So apparently we're on the last day of some very hot, hot, humid, rainless weather. I think this was "summer come lately." Mind you the lake has been lovely, cool and crystal clear, but then some days are just too hot for the beach and who wants to leave a nicely air conditioned house? Or car? I'm sure DQ and other ice cream emporiums have done a booming business. But if you think this has been bad, guess again. See below:
The highest temperature recorded on earth was 57.8C (136F) on September 13, 1922 in Aziziya, Libya. Whew!
Death Valley is the hottest place in the USA, but the five hottest places on earth are: Dallol, Ethiopia; Assab, Eritrea; Nema, Mauritania; Berbera, Somalia and Hombori, Mali. Don't place to go there. Air conditioning not guaranteed.
Now back to our own country, Canada, the deadliest and longest heat wave ever recorded was July 5-17, 1936. Temperatures registered at 44C in Manitoba and Ontario and the heat claimed 1180 lives. Four hundred of these were caused by drowning as people, desperate to cool off and whether they could swim on not, jumped into whatever water body was available. Steel rail lines and bridge girders twisted, sidewalks buckled, crops wilted and the fruit on trees baked. It was awful. Just awful! And they didn't have air conditioning. And they didn't consider this to be global warming. It just happened.
Just a year later, on July 5, 1937, the hottest day on Canadian record was recorded in Midale and Yellowgrass, Saskatchewan. Hit 46C (114.5F). Yikes!
So lest we complain too much, it could be worse. There are worse places to be and well, winter is coming--sooner or later--when we will have other things to complain about.