It is forecasted to be in the 90s at least thru saturday here. At present on my weatherbug at 11:30am it says 95°. But its the high humidity that makes this truly unbearable. Some plants can deal with it some may falter, time will tell.

Update: 3:00pm 98°

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

It's been in the 90's lately here, too, Steve. The humidity makes it just awful. My plants seem to fare well as long as they're watered. We've had a lot of rain here lately, too--lots of bad winds and thunderstorms with trees down. It has stopped raining this week with just a slight chance of any for now.

Carol

Carol R
Tennessee
USDA Hardiness Zone 7
Heat Zone 7

Man, is it hot here too! Feels like walking into an oven out there.


- Andrew - Ontario, Canada - Zone 6
- Won't Get Fooled Again ~ The Who.

After nearly 2 weeks of temperatures in the high 90s, yesterday hit 101ºF. A storm blew in late in the day, but it did not deliver any rain at my place. Hoses are running almost 24 hours a day, but not all plants can be saved. Even honeybees are desperately drinking water. Extreme conditions are expected to last through the weekend with a chance of rain sometime next week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

We are also suffering from the heat. In the month of June we have only had .14 inch of rain, and it has been 3 weeks since we had that. Our temps are running 10 degrees above normal, around 100 with a heat index of 108. It is miserable. Two of my friends have had heat related health problems. I am going out for my hour walk by 7 am or I don't go.

I re-discovered that the drip on my bird bath has a mister adapter. I have had it going trying to cool down the fledgings.

I am seeing signs of heat related dementia. I decided the wall paper in the dining room had to come down. Half way through - what was I thinking?????

Gayla
Jackson, Mississippi
Canon XSi and S3 IS
Zone 7b; Heat Zone 9 (Ugh)

Nancy, it was 104 at Audubon Park yesterday. That's a record. Heat indices were 110 to 120. Horrible!

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Here this heat spell is supposed to last thru saturday. Currently my weathebug says 96°but the heat index is 110°. Last evening it wasnt much better but my yard needed mowed and it wasnt getting any cooler the next few days so I just did it. Even though I have a small yard it was still push mower style and I found it hard to breathe thruout.

Steve
Martinsville, In
Heat zone 6
Sunset zone 35

Heat is continuing. There has been some rain around, but none has fallen on my little patch of Hades.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

Oh my gosh - just reading all this is making me dread that the weather is going to change here...I had been hoping for some nice summer heat but not what you all are reporting! Nancy and Joan - find some cool spots hopefully inside till this dangerous heat passes.

Last night we had a terrific weather alert in CT - Thunderstorms, tornandoes, and driving wind and rain from mid afternoon till 10:00 p.m. EST. Thankfully all we got along the coastline was one terrific thunderstorm and rain - up north was a different story. Temps have not gotten above 80 degrees and mostly have been in the 60's to 70's with rain every day for the past month.

Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

Carol, it has been so hot and so dry here lately that I had to put supplemental water on a Desert Honeysuckle [Anisacanthus quadrifidus v wrightii]. It was about to croak from lack of water. That's a first.

I was out running some errands yesterday and the streets were almost empty. Parking places were abundant at the wine cellar, the supermarket, and the pharmacy. Everybody that doesn't have to go anywhere stays home.

To make Max more comfortable, I had all of his long fur clipped off. And, I just found a couple of the Cuban Brown Anoles drinking out of one of Max's water dishes! I've seen Green Anoles lapping water from leaves, but never from dishes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

The weather has taken a turn for the hot and humid here. We had a ferocious thunderstorm yesterday evening, and I had to pull over and wait for it to clear. I am hopeful that the salvias will finally start to grow.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

I am becoming more and more obsessed with long range forecasts. I just want to put my head down and cry when the 15 day forecast just shows a row of little suns with a 0% chance of rain and the words VERY HOT. I don't dare hope for the "H" word after the mess Katrina caused.

Gayla
Jackson, Mississippi
Canon XSi and S3 IS
Zone 7b; Heat Zone 9 (Ugh)

Gayla, can we at least hope for a very MILD tropical storm?
dell

Our temps have only been in the 80's here which for me isn't bad at all but most people that are from the area have a hard time dealing with temps even in the 80's mainly because very few people here have a/c. We have been running the ceiling fans and as long the the doors are kept closed and the lights off the house stays pretty cool until mid afternoon. We finally did get a couple of thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday that nearly brought down the house. It did come down in sheets and like Priya said, if you were in a care you had to pull over. After the rain nearly all the beds are bone dry again. I actually went out and watered the island bed in the front this mornign as it was just about bone dry.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Dell, SURELY a mild tropical depression would be okay! We still have only had 0.14 inch of rain this month with none in sight. We are setting all kinds of records. Some years we don't hit 100 even in August, but we have already had several 100 days already. Groan....whine....

Gayla
Jackson, Mississippi
Canon XSi and S3 IS
Zone 7b; Heat Zone 9 (Ugh)

It seems some of us northerners are getting all of the rain for the eastern part of the country, while the south goes dry. We had a horrific rainstorm a couple weeks ago here in western PA with funnel clouds seen and almost 4" of rain falling all at once. Streets were flooded, cars swept away. It was crazy. We've continued to have thunderstorms every few days, so there's no shortage of moisture around here. It's probably why my Mimulus are so happy, but I worry about my Penstemons getting too much. It got to 88 degrees yesterday, but that's the hottest it's been, thank goodness, which is tolerable.

We have also been getting temps in the mid 90's the last couple of weeks. The heat index is often over 100F. Many plants are clearly getting stressed during the heat of the day. Luckily, this is all supposed to end tomorrow for us. Temps are supposed to drop back into the low 80's.

Gayla, you are so right. One can expect an occassional 100 degree mark in August, but this is ridiculous. And it's not like it's going to be cooler next month since we're hot now. This is going to be one hot, miserable summer with no relief till October.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

the way the weather patterns are this year I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone ended up with snow in Aug. OH I better biyte my tongue as it could be me!

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

The thermometer just hit 101 here in southern Utah! We've had four days of over 100 and the forecast is for more of the same for the next week...and don't try to convince anyone living here that it's "dry" heat so it's not as hot. It certainly is better than the humidity we had in Conn., but hot is still hot. I have been trying to get my water mister to work. The hummingbirds like to fly thru it when it's this hot as well as the orioles and yellow finches. Fun to watch.

Here's a question for Carol. Were you living in Milford when we had a string of tornados around New Haven? I think it was about 30 years ago.I remember seeing the tops of all the trees on the east side of Lake Saltonstall cut off in a completely straight line. I was living in Clinton and a tornado actually struck a huge tree in my back yard and dropped it on the house. It was something I wouldn't like to live thru again. (It did a number on the old planes at the Bradley Air Museum as well).

For Carla, Yes Carla CT does doll out some terrific humidity...specially along the coastline. Last year we had already experienced it by now. July can be brutal also..So I am not looking forward to those HHH days.

As for the Tornado that I recall - it struck in June or July of 1989 when my DH was in the hospital for the whole summer. It was nasty - he remembers coming up from surgery on the elevator when the lights went out - he thought he was a goner..I remember it taking down a string of trees near Southern CT State Univ. So sorry to hear about your misfortune, that was terrible - tornados scare me to death and I had always dreaded going thru one when we lived in TX never dreaming they would come here in CT.

Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

Geez, its been so cool here, 80 the highest and Wet wEt Wet. Raining every day for at least 3 weeks. We did get some sun today, but than it rained late in the day and it thundering...again. I hate to complain when you southerners could use the rain, but I really need to soak up some rays. I just booked a campsite in Cape May for July, I hope it dries up by than. I'd like to enjoy some of this summer outdoors without an umbrella.

Pam NJ 6B

Oh Pam - I can so relate to all this rain...its seems like it has been going on forever. Was so happy with yesterdays little suburst but looks like today is starting off grey and cloudy and cool once again..Where is summer - sorry Southern guys....I know that heat is treacherous and you would love some of this rain...

Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

Carol,

I am so sick of my feet being damp, no wet, everytime I wear my flip flops in the garden or grass for that matter. SHoes are out though, it is summer after all.


Is your garden suffering from lack of sun? I'm wonering if any of my new additions are able to root well with all this wetness?

Pam NJ 6B

Yes Pam - my feet are constantly wet also...At least the sun is out again and as my Mom used to say "if there is a patch of blue big enough to make a dutchman's pants it won't rain"...whatever the case here's hoping.

My seedlings are suffering from lack of sun...they should be a lot taller by now. I am just sick thinking a Canna indica that I started from seed is not looking well - its leaves are all yellow. My other ones from rhizomes - David kemp are doing nicely now. Red morning glory seeds that I sowed last week never emerged...disappointing for sure. I am going to try again today to plant some more seeds. And the biggest disappointment is that what I thought was my Cherry chief coming back seems to be some sort of weed with very tiny blue/white flowers on it instead... - coming up right where the Cherry chiefs were last year...guess I know nothing...

Carol
Milford, CT
Zone 6

Well we haven't had as much rain in western NY as you all have had on the east coast but we had the two gully washers on Thursday and Friday and then yesterday was gorgeous. I should have mowed the grass in back while I had the chance . Today is cooler and very overcast with intermittent raindrops everytime I try ot go outside and do something. We are supposed to get showers today and the next 7 days so I don't know when or if the grass will ever get moved back there. I did try this morning after church but the grass is just wet enough that it bogged down and I think the grass is all wrapped around the blade as it wouldn't start back up (DH is going to love me for that) . So I put the lawnmower back until he gets home so we can clean all the wet grass out from under the blade and now will wait until the sun comes out again


Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Well, miracle of miracle, I finally got some rain. It was a good downpour that lasted about 30 minutes. I would have been happier if it had gone on for longer, but some folks didn't get any. Sorry, Joan. Temperatures are supposed to be in the low to middle 90s rather than upper 90s to 100ºF or more. Chance of rain is fairly high today. We know the summer isn't over, but it will be a little more tolerable.

I went out early and did some yard work! To add to my excitement, I just spied a hummer working the Trumpet Creeper. This is really right on time per this location - end of June, early July - youngsters start moving out of the nesting areas. This is the first hummer I've seen at home since early May.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nancy L Newfield
Casa Colibrí
Metairie, Louisiana USA
USDA Zone 9

I'd like to say this is the first rain free dy in weeks, but it ain't over yet! An dth eplants are just loving it!

Pam NJ 6B