On: Mon, 22 Sep 2003, Bob Paolino said:
>
..."but I did get repeated weather
forecasts on all three stations for Phoenix for that all-important NFL
game. Gee, did it ever occur to them that it was perfectly normal
weather in a southwestern desert? It might sound hot to us here,
but after all, average daily highs for June-September are typically over
100F. Was this supposed to be news? Okay, it was TV news, and not
something usually known for intelligent life......"
>
Actually, the average temperature for Phoenix on September 22 over the
last 30 years is 97 degrees F., 11 degrees cooler than Sunday's high
temperature. Here are the averages for the days around date of Sept. 22:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
Daily Climate Data with Long-Term Averages
>From the Midwestern Regional Climate Center (NOAA)
Station: (026481) PHOENIX_WSFO_AP, AZ
Year: 2003
Element: Maximum Temperature (F)
Current year Last year 1971-2000 average
09/17/2003 103 09/17/2002 105 09/17/**** 99
09/18/2003 103 09/18/2002 96 09/18/**** 98
09/19/2003 103 09/19/2002 96 09/19/**** 98
09/20/2003 103 09/20/2002 99 09/20/**** 98
09/21/2003 107 09/21/2002 102 09/21/**** 97
09/22/2003 107 09/22/2002 107 09/22/**** 97
09/23/2003 107 09/23/2002 108 09/23/**** 96
>
"But I didn't think bikies would sink to the same Packered level."
>
The reason I brought this up is that, whether one likes it or not, the
Packer games are a tradition for many Wisconsinites, not just those
living in the Fox Cities area. Madison has a large tradition of
following the games as well, and many people from Madison drive to the
game occasionally. I personally don't see anything "lowly" in bringing
the subject matter of the Packer up in these discussions. It's like deer
hunting, or golf, or fishing, swimming, bicycling, whatever else people
in living in Wisconsin and Madison like to do, in the out-of-doors.
>
"Well, maybe someone could make it bikie-relevant anyway."
>
The relevancy to bicycling is this: playing football, with full gear on,
in the hot sun with temperatures exceeding 106 degree F would not be
fun.. In fact, doing anything outside, even bicycling, in the hot sun at
107 degrees F would not be fun, or even safe for that matter. Under the
sun, the health warnings say add 15 degrees, so that makes it 122 degrees
F. At those temperature, if it is at all humid, most people will suffer
from heat stroke if they stay out in the sun too long. Even if they are
in the shade, when temperatures are that high along with high humidity
(it seldom gets humid in Phoenix and wasn't on Sunday), they are in
danger of heat stroke, especially if they are very young or old. An
example is what happened in France this past August, where over 11,000
people died, mostly the elderly, many who did not have air conditioning.
Over a thousand died in Portugal as well, and earlier in the summer, over
1,200 died in India.
Now if there are people who care at all about their health, they would be
advised not to exert themselves under those conditions, even bicycling.
Even having the wind blow on you at those temperature is dangerous,
because its like having an electric hair drying blowing on you when it's
that hot out..
Now to relate it to Wisconsin, Wisconsin has already had temperature that
high. I think it was in the early 90s, but it could have been earlier
than that. Anyway, temperatures in Wisconsin and the rest of the Great
Lakes states have been considerable above average for the last 5 years.
I can give you a source on that if you want one. Humidity levels have
also been above normal for the last 5 years, throughout the midwest.
There is no reason to believe they will not continue to increase in time.
In the future, it is predicted that temperatures in Wisconsin will go
much, much higher in summer, with higher humidity as well.. Scientists
are predicting that temperatures in summer in Wisconsin may go as high as
18 degrees above where they were in July and August this year. That will
be unbearable. Bicycling not advised, I'm sure. If we get only half of
that by 2050, it will be terribly warm throughout the summer --
dangerously warm. Forget about outdoor baseball games; forget about
camping trips from May - Sept.; forget about outdoor festivities and
reunion and the like. They will not be advised. It's already get that
way down in Texas and other southern and western states not bordering the
oceans. (Oceans help cool things, but their temperatures are warming,
too.
So why aren't we trying to do something about this? Anyone who cares at
all about the future of outdoor recreation in Wisconsin, much less any
kind of quality living (like we all have had the good fortune of having),
ought be upset enough about these predictions to speak out loud and
vociferously, particularly to their governmental officials,.
Governmental officials have all taken the office to maintain the general
welfare for people's communities, counties and states. None of them are
looking far enough ahead on this. They're all waiting on orders from the
administration and the Congress. At least California isn't waiting, and
a few eastern states. But Wisconsin sure is, to my knowledge anyway.
It's pathetic.
The largest sector source of greenhouse gases from the largest emitter of
greenhouse gases in the world (the U.S.) is motorized transportation
(cars and trucks, jet airplane travel and other forms of transportation
and gasoline dependent recreation). Those are things people can do less
of to help reduce the problem. Drive less, fly less in particular. Buy
local products that don't have to be shipped in. Use less electricity.
But people won't do it unless government either orders it, or creates
economic incentives to do it. I know which one I'd favor. But doing
neither is not a way to hold off the impending crisis. If we wait too
long, it will be too late. Global warming is on its way, and its
irreversible. And it seems everybody is almost too afraid to admit it's
time for action. So they hide from the reality of it. It does nobody any
good. Even the Bicycling Federation doesn't care enough about any of this
to do anything constructive about any of this. They fought a got fight
for funding more bike trails, but what good will those trails be if it
gets too hot out for people to use them?
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