How Hot is It?

There are a lot of sayings about "how hot is it?" Hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. Hot as Hades. Hot as the hinges of hell. Hot as a depot stove.
Hot as a billy goat in a pepper patch. Hot as a summer revival. So hot the hens are laying hard-boiled eggs. It's so hot even my fake plants are wilting. Its so hot that my cold water faucet is as hot as my hot water faucet. hot as a two-dollar pistol; hot as a stolen tamale. hotter than a preacher's knee. Hotter than 2 possums in a mailbox. hotter than 8 Indians in a covered wagon. "it was so hot once that I was plowing the corn and it started to popping. The mule saw it, thought it was snow and laid down and froze to death." You all got any other sayings about this hot weather we are having or any you want to make up?

Even Jane Austen once said: “What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance” Well I too must be in a continual state of inelegance then. (Oh I do so like the British way of saying things. I think I will try that out on some people today.)

But the truth is, that it is extremely hot. In fact our local paper has had several articles about the heat. Here is what they say;

Jobs outside in the summer heat have some feeling the burn

It's difficult to avoid breaking a sweat just from listening to Terry Woodis' description of life as a roofer. "If the ground temperature is 95 degrees, it'll be 115 to 120 degrees up on the roof," said Woodis, owner of the Sheffield business, Champion Roofing. "Then, you add that hot tar coming out of the kettle at 450 degrees," he said."The type of work we do, for proper protection from the hot asphalt, you need to wear long-sleeve shirts, long pants and safety belts," he said. "That just adds to the heat factor."This time of year is difficult for workers like Woodis, who spend their days outdoors.Temperatures that regularly hover in the 90s, coupled with typical Alabama humidity, produce smothering conditions for those with outdoor jobs.So, how do they beat the heat? Local workers have a variety of hints."We try to start early in the morning, like at daybreak, and try to leave by noon or one o'clock," Woodis said. "After that, production falls so much because of the heat, that it's not worth staying out there."We try not to push our employees. We want to take care of them during this heat."Eats fruit and drink at plenty of water each day, staying hydrated is the main thing," Recommends wearing a cap and sunglasses to help provide shade. In addition, sometimes Gatorade helps. Another secret is to protect your head, Cliff Pounders said, as he pulled off his cowboy hat."You have got to keep your head covered up," he said. (my summary of the article.)

Here is another article: Forecasters calling for dangerous heat today
It's miserably hot in north Alabama, but not sweltering enough to issue a heat advisory."It looks like we're going to stay just below the criteria for issuing a heat advisory," said Robert Boyd, a senior forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Huntsville.In the Tennessee Valley, a heat advisory is issued when the heat index, which is the combination of heat and humidity, is expected to be 105 to 110 degrees during the day with nighttime temperatures above 75 degrees for at least two consecutive days, Boyd said. Heat indexes of up to 103 degrees and nighttime lows around 73 degrees are expected in the Shoals through the weekend.Boyd said that although a heat advisory is not in effect for Alabama, Shoals residents should still be careful when working or exercising outdoors. "Anyone spending time outdoors should drink a lot of liquids, preferably water or a sports drink," Boyd said. "You should drink more than you think you need because you will not realize how much you are drying out."People spending time outdoors should take frequent breaks in a cool place, Boyd said.Mike Melton, director of the Colbert County Emergency Management Agency, recommends scheduling outdoor activities early in the day before temperatures and humidity become brutal.Melton said elderly family members and friends should be checked on to ensure they are coping with the heat.Pets should have access to a shady area and their water changed several times each day. "When a pet's water gets hot, they are not going to drink very much. If they don't have a place to get out of sun and have cool water, they can be overcome by the heat, too." You hear that, take care of yourself, but take care of the elderly, don't leave your children and pets in cars with closed windows, and take care of your pets! Too many people assume pets will be okay, but they won't if its just too darn hot!

And then finally:Drought causes TVA to shift into conservation mode
Well many of you know we are in a drought that has been here for sometime. so the TVA is having to change the flow of water. With no end in sight to the drought plaguing parts of the South, the Tennessee Valley Authority is gearing up to shift into a water conservation mode on its reservoirs.TVA officials plan to reduce the amount of water flowing through the Tennessee River beginning Monday. Lake levels are not expected to drop.Randy Kerr, TVA's manager of river forecasting, said the federal utility must conserve water for August. Now this can cause algae to grow, and cause problems with drinking water. The reduced flow will decrease TVA's hydroelectric generation and could force it to buy more electricity from surrounding utilities, Kerr said.Rainfall across the Tennessee Valley is more than 6 inches below normal since Oct. 1, Kerr said. In the region downstream from Chattanooga, it is a foot below normal, Kerr said.

So you all be careful out there ya hear?