Weathered Questions 5.1

So speaking of summer weather, because we are, um, kicking off June this week, back on Monday, it was June 1st, which is meteorological summer, not astronomical-

Mm-hmm

... summer, but meteorological summer.

So the first question up today, Jan: Why do some parts of the country get so hot and humid in the summer, while others just get hot? Why the difference?

Yeah.

So we have different parts, uh, this is, uh, specifically talking about the US, right? Obviously a lot of other countries will have similar, um, or differences and stuff, but the US is very unique in, in how its geography, um, and the surrounding, uh, water and land and everything kind of influences its weather.

Um, but what we tend to get here is, especially in the middle of the country as well as down in the South, uh, we have a lot of moisture, um, that comes in from the Gulf of Mexico.

Uh, very, very, uh, you know, um, common thing that we've got wind kind of blowing off the Gulf and bringing in warm, moist air across the country, and that influences our weather a lot.

That's why we get severe storms and things like that.

But, um, it also just increases the moisture in the air, so the air has more water in it, makes it feel hot and sticky, and, uh, so we get those more humid days.

Whereas maybe somewhere in the desert Southwest, uh, where you've heard of a, a dry heat, right? Um, you have a more arid climate, more, uh, kind of desert-esque, and you're not being influenced by the Gulf because there's a giant, tall shield of rocks in the way called the Rocky Mountains, um, with that, uh, things can't get past.

So that's one of the things.

Um, another thing that we have h- heard of, I feel like becoming more and more, um, popular, at least, uh, people have heard a lot more about it, corn sweat, evapotranspiration.

Mm-hmm.

In the later summer especially, once the crops are mature, um, in, again, in the central parts of the country where you have row crops like corn and soybeans, uh, once those are mature, you have them literally pumping moisture into the air through their leaves.

Uh, and again, that can make it even more sticky feeling.

Um, and, and so that really does play a big role.

You can get your, uh, dew point readings into the 70s and 80s, uh, very easily near corn fields, and when you have a lot of cities that are surrounded by corn fields, that tends to impact, uh, the, the people too.

So, uh, those are kind of the two biggest reasons that I would say.

Do you have any other thoughts that you want to add to that one, Kyle?

Um, not so much necessarily.

Um, but I will tell you a story about going to Las Vegas, and-

Oh, please.

[laughs] It is true that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, except for the weather, 'cause we're gonna talk about the weather.

[laughs] Okay.