Extreme Heat is Breaking America

[CousinIT]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/opinion/heat-wave-climate.html

FREE read: https://archive.ph/lFx2X

. . .

The risks go beyond the economy and public health. Extreme heat is also emerging as a national security concern. It threatens the physical readiness of soldiers, weakens military installation infrastructure and complicates logistics and supply chains critical to defense operations. The Department of Defense has begun incorporating heat-related stressors into its strategic planning because of the compounding effects on personnel, equipment and mission reliability, especially in rural and remote regions. Like other sectors, the military isn’t waiting for political consensus on climate change. It’s adapting to the effects that are already here.

. . .

As the costs from extreme heat mount, there is growing interest from industries and lawmakers to come up with new solutions. Congress recently formed a bipartisan Extreme Heat Caucus — proof that the issue is gaining recognition across the aisle. The focus is on responding to worker injuries, economic losses and public safety risks. That’s a promising sign that heat can unite lawmakers on urgently needed nonpartisan solutions.

Imagine if our approach to heat mirrored how we prepare for hurricanes — anticipating its damage, issuing targeted alerts and deploying protective infrastructure, such as cooling centers, shaded transit stops and reflective roofing materials. A new approach should also include better emergency response systems that prioritize vulnerable populations.

. . .

Extreme heat is not a niche environmental issue. It determines whether construction crews can safely finish a job, whether school buildings without adequate air-conditioning can stay open and whether crops make it to market or wither in the field. If we get serious about heat, we don’t just weather the summer — we will protect workers, safeguard infrastructure and strengthen the systems that communities rely upon every day, building a more resilient economy for everyone.

[bearsfootball516]

1. It's brutal here in northern Indiana

Not only is it not normally this hot at this time of year, it's also unrelenting. Every single day we're at 100 degrees with the heat index, and it's not supposed to break until Tuesday. We're looking at over a week of 100 degree temps after the heat index in JUNE.

[CousinIT]

3. Same in NC. It has historically not been this hot in June

These kinds of temperatures usually didn't occur until July or August, and even then, they didn't last for 1-2 weeks.

[Chipper Chat]

5. Northeast indiana here.

I'm 84 and I can never remember sweating this much just doing light gardening like tying up tomatoes.

[CousinIT]

11. Yardwork hack to get cooled off:

Purchase a pack of McKesson cleansing wipes or a similar product. The medical ones are cheaper than the sport ones, so don't bother with Lume and the sport variety - way too expensive. You could probably also use a few wet, mostly wrung-out paper towels in a ziplock!

https://www.amazon.com/McKesson-Washcloth-Wipes-Scented-Alcohol-Free/dp/B0DX2J9X1D/ref=sr_1_6_pp

Put them in the fridge.

When you come in from working outside and are sweaty, grab a few of those nice, cold wipes and use them to wipe yourself down. Removes sweat, cools you off, and is very refreshing.

[Chipper Chat]

12. TY

I take lots of breaks. And cool tap water.

[OC375]

2. Tornados

The heat doesn't help with tornados either. They still don't really build houses for severe storms and tornados. Might want to look into that if we are doubling down on oil and coal.

[CousinIT]

4. Yeah. We shouldn't be doubling down on oil & coal but the Republicans...

....penny-wise and pound-foolish billionaire butt-kissers they are, are doubling down on that dirty shit.

[Aristus]

6. I went through Army Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri in 1986.

Even back then, it was paralyzingly hot in the summer. Every day we went out for physical training or field exercises, we had to carry an instrument called a wet-bulb, which would let us know if the heat and humidity index was too high for strenuous physical activity, and would lead to dehydration. Up to a certain level, we could just adjust our uniforms; tee-shirts instead of fatigue jackets, and trousers unbloused and rolled up. This was called the wet-bulb uniform.

[Seeking Serenity]

7. I remember the summer of 1980. We set a record or something close

for the number of consecutive days when the temp hit 100° or higher. I practically lived at the swimming pool that summer.

[chouchou]

8. I remember not-that-many years ago when we heard garbage talk like...

Rush: "Now people, the earth has always had it's ups and downs..these flower idiots are just tryin to scare everybody"
Ben Shapiro: "These left-wing scientists really don't know how this big earth will change...har..har."
and newspapers.."Is climate change just a way the democrats want you to vote for them?"

Thanks a lot..idiots!

[CousinIT]

9. My MAGA relatives: "all that climate change stuff is just the guvmint trynna control us!" n/t

[hatrack]

10. IOW, "Now that it's here, and is undeniable, and is never going to go away, and is only going to get worse . . .

. . . we'll finally talk about doing something to try and cope with what we created."

Or, to quote Robert Louis Stevenson, "Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences."

Bon appetit!!