat and humidity, then smoke arrived reducing visibility and making our air quality very dangerous, especially for folks with breathing problems of which I am one.
The smoke came from fires in Canada along with Minnesota and Wisconsin and arrived when our region was under one of those heat domes caused by a large high pressure weather system that brings haze, heat, humidity, sunshine and little if any wind or rain to chase away the haze and smoke.
You can always tell when the smoke is arriving as morning and evening sunrise and sunsets are red. This indicates the presence of a lot of smoke in our air. Orange sunsets indicate some smoke or haze and yellow usually means air that is free of pollution and smoke.
Another factor contributing to the oppressive heat in summer is the urban heat island effect that takes place in our cities due to the amount of concrete, asphalt, dark roofs along with a concentration of buildings and lack of trees.
Pittsburgh has 55% of its surface this way and temperatures are 5 degrees warmer when these high pressure systems visit and night time temperatures can be 10 degrees warmer than surrounding areas.
Even here in Uniontown the city is a few degrees warmer than outlying areas. Cities need trees to help them breath and provide shade to cool all those dark surfaces.
With the planet continuing to warm, urban planning will play a key role in helping keep people alive and out of harm’s way. More floods, storms, droughts and heat domes are becoming the norm.
Just ask Texans are they ready for another 100- or 500-year flood that now occurs on a regular basis.
What about the people whose homes will burn in the next wildfire or whose homes will be swept away in coming storms and hurricanes? And we can never lose site of the big weather killer in the United States: heat!
Across the planet it is much worse as the ice continues to melt and the fires continue to rage. It’s time to acknowledge what is happening and look at ways to provide humanity with a future.
Instead of wars and destruction perhaps it’s time for a partnership between humanity and nature. Our children and future generations will ever be so thankful we had the courage to do what is right.
We can and must explore this possibility.