Living in Southwestern Pennsylvania – Herald-Standard

I woke up this morning and heard the song “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen.

My morning shower changed the tone from Born in the USA to Living in Southwest Pennsylvania.

When I checked the weather forecast for the morning, I saw that July 23rd was the warmest day ever recorded on the planet. The data goes back to the 1880s. I am sure the Earth was warmer many eons ago, but recent events show that the current heat is caused by our elevated carbon dioxide levels that have been building since the Industrial Revolution began about 250 years ago. Previous heat took millions of years to do what we have done in a much shorter time.

Next, we looked at satellite imagery, which showed smoke from the western fires dominating much of the Plains. Checking the temperatures, we saw that the brutal heat continues in the west, with Las Vegas at 114 and Phoenix at 115. Last summer, Phoenix had 54 days above 110 degrees, and this year it’s on track to break that record.

Even cities far north in the West are being hit by heat. Portland, Oregon, reached 114 degrees last year, beating the previous record by about eight degrees. Boise, Idaho, reached 106 this week.

The rising heat has dried out the vegetation and the fires are raging again. People are dying from the heat and it is the biggest killer, far more than any other weather phenomenon. So much of the world’s population does not live like we do with air conditioning and ample water sources.

I know it’s been hot here, but we’ve had a few rain showers and the lower temperatures and humidity have provided some relief.

I was talking to a family member in Florida and she said this summer has been brutal. It’s been in the 80s at night, 90s during the day and the humidity is unbearable and everyone is getting anxious about hurricane season. Many are still recovering from previous storms. Her homeowners insurance on a $300,000 house six miles from the Gulf of Mexico is $4,000 a year.

In the scheme of things, a four-season climate like we have here could be a better way of life than all the heat, droughts, floods, fires and storms that affect much of the country. The new climate patterns may even benefit us, as recent winters have been milder, springs have come earlier and autumns have lasted longer.

Our weather is looking more and more like what Virginia was 50 years ago. The new weather patterns we are experiencing will bring warmer summers, but we always seem to have multiple periods per season of refreshing, cooler, less humid air coming from Canada.

It’s not a perfect climate, but when you think about it, the song sounds like “Living in Southwestern Pennsylvania.” Not a bad place to be.