Depending on which experts you choose to believe, the summer of 2023 has been the hottest one in the history of the world, or just summer.
Almost every news show I have watched this summer has featured some story about the unprecedented heat, that is occurring at some location on earth. The local meteorologists have warned me, almost every day, about the excessive heat alert or dangerous humidity level; even cautioning me to provide protection from the heat – for my dog. They act as if we have never experienced anything like this previously.
For the record, the nearest office of the National Weather Service to my home, has recorded one day of 100 degrees or above this summer. One day, and people act like we could die if we go out-side.
I can remember back in 1980 when the same office of the weather service, that I previously mentioned, recorded 21 days of 100 degrees or greater, and, returning from college in Mississippi, I simply thought — it was summer. I can remember my parents talking about the extreme heat in 1954 (I was 2 at the time, so my memory of it is a bit vague) when this same office recorded 22 days over 100 degrees. So, we have been here before.
I also have to smile when I hear the local TV meteorologist explain the heat index, which he is happy to describe, in great detail, to convince us that the temperature feels hotter than it really is. From experience, I would be delighted to teach the weatherman about the farming index. It requires hauling small, square bales of hay, on a creek-bottom farm, in July, under a scorching ball of fire, and a wind speed of 0 MPH, which can make a 95-degree day feel like the sweltering sauna of Satan.
Even as a teenager, our home did not have an air conditioner. My mother really wanted us to purchase one, because she spent a good portion of each summer, over a hot stove, preparing garden produce for canning. Dad, on the other hand, thought that AC could be unhealthy after working outside all day only to come in and breathe cold air at night – not to mention it might add $10 per month, to the already expensive electric bill, so in a conversation with Mom, he absolutely forbade it. We installed our first unit, shortly thereafter.
Today, the vast majority of homes are cooled by air conditioning, as are most office buildings, retail stores and schools. Almost all cars and trucks are air conditioned, as well as farm tractors, heavy equipment and even the UTV I drive around the farm.
I’m not smart enough to know whether temperatures are significantly hotter than they ever have been. I do suspect that the heat we now endure, seems warmer, because most of us spend the majority of our time in an air conditioned environment, failing to realize that, outside, it’s summer.
Jerry Crownover is a farmer and former professor of Agriculture Education at Missouri State University. He is a native of Baxter County, Arkansas, and an author and professional speaker. Jerry’s daily exploits on the farm are now viewable on YouTube at “lifeissimple678”.To contact Jerry, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’
