Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that Ive really...But Not Quite As Hot As Some Would Claim
Posted by Erik Rupard on July 18th, 2008
Riding The Loop
My biking companion of the last few months has been COL Guy Gober of Tiger, GA. Next week, COL Gober and the majority of the doctors at the Combat Surgical Hospital come to the end of their three-month tours. Why do they get three months while I get six, you ask? Among other things, those docs are in the Army National Guard, while I am active duty Army. Must be nice to be a 90-day rotator.
So, yesterday the COL and I hit the 14-mile loop one last time before he heads back to GA. Al Asad temperature at launch was 111 degrees, and the wind was mild. We rode around in good time, with a mild breeze, and a lot of water in my Camelbak. Good to see COL Gober for that last time.
Now, through the magic of the internet, you can see him too.
The Debunk-inator
When I first came out to Iraq, I heard a lot of things about how hot it gets here in the July and August, with people telling me that it hits the 130s regularly, and 140s occasionally. People would quote me temperatures from their prior tours, swear that there were days in July and August that hit 145, etc. After the very modest temps that we have had in July thus far (110-115, but nothing higher than that, and it has actually cooled off a bit lately), I began to wonder if these claims of intense heat were merely exaggerations. So, I embarked on months of research, performed at our massive, 300,000-volume scientific library here on Al Asad. (Okay, actually, I looked it up on wikipedia five minutes ago. But still…)
It turns out that my suspicions were confirmed. Not only has it probably not been 145-plus degrees in Iraq, I seriously doubt that it has been 145 degrees anywhere, at least not in the past century. According to the Wikipedians, the hottest temperature on official records is 136 degrees, which occurred in Libya in 1922. Second highest? Death Valley, California hit 134 back in 1913.
Those alert readers who are skeptical of my skepticism might suggest that, as Iraq has not always had a plethora of scientists, perhaps some very high temps were not recorded. Weather Underground to the rescue! At wunderground.com, you can look up the past few years’ worth of July and August temperatures. Turns out that the peak temp in July 2007 was 118. August actually had a cooler peak at 116. 2006 was a bit cooler, peaking in the low teens.
Just to make it clear: 118 is still pretty darned hot, and the consistency of heat here is remarkable. If you look closely at the Weather Underground numbers, you’ll see that the average minimum temp in that same July 2007 was 84 degrees farenheit, which means that even in the wee hours of the morning, it’s pretty warm. And though this is a dry heat, the sun seems to bore right through me, especially during the middle of the day (10 AM to 6 PM).
But 140 degrees, it ain’t. Let’s hope it stays that way.
July 19th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Erik,
I hope all is well with you. It is hot here today and the humidity level is like hot dog breath in your face. Yes, we do have the air on, much to Bob’s misery. The good thing is, we all slept until nine, and that includes our 3 early risers, Christian, Juliet, and Bob.
It seems that mom’s eye surgery went well. she sees better, and looks very pretty without her glasses on. Today we are going to relax and let nature take its course, and then have Chinese food at Pat and Bob’s house. It is always a good thing when I don’t have to cook. Especially when it is this hot.
As you can see, I haven’t much to tell, but I wanted you to have someone to read. Our young women group is putting together boxes for your group out there. We are including the whole ward, through the program announcements, and hopefully we will get some good stuff to send out to you.
Love love love, Mit
July 19th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Hi, Erik,
FYI – the online dictionaries have been challenged over the last few days in the media for providing misinformation…..as if the media would recognize misinformation. My eye is doing well and I am most grateful for that. The quality of the vision can diminish over the first few weeks. It happened with the first surgery, but so far, so good with this eye. Have a restful sabbath tomorrow. Love you, Mom
July 20th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Hi, Erik: It’s another really hot and sticky day, down here on the south shore. After your descriptive ruminations about the heat in Al Asad, we won’t complain about it so much. We are just thankful for a steady state of electricity and for the fine fellow who figured out how to make cold air in the summer.
It sort of reminds me of when I worked at the Cary Ice and Cold Storage Co. I wore a coat most of the day in the hottest weather. I may have been the envy of my friends who could only sweat. We had a frozen turkey that had been in the locker for many years. It started life as a 20 lb dressed and frozen turkey but over time it lost some of its bulk. We used it as a football. You would be amazed how far you can pass a frozen turkey.
Did you get the second pkg we sent? Good stuff in there. If you can’t tell us much about your fellow staffers (we understand) maybe you could have someone take a pic of all of the crew, including you, and post it. Would that be acceptable? I imagine that you will cross paths with some of them again when you are all in different circumstrances.
I’m still making the miniature hand carts as gifts for the “trekkers.” I’ve got another 10 ready to finish today. It’s Sunday, I taught chapter 14, today. A great lesson. As we were discussing it, I thought of Grandma Marge and felt sad that she did not have this knowledge. But, it is knowledge that she will be able to know, at some point. Thinking of you, Erik. Hope you are having a wonderful day.