An extreme weather event blew through Salt Lake City on Tuesday. The area effected was all the way to northern Utah, with winds reaching 100 miles per hour. On Saturday we were 100 degrees here. Now it's like forty degrees outside. I have always believed that humans are causing the climate to change incredibly fast, but these extreme weather events have even taken me (a natural pessimist and believer that humans are by and large terrible) by surprise. My neighbors to the far west in California are constantly on fire, our air here in Utah is always smoky (during the summer and fall) these days, and our summers are getting extremely hot. I think we had ten days in a row in July with temps over 100 degrees, and in some cases around 110. This. Isn't. Normal. This was the hottest summer Utah has ever experienced since records were kept. What makes it strange is that I believe, next year will also be the hottest summer Utah has ever experienced since records were kept. And so on and so forth. Wildfires explode with such intensity that they've created a new name for them. They call them "gigafires," because they burn down 1000 acres in just a few hours. This didn't used to happen.
Anyway, here are a few pictures from around the valley of things that happened due to the extreme wind storm. Tons of big trees fell in one of the parks not far from my house. However, nothing bad happened to my house. Just a ton of debris in the yard, and my two big planters on my porch that weigh probably 100 pounds each filled with wet soil and plants ended up on the sidewalk (yeah...the wind was that strong). As I'm writing this, there are 100,000 people out of power in the Salt Lake area. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, especially since temps are plummeting. It's going to be in the low 20's in Park City tonight, which is only 15 miles from me. Again, we were 100 degrees just two days ago.
Meanwhile here was one of the mildest summers. Last couple have been mild. Hot in August, but lots of rain. Double hurricanes in the Gulf was unique, but hurricane season in general isn't any busier than it was thirty years ago. More rain though. Your side got more dry and our side more wet.
ReplyDeleteIt was a hot summer and fairly dry but at least not 130 degrees like California. Funny how those people who say global warming is a myth every time it snows haven't made a Tweet yet.
ReplyDelete“Since records were kept” being an operative expression. I think it’s far too easy to jump to conclusions with a model that is admittedly incomplete. Isn’t it a bit like watching “Wheel of a Fortune” and being absolutely sure you know the answer even though...you don’t? Or how tough the final puzzle is? I think it’s incredibly relevant to be skeptical. We can observe that we have an effect. But if we aren’t doing anything but endlessly crying about the sky falling...what’s the point? How often are modifications to auto dynamics proposed, put into effect, and ultimately amount to very little? Am I the only one who noticed we backslid back to SUVs very quickly? Or that we still do our best to demonize electric cars? What do you think did in them thirty years ago? The same negative press Tesla gets today, only on a much smaller scale. And you can see for yourself exactly how much love Tesla gets today. That’s what the situation faces in real terms. I’m pretty much done worrying about other people worrying about this. We adapt. That’s what we do. If we’re prepared to suggest we somehow can’t adapt anymore, then the problem these people are worrying about is something else entirely.
ReplyDeletethe problem with electric cars is they're still too expensive and we haven't invested enough in the infrastructure to support them. To "adapt" there has to be some concerted effort that has been sorely lacking.
DeleteEverything is "too expensive" because wages have not kept up with the cost of living. In today's world, everyone should be able to afford an electric car, meaning that everyone should be paid wages to buy these things. It's like we're living in a Republican dystopia.
DeleteThe people in power like not having to change and want to keep making money, so they do nothing about it. And then they complain there's nothing they can do. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI hate dreading this time of year. It's not fun to have days where the light is just wrong. Like today. Like yesterday. And the heat over the weekend. . . And I'm not even in a fire zone *knocks on wood*.
Its a huge shock to see natures natural air conditioners like this awesome tree tossed on the ground like a twig, destroyed. Its so disheartening when I think of all the carbon dioxide trees convert into pure oxygen and keep the planet cool. Its just a tree some will say plant another but just look at it. I am sorry for your loss because it is the planets loss too.
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