It’s Hot in Boise — And It’s Not Going to Be Cooling Off Any Time Soon

forecast.weather.gov

The image above is from Sunday evening July 11 for the Boise, Idaho, area, and it doesn’t look good. Admittedly, there are places farther west that are having hotter temperatures, and I hope the people there are able to stay comfortable and also take proper care of their pets. It says that there is an “Excessive Heat Warning” in effect from now until 9:00 PM on Monday evening — that’s 22+ hours from now as I’m writing this.

In addition to the heat, we’re having smoke and haze from fires, both in-state and out-of-state. The fires, of course, make breathing situations bad for everyone, and especially for those who are susceptible to asthma and other breathing conditions. It appears that the hazy conditions are going to last into the day on Wednesday. That sounds good, except it means that the clearer sky allows more heat from the sun to bake the area even more.

thinglink.com

The image above is showing the Northern Hemisphere (where we are in Idaho) in the Winter, and the Southern Hemisphere in the Summer. So, for the purposes of discussion, pretend that we are in the Southern Hemisphere and it is Summer (as it is now in Boise). Since we are near the 45th parallel (Boise’s latitude is 43.615° N -- so using 45 is a good approximation), you can see that the direct rays from the sun are hitting us almost straight on. When that happens the sun’s heat energy is spread over a smaller area than when the rays hit at a sharp angle and cover more area, as they do at higher latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.

According to the Weather Underground site at www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/id/boise the historic average high for July 11th is 91, while today’s high temperature (per the site’s Boise Airport station) was 98. The average historic low for the day is 60, versus today’s low of 71. And today’s average temperature of 85.3 was ten degrees above the historic day average. The data shows that Boise is definitely having a warmer July than its historic average temperatures.

currentresults.com

The table above shows the date and temperature for the hottest day in Boise for the past eleven years. It is not surprising that the hottest days are the end of June and into July. But then you might think that early August would also be there instead of mid and late August for a couple fo the dates. The current run of 100+degree days is bound to set some record, just as the temperature did on June 3rd of this year when it reached 103°. That’s hot for so early in the summer, even though it is still technically Spring.

What Can You Do About the Heat?

Unless you know how to control the weather, there isn’t anything you can do about changing it. What you can do is to be aware of the outside conditions, and do the proper things at the proper times.

southernliving.com

Of course, you are going to want to make sure your yard is adequately watered during the warmer/hotter days. But running your sprinklers (whether automatic or by hand) during the middle of the day is not a good idea. If you are still moving sprinklers by hand, it’s not practical to move them at one in the morning. If you have an automatic system, that is the best time to run them. You will have better water pressure with fewer people using water at that time, and you won’t be losing much water to evaporation, which does happen when watering when the sun is out.

Also, if you are going to be doing any yard work, such as trimming bushes or deadheading flowers, do that in the early morning when it is not as hot, or in the evening when you can be in the shade. Do not overheat your body.

Keep your pets inside except when they must go out to relieve themselves. Make sure they have plenty of fresh, clean water both inside the house and outside.

Speaking of water, you need to also stay hydrated with plenty of clear liquids. Water is best, but make your own decisions.

It’s hot out there — you know that. And it’s not going to be getting any cooler for many months. So stay inside; stay cool, and, most of all, stay healthy!

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