Headed For 100 Degrees Today....

9 years ago

Okay, our official forecast is for only 98 degrees at our house, and for 99 degrees at our OK Mesonet station. Given that every day this week our forecast high has gone a couple of degrees higher than the forecast, I expect we'll hit 100 degrees---if not at our house, then at our Mesonet station. I'd like to file a protest with Mother Nature about this ridiculously hot day that's in store for us today.

We only went up to 93 yesterday and the combination of wind gusting in the 20s and the heat were hard on the plants. I am sure today will be even harder on them. All my remaining potato plants seemed on the verge of committing suicide yesterday. I'm sure that tuber initiation now has ceased since it stops when soil temperatures hit around 85 degrees.

I'm headed out to the garden to beat the heat. I worked all day out there yesterday and plan to do the same today, but this heat really cuts into productivity as it requires more frequent rest breaks to come indoors and cool down. The wind blew all night and we did not cool down enough for the tomato blossoms to set fruit, so I'll probably have even more blossom drop than we've already has this week. It is too early for this heat, but it is here, so we just have to put up with it.

I noticed on the news yesterday that local TV mets are cautioning folks against burning anything in the current high heat and high winds. Normally this is not an issue you even have to think about in May, which usually is one of our rainiest and most pleasant months. A farmer on the Texas side of the river lost a huge portion of his wheat fields (and I think they said a barn and equipment) to a wildfire yesterday. Tim and I have been looking at the wheat fields around here and worrying about just such a thing occurring. The combination of too little rain and too much wind and heat are starting to make May feel like the middle of summer already, and I don't mean that in a good way.

Y'all have a great day today, and stay cool!

Dawn

Featured Answer

chickencoupe

9 years ago

Dawn, I know you're sick over dry weather, but I'm happy (for the moment) to get some actual warm sun. **wink

With her permission, I stopped by to let everyone know I've been in communication with seedmama aka Dana. She's doing okay and is presently working and cannot garden right now. So many struggling financially. But was so good to know she's okay.

ciao
bon

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Comments (7)

luvncannin
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
We hit 102 yesterday officially but my thermometer read 108.....so 100, is like cool front right? No we are headed for more of the same.

I could not take it yesterday. For some reason every time I went out to move dripline the heat made me feel nauseous. So I stayed in and stayed cool. Today I am going out well hydrated and ready to plant seeds and slips.
LoneJack Zn 6a, KC
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I'm sorry for y'all that are getting the high heat so early this year. Hopefully the nights will still be cool enough for a few more weeks to set tomatoes. Last year we warmed up into the mid to upper 90s early in June and stayed there for 3 weeks during which time I had zero new tomatoes set (other than cherries) before we had a short cool spell during early July. If I had not planted out my tomatoes early and had 20+ set on each plant already by June, I would not have had much of a harvest at all.

So far we have actually been too cool to set fruit most days since my tomatoes started blooming. The last several nights have been in the upper 40s with highs in the 60s and low 70s. I have a few pea size fruit on my cherry tomatoes but nothing yet on my big tomatoes. My 15 day forecast shows highs in the 70s to low 80s with lows in the 50s and 60s so I should hopefully start to see a lot of fruit set pretty soon.
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mulberryknob
9 years ago
Yesterday morning our temp was 45 and our daytime high was 71. This morning it was 69 and we are supposed to hit 90. I don't like these wild swings, but hey, this is Oklahoma.
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have to type fast as our internet and wireless internet keep cutting out about every 90 seconds. The temperature at 11:30 am was 92 and the heat index was 99. My outdoor time for today has ended. Luckily the plants only feel the heat, not the heat index. We're headed for a new record high for today. I don't like the wild swings either. How often is it too cool for tomato fruit set and too hot for tomato fruitset in the same week? Bah, humbug. Glad I planted early and have great fruitset already.
luvncannin
9 years ago
The heat and lack of wind ran me in early too. Its no fun with no breeze
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Original Author
9 years ago
Kim, I'm not sure it is fun with a breeze. We have wind, but the heat/wind together feel like you have a big blast furnace breathing fire in your direction. It is possible your location and mine have arrived at the un-fun part of the year. Good Lord, it is too early for this!!! I accept we hit the 100s in June, but not in our precious, usually mild and pleasant (and usually rainy) May. I hate seeing May ruined with the early onset of heat.

We aren't likely to catch up with your official 102 from yesterday, but officially we have hit 100 degrees at our Mesonet station with a heat index of 105. This is a new record high temp for this date. I believe our previous record for this date was 97. Sherman/Denison already have set a record too. At our house, so far, the high is 99 degrees. That's hot enough for me! Actually, it is too hot but I don't get to vote on what sort of weather we are going to have.

How did the pioneers survive without refrigerators and air conditioning? If I couldn't come indoors and cool off, I don't know what I'd do.

For the second day in a row, my potato plants have major physiological leaf roll and look like they're going to keel over and die at any moment. They are such whiney babies. Let it get hot for a day or two and they pull the southern belle/diva thing, complaining about the beastly heat and threatening to pack up and go home to mama in Idaho or something. Their behavior reminds me that they are cool-season plants and our cool-season has ended.

I'm working on my grocery list for tomorrow's shopping and so far it includes ice cream, popsicles and fudgesicles. Maybe cream pie. Fruit. Frozen fruit for smoothies. Whipped topping....just because. Lemons for lemonade. Limes for limeade. A graham cracker crust so I can make some kind of icebox pie---maybe lemonade icebox pie or maybe banana split pie. I don't care what kind of pie it is as long as it is cold. I could go on and on. Perhaps by the time we make it to the grocery store tomorrow morning, I'll have calmed down and won't try to buy the whole freezer case. Really, if I wasn't craving heat relief in the form of cold treats, we could skip the grocery store tomorrow because we have a freezer full of meat and a refrigerator and kitchen full of fresh produce. Danged heat ruins everything!

Dawn