208 days ago
208 days ago
Cleveland, Ohio experienced a temp of 98F (36.6C), the hottest day in 16 years. New York City reached 91F, but the heat index hovered around 112F (44.4C). Philadelphia recorded a temp 100F (37.7C) during the late afternoon. Other cities across the US, particularly Washington DC, St. Louis, Buffalo and Miami also recorded higher than average temperatures this Thursday.
Thus far 22 people have died from the severe heat wave, but concerns don’t stop here. More individuals, especially the elderly and small children, are in danger because temperatures are expected to rise this weekend and nighttime temperatures are nearly just as hot as daytime ones. City officials also believe the heat could seriously affect infrastructure, public transportation and the local economy. Furthermore, and perhaps the most horrifying of them all, the heat wave is expected to increase human body odor levels by nearly 74.3%!
Now, here is a list of international cities with similar temperatures- Riyad, Saudi Arabia 112F (44.4C), Timbuktu, Mali 113F (45C) and Baghdad, Iraq 113F (45C). None of these cities had heat advisory warnings or experienced any problems due to the extremely high temperatures (although the human body odor index was said to be slightly above normal). On the other hand, if one of these places received one inch of snow I’m sure the entire city’s infrastructure would collapse and there’d be severe blizzard warnings. It just goes to show that definitions of hot and cold, just like everything else in our lives, is greatly influenced and shaped by culture.
