If my memory is correct (scary thought in itself) I seem to recall the 'heat dome' began building in early June of 2011. It seems like things already feel different of this summer. It seems like the air has so much moisture in it than this time last year. But I'm wondering if some of you weather experts can share when the heat dome started last year -also - are the present conditions not like last year at this time?

We've actually talked about moving if we have another summer like last. Because if this trend continues there are going to be some changes in the landscape here.

We don't have a heat dome yet. Although someone like our resident meteorlogist Venture could explain it far better, I think its fair to say that the heat dome is a region of entrenched high pressure that settles in an area due to the absence of any forcing mechanisms in the upper atmosphere to "push" it out of the way, or the region is strong enough that other systems get "pushed" around the clockwise rotation of air around the high. Don't think we're seeing that quite yet...also, keep in mind the extraordinarily high temps from last year were also hand-in-hand with extremely low relative humidity levels. It's very hard to peg the thermometer that high when the air is so moist.

Strange thing is, given that I've lived nearly my entire life here in OK, summers like last year where what I recall being the norm when I was a kid. You just expected the summer heat in the 100's, but it seems now the idea is to make it seem out of the ordinary. Heck, used to remember driving by the bank time-and-temperature signs just to see it flip into three-digit range :)

We've actually talked about moving if we have another summer like last. Because if this trend continues there are going to be some changes in the landscape here.
Last summer in Austin was the "tipping point" for us moving to Denver, we just finally had enough after 90 days of 100+ temps and 130 straight days of over 90. The previous record was 69 days of 100+ which was tied two years before. Last summer was even unusual to long time Austinites, the bulk of those 100+ temps was in the 105-110 range and temps would only get to around 90 at night, we just had enough. Out of the 8 summers that I lived in Austin, 7 of them approached record 100 degree days. It has been in the 80's here quite a bit lately, everyone thinks it's already "summer-like" temps here, if that is summer we will take it.

Last summer in Austin was the "tipping point" for us moving to Denver, we just finally had enough after 90 days of 100+ temps and 130 straight days of over 90. The previous record was 69 days of 100+ which was tied two years before. Last summer was even unusual to long time Austinites, the bulk of those 100+ temps was in the 105-110 range and temps would only get to around 90 at night, we just had enough. Out of the 8 summers that I lived in Austin, 7 of them approached record 100 degree days. It has been in the 80's here quite a bit lately, everyone thinks it's already "summer-like" temps here, if that is summer we will take it.

We've talked about relocating to the Denver area with my job as well. I dont mind the heat, but im not going to allow myself to be locked indoors in the vast majority of the year because its so miserable to go outside. Life is too short and i dont care how 'cheap' it is to live here. Plus my other major problem is night time temperatures like you mentioned. I go to work very early and when its still around 90 degrees at 5am and i instantly start sweating the minute i walk outside, its just not going to work. After spending time in the desert and enjoying the low night time temps despite the high daytime temps im not willing to live in a place that never cools down. People aren't supposed to live like that.

When I was active in scouting locally I went to the national training conference center in NE NM in early August a few times. 80's in the day, afternoon showers, 40-50's at night. Paradise. Oh, if I could just make a workable plan to spend each spring/summer there and fall/winter at the base in southern Florida.

We've actually talked about moving if we have another summer like last. Because if this trend continues there are going to be some changes in the landscape here.

I wonder how the landscape looks in Texas where it was speculated that the drought and heat killed as many as a half billion trees.

Last summer in Austin was the "tipping point" for us moving to Denver, we just finally had enough after 90 days of 100+ temps and 130 straight days of over 90. The previous record was 69 days of 100+ which was tied two years before. Last summer was even unusual to long time Austinites, the bulk of those 100+ temps was in the 105-110 range and temps would only get to around 90 at night, we just had enough. Out of the 8 summers that I lived in Austin, 7 of them approached record 100 degree days. It has been in the 80's here quite a bit lately, everyone thinks it's already "summer-like" temps here, if that is summer we will take it.
And the much colder winters you find easier to tolerate than the heat in Texas?

And the much colder winters you find easier to tolerate than the heat in Texas?

Personally, I would much rather deal with the cold than the heat. Especially after that hell we lived through last year.

Personally, I would much rather deal with the cold than the heat. Especially after that hell we lived through last year.

I concur. It's easier for me personally to warm up than it is for me to cool down.

I agree. I thought about moving last summer as well. At least for the summer. I'm looking into short term rentals in Chicago right now.

Remember folks, you don't have to shovel heat.

Remember folks, you don't have to shovel heat.

And? LOL

And? LOL

Forgive me for my short response. I'm watching the Thunder game right now and that's got my attention.

Not really sure you can use last summer as a measuring stick of much considering it was stupid hot everywhere. I remember going to Montana last August thinking it would be so much cooler and to my horror it was maybe 5 degrees cooler (upper 90's). Plus very few up there have any air conditioning!

For the simple fact that there's way more moisture in the ground (that's partially why its so humid) we will probably not have as hot of a summer as last. But it will be hot nonetheless. Nobody moves to Oklahoma for our delightful climate. Plus, give me heat over shoveling snow and sliding on ice any day of the week.

Outside of San Diego, every place will have some sort of meteorological BS you will have to put up with.

I"m not a weather expert like Venture but I understand that La Nina is going away for this year which should signify a change in weather patterns.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57427370/goodbye-la-nina-will-drought-hurricanes-also-go/

Remember folks, you don't have to shovel heat.

Nailed it ^^

Forgive me for my short response. I'm watching the Thunder game right now and that's got my attention.

Not really sure you can use last summer as a measuring stick of much considering it was stupid hot everywhere. I remember going to Montana last August thinking it would be so much cooler and to my horror it was maybe 5 degrees cooler (upper 90's). Plus very few up there have any air conditioning!

For the simple fact that there's way more moisture in the ground (that's partially why its so humid) we will probably not have as hot of a summer as last. But it will be hot nonetheless. Nobody moves to Oklahoma for our delightful climate. Plus, give me heat over shoveling snow and sliding on ice any day of the week.

Outside of San Diego, every place will have some sort of meteorological BS you will have to put up with.

I also gave a short response because I was also enthralled by the Thunder game as well, so it's all good.

I can agree with you on shoveling snow and driving on ice but it's not like we get either all the time, although when we do get it we usually get it pretty bad. You're right that we shouldn't use last summer as a measuring stick, that was too much for even me to handle and I'm an outdoors kind of guy.

I hope we have a better summer than last year because as I mentioned. I'm in Mississippi a lot and the humidity there is awful in the summer but I can handle that over the heat we had this past summer, honestly.

Remember folks, you don't have to shovel heat.

Hardly had much snow to shovel this past winter in Denver. Feb. was a little snowy but hardly a flake after that. I'll take a little snow shoveling over 90-days of 100 degree heat any day. It it gets hot here in Denver, we can hop in the car and drive to the mountains. Even on hot days, you can turn on the attic fan and cool the house right off because of the dry air that can vary 40-45 degrees each day from low to hi.

Remember folks, you don't have to shovel heat.

Exactly right. On occasion Denver can be paralyzed for days by a bad blizzard.
The weather anywhere on the Great Plains is going to vary a great deal from week to week and from year to year.
It’s not like we had another dust bowl.

As someone who has worked outside for many days at a time in just about any of the worst weather of all types that we see on the great plains the best advice I can give is…….. Get tougher and get the right gear/ clothing. Don’t be so weak and soft and so unprepared that you let the weather drive you away.

As someone who has worked outside for many days at a time in just about any of the worst weather of all types that we see on the great plains the best advice I can give is…….. Get tougher and get the right gear/ clothing. Don’t be so weak and soft and so unprepared that you let the weather drive you away.

Not sure your response is to me or just an "in general" comment but I'm going to respond anyways.

I enjoy all weather types but I was specifically referring to last summer of which I wasn't a fan of. I am outside in most any weather condition and am well adjusted to most weather as well so I guess you can't call me "soft" or "weak" since it appears that's what we're judging on, but I wasn't a big fan of this past summer and I can still warm up faster than I can cool down no matter the weather pattern for said year.

No harm, no foul, ou48A, but I wasn't sure the intent of your response and I did sound like a ***** so I'm just clarifying where I'm coming from even if you weren't indirectly replying to me.

Exactly right. On occasion Denver can be paralyzed for days by a bad blizzard.
The weather anywhere on the Great Plains is going to vary a great deal from week to week and from year to year.
It’s not like we had another dust bowl.

If we're talking about Denver then I retract everything I said, I thought we were talking about Oklahoma City's weather, not Denver's. Besides, I don't recall anyone ever comparing last year to the dust bowl until you mentioned it. But now that's it's mentioned, why would anyone suggest it was like the dust bowl unless they're using it as a comparison (you)?

Not sure your response is to me or just an "in general" comment but I'm going to respond anyways.

I enjoy all weather types but I was specifically referring to last summer of which I wasn't a fan of. I am outside in most any weather condition and am well adjusted to most weather as well so I guess you can't call me "soft" or "weak" since it appears that's what we're judging on, but I wasn't a big fan of this past summer and I can still warm up faster than I can cool down no matter the weather pattern for said year.

No harm, no foul, ou48A, but I wasn't sure the intent of your response and I did sound like a ***** so I'm just clarifying where I'm coming from even if you weren't indirectly replying to me.

I wasn’t addressing anyone specifically.

I wasn't a big fan of this past summer either but spending time outside is one thing but doing hard physical labor day after day in the heat without addition breaks is another and its type of toughness that I am talking about.
On the other end I have worked outside day after day for many hours at a time in subzero weather and I’m also talking about that too.
But if you let weather alone make a decision about where you would be moving unless your old or have serious health issues then yes that is what I would call soft and weak for letting it control such a major decision in life.:o

If we're talking about Denver then I retract everything I said, I thought we were talking about Oklahoma City's weather, not Denver's. Besides, I don't recall anyone ever comparing last year to the dust bowl until you mentioned it. But now that's it's mentioned, why would anyone suggest it was like the dust bowl unless they're using it as a comparison (you)?

As hot as it was in Texas or Oklahoma last summer it wasn’t anywhere near as bad for human living as it was during the dust bowl.
Hardly anyone but the extremely rich had air-conditioning back then and the dust was very oppressive over a huge geographical area.
We are all soft and weak (including me) compared to the people who stuck out the dust bowl in this part of the country.

But if you let weather alone make a decision about where you would be moving unless your old or have serious health issues then yes that is what I would call soft and weak for letting it control such a major decision in life.:o

Well I agree with you then in that sense.

As hot as it was in Texas or Oklahoma last summer it wasn’t anywhere near as bad for human living as it was during the dust bowl.
Hardly anyone but the extremely rich had air-conditioning back then and the dust was very oppressive over a huge geographical area.
We are all soft and weak (including me) compared to the people who stuck out the dust bowl in this part of the country.

I don't think we're soft and weak. People basically adjust their lives to whatever their current situation is. If we were faced with the same situation we could do just as well. It doesn't mean we would like it any more than those who lived through it in the 30's. I remember many nights when I was a child in the 50's where I was either sweating or freezing when I was in my bedroom in our farmhouse sleeping at night. I survived just fine even if I didn't enjoy it.

As hot as it was in Texas or Oklahoma last summer it wasn’t anywhere near as bad for human living as it was during the dust bowl.
Hardly anyone but the extremely rich had air-conditioning back then and the dust was very oppressive over a huge geographical area.
We are all soft and weak (including me) compared to the people who stuck out the dust bowl in this part of the country.

How anyone lasted the dust bowl besides moving away is beyond me but I just hope there isn't another one in the future.

I don't think we're soft and weak. People basically adjust their lives to whatever their current situation is. If we were faced with the same situation we could do just as well. It doesn't mean we would like it any more than those who lived through it in the 30's. I remember many nights when I was a child in the 50's where I was either sweating or freezing when I was in my bedroom in our farmhouse sleeping at night. I survived just fine even if I didn't enjoy it.

My Great-Grandparents have some interesting stories of when they were growing up in the 30's and 40's in the Mississippi Delta.

How anyone lasted the dust bowl besides moving away is beyond me but I just hope there isn't another one in the future.


The dustbowl situation was much more prevelant in NW Oklahoma and the panhandle than in the OKC area. It was more just heat here. While there are no guarantees about what might happen in the future, it was caused in large part by the farming practices utilized in that era.

Exactly right. On occasion Denver can be paralyzed for days by a bad blizzard.

So can OKC. Yet in Denver you don't have months in the summer with temps. in the 90's and 100's with high humidity making it feel 100+ every single day. The summers in Oklahoma (and Texas) are brutal.

I don't think we're soft and weak. People basically adjust their lives to whatever their current situation is. If we were faced with the same situation we could do just as well. It doesn't mean we would like it any more than those who lived through it in the 30's. I remember many nights when I was a child in the 50's where I was either sweating or freezing when I was in my bedroom in our farmhouse sleeping at night. I survived just fine even if I didn't enjoy it.

Many of us would eventually adjust, but it would be tough on those who stayed.
Even so many would still move.

So can OKC. Yet in Denver you don't have months in the summer with temps. in the 90's and 100's with high humidity making it feel 100+ every single day. The summers in Oklahoma (and Texas) are brutal.

Except for about 2 to 3 months of OKC hot weather our weather is normally nicer than Denver’s.
The worst of Denver area blizzard are much worse than anything OKC has ever had and by a lot.
They’re really bad blizzards are far more life threating.
On balance I will take OKC weather.

Except for about 2 to 3 months of OKC hot weather our weather is normally nicer than Denver’s.
The worst of Denver area blizzard are much worse than anything OKC has ever had and by a lot.
They’re really bad blizzards are far more life threating.
On balance I will take OKC weather.

You've continued to show your ignorance, i would suggest looking at historical and current weather recordings. But with that said, Everyone has their own preference for weather and no one has to like what you like and vice versa.

Some of us have flexibility on where we can work with our jobs, and if I have a choice between 100 days with 100+ temps or occasional snow then its a easy choice for us.

With that said after being raised in oklahoma for my entire childhood i can remember when my parents wouldnt turn on our a/c until mid june and a few times until july. It just seems crazy that this year we already had our a/c on in early april.

How anyone lasted the dust bowl besides moving away is beyond me but I just hope there isn't another one in the future.

I grew up with parents who did stay and I have known many others who stayed in western parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Most of the men were veterans of WWII combat. They were accustomed to frequent hard ship and deprivation of things we mostly take for granted today. I have personally lived in several locations that were in the heart of the dust Bowl. Even in a wet year it can still be dusty, it’s just not near as bad as the 30’s.

Mother Nature is such that there will be another dust bowl on the high plains.
Over the centuries there have been many.

You've continued to show your ignorance, i would suggest looking at historical and current weather recordings. But with that said, Everyone has their own preference for weather and no one has to like what you like and vice versa.

.

I would suggest you look at historical weather recordings to reduce your own ignorance and you will see that except for the heat of the summer that it is more comfortable to spend time outdoors in OKC than Denver. Chinook winds are no fun. Denver’s extreme dry air can also be unhealthy.

Some of us have flexibility on where we can work with our jobs, and if I have a choice between 100 days with 100+ temps or occasional snow then its a easy choice for us.

With that said after being raised in oklahoma for my entire childhood i can remember when my parents wouldnt turn on our a/c until mid june and a few times until july. It just seems crazy that this year we already had our a/c on in early april.

There is a lot more to Denver’s weather than just a few bouts of snow.
Turning the AC on in early April is more about how homes are built today and individual life style choices.

We have had hot weather before in April… Just look at the records.

Well I agree with you then in that sense.

Good to see:o

And the much colder winters you find easier to tolerate than the heat in Texas?
They say that to try to keep Texans from moving here.....:D

I moved up here at the end of October, we had some snow storms come through at the end of the year and by New Year we had more snow in Denver than the mountains had to that point. In all those storms it never once kept me from getting to work in LoDo and I have a BMW Z4 convertible, not a 4x4 or AWD vehicle with ground clearance. Most of the time it was warm enough to have the top down a few days after a snowfall, most days I could've ridden my motorcycle except for the sand put down. Most of the time I had no more coat on than a fleece jacket. Yesterday I rode out to the motorcycle races east of Denver and had my mesh jacket on, a front blew through last night and it is around 50 right now. My friend moved up here 21 years ago from OKC, he said he lost a few more "riding days" in OKC because of weather/temps than he has living in Denver all those years. There is rarely ice to snarl things, mostly snow and the wind is not as constant as it is in OKC. One thing my wife noticed up here during the winter is that even though the thermometer reads pretty cold (in the teens) it didn't feel as cold as temps in the low 30's in Austin and she is much, much more cold natured than I am and she grew up in West Texas and went to college in Lubbock.


I concur. It's easier for me personally to warm up than it is for me to cool down.
The same as me, I am very hot natured, maybe due to thyroid issues because my mother is the same way and she has the same condition. I am comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt with temps into the 50's, I used to tolerate the heat better when I was younger and worked outside but a job working outside ended for me in 1985. It just became miserable to do anything (yard work, home/car repairs, riding) much past noon, when working on the car I used to have to put the canopy up over the car just to keep things from getting too hot to touch. I hated the late softball games during the summer in OKC or Austin, it would take me forever to cool down while trying to go to sleep. Last summer I was walking around three miles a night until the temps just got ridiculous (in July), I would go out about 8:30 when the sun was starting to go behind the school building at the track. I became better at tolerating temps up to about 95 but when it was at the point of still being 100-105 at 9:30 at night, I had enough. The few days of real cold temps are nothing compared to the day/night of extreme temps for months on end that I experienced in Austin for 7 of my 8 summers there. Our electric/gas bill is about 1/4 of what we paid in Austin and our allergies are not near as bad as they were in Austin in which the allergy season never seemed to end there.

Overall, Denver is a much better climate for us than Central Texas.

The weather is a big reason I'm in Denver now too. That combined with proximity to mountains/outdoor activities and an urban big city feel. I'll take the occasional snow storm and drier weather over 4 solid months of high heat and humidity.

"There is no weather either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."--variation on a theme by Shakespeare

It's not a weakness to consider weather when thinking about where to settle. I find heat terribly oppressive, especially when it persists throughout the night and the only relief is found through artificial means. Weather is one of the main things I miss the most about the PacNW, along with the mountains, coast, forests, culture, and city life in Portland. We'd occasionally get a 100+ day, but in most cases it was followed up by a 40 degree temperature drop. Rarely are the evenings hot and nasty up there.

During Summer here in OKC, I live within buildings and the bulk of my outdoor experience is the time it takes to go between the car and whatever building I need to be in (work, home, store). And you may not have to shovel heat, but you damn near need a machete to cut through the humid air. The ability to comfortably enjoy your city of residence year round is a great thing to consider when pondering relocation. I'm kinda bound here now, having bought a house and having a kid on the way, but if I were still in single-and-renting mode, it wouldn't be long before I made the trek back to the Northwest. Now it's more of a long term goal for us.

I'm a bit torn on the issue. I grew up back in the Great Lakes and did like seeing various seasons. Shoveling snow just goes with the territory and for areas that are prepared for it, really doesn't mean anything. Up there a 6+ inch snow fall are usually cleared off the highways in a couple of hours. Down here it shuts things down for awhile. It is all perspective and the experience that area has with dealing with certain types of weather. I personally enjoy cooler weather better than the insane heat of last year. Does that make me weak? Eh, that is more so a pompous bullying statement used to attempt to thrust ones superiority over another - so whatever to it. I'll wave it off as a momentary lapse of common sense and a flashback to a high school mentality. LOL

As far as the forecast outlook are we heading there already? Not yet. So that is a good thing. I just wish I had better news on rain chances however as they don't look amazing for the next 2 weeks.

Does that make me weak? Eh, that is more so a pompous bullying statement used to attempt to thrust ones superiority over another - so whatever to it. I'll wave it off as a momentary lapse of common sense and a flashback to a high school mentality. LOL


I'm tuff'r than you are because 90 days of 100+ temps dont' bothurr me!!!


If you look at ou48A post history its pretty easy to tell that he is the resident idiot.



Back on topic, Its amazing how refreshing yesterday and today have felt. Moderate winds, temps in the 60-70's, and for me atleast it gives me a huge burst of energy and i get so much more accomplished afterwork.

I'm tuff'r than you are because 90 days of 100+ temps dont' bothurr me!!!


If you look at ou48A post history its pretty easy to tell that he is the resident idiot.



Back on topic, Its amazing how refreshing yesterday and today have felt. Moderate winds, temps in the 60-70's, and for me atleast it gives me a huge burst of energy and i get so much more accomplished afterwork.

Now that’s not very nice!

I'm tuff'r than you are because 90 days of 100+ temps dont' bothurr me!!!

If you look at ou48A post history its pretty easy to tell that he is the resident idiot.

Back on topic, Its amazing how refreshing yesterday and today have felt. Moderate winds, temps in the 60-70's, and for me atleast it gives me a huge burst of energy and i get so much more accomplished afterwork.

At some point you just learn to roll your eyes are certain posters like they are your crazy great Uncle/Aunt or something. :) He is pretty passionate about his core ideology, but aren't we all at times? He's definitely not the worst on this board, he at least contributes thoughts more than the copy/paste spam that others do. Some people you just have to take in moderation. LOL

As far as the cooler temps...I do enjoys these and I'm right there with you. The nice breeze, cool temps, really helps get things going.

Maybe we can have a nice summer filled with tropical systems (not bad hurricanes, just you know, "waves") that come up through Texas and hang out for a little while to keep it cloudy and cool. I fondly remember a summer after 7th grade in So. Ok. when a bunch of weak tropical storms made their way up and stayed, keeping June and early July temps in the 70s and low 80s with clouds and occasional rain. It was lovely.

I think part of this discussion centers around the generational differences in how we perceive temperatures.

When I was growing up in the mid-70's, 100-degree summers in Oklahoma were no big deal; they were the norm, you just endured it, and you didn't realize you were enduring anything. It just was. Just like my mom before me grew up with no A/C whatsoever, kept the doors open, and were hot in the summer, but didn't know they were "hot." These days, however, watch the evening news, and they generate the impression that people are dropping like flies from heat stroke if the temp hits 85, and I personally think that's silly. We've become so inundated with "heat index values" and the notion that even modest "heat" is unpleasant, sure enough, modest heat becomes unpleasant.

The year I moved back here from Portland (2007), the rain followed me. I believe that was the wettest year on record. It rained nearly every day in July and it kept temperatures down. August was nasty, but all in all it was a much more tolerable summer.

I don't see how last summer could repeat with La Nina ending.