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Jun 23, 2009 4:41 pm US/Central
DFW Reaches 100 Degrees For The 1st Time This Year
Compiled From Staff Reports
NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Public workers, public transit users, or anyone outside today had to face the onslaught of the heat. At 2:43 pm the temperature reached 100-degrees at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It's the first time this year that DFW has reached the triple digits. The average date of the first 100-degree day is July 1st.
So far, there's been one death connected to heat exposure. A 53-year-old man was found dead in his pickup on Saturday and health advocates are working to prevent anymore. Health officials are primarily concerned with individual exposure to the heat.
In Dallas, a woman living without air conditioning was helped. Mattie Cole, 75, received a new window unit from the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department. "I'm on a fixed income and I just can't even tell you enough. I can't even start to tell you how much I feel for the County, giving me that."
In these blistering conditions community organizations are primarily concerned about the elderly and the young. "We're asking churches, civic groups, to identify residents in their areas and help them out," said DCHHS Director Zachary Thompson. "Especially those individuals who don't have a working a/c unit."
There has been a Level Red Air Quality Alert issued for Wednesday. That means there will be elevated concentrations of ozone in the air that can act as a lung irritant. Those with chronic lung disease, such as asthma and emphysema, as well as the elderly and young children are especially sensitive to the ozone and should avoid heat exposure.
The hot weather is expected to continue through the week, with highs between 98 and 102 degrees each day. The Heat Index values will flirt with 105 degrees. While there could be a few isolated storms developing Wednesday and Thursday, the possibility is very low at about 10-percent.
Officials in Denton, Collin, Tarrant, and Dallas County ask that their residents call 211 if they need help managing the heat. Callers can get information on heat relief center locations, cool zones, places and organizations who may help pay electric bills, and information on fan and air condition donations.
Below is a chart listing the June rainfall and the average number of 100 degree days in North Texas. The wetter the June the cooler the summer. The reason being that the more moisture in the soil, the tougher it is to heat up. The process of evaporation, which occurs everyday, is a cooling process. It takes heat to evaporate water. The heat that would go into warming the ground goes to evaporating moisture from the ground. This has a small cooling effect on the soil itself. Until the moisture in the soil is overcome, prolonged heat waves are very tough to produce.
YEAR JUNE RAINFALL 100 DEGREE
Total (Deficit/Surplus) DAYS
2004 10.49" (+7.26") 1
2005 1.14" (-2.09") 18
2006 .34 (-2.81) 43 (7th most on record)
2007 11.10 (+7.87) 5
2008 .84 (-2.39) 30
2009 3.98" (+1.33") 1 so far
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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