Frying, not flying, as temps rise

As most of you are aware, summer officially started last week.

However, well before the calendar flipped to June 20, the heat had already been turned up locally and on many of our friends to the west.

While we topped out with several days of temperatures in the low 100s prior to the formal kickoff to summer, temperatures in Phoenix and Las Vegas touched as high as 118 and 119, respectively.

In recognition of the Clovis Music Festival, that gave me flashbacks to the popular song “The Heat is On” that was recorded by Glenn Frey and used in the film “Beverly Hills” Cop back in 1984. For those of you a bit younger, think Nelly and his famous hit “Hot in Herre.”

While you painstakingly try to get those lyrics from repeating over and over in your head, we can delve into some of the oddities that we learned last week about high temperatures.

Airlines grounded nearly 100 flights over the past few days because it was too hot. These passenger jets can’t operate safely when the temperatures hit 118. Who knew?

I lived in Vegas for nearly two decades and never recall flight cancellations because of the heat being a part of the news. That all changed last week.

Heck, even the day my wife, Tina, and I got married in Las Vegas, the high temperature that afternoon topped out at 116 — setting a record for that date that has since been surpassed.

We had a Friday wedding on the evening of July 17, 1998. We joked for a while afterward that it was a good thing we had planned night nuptials so the temps had a chance to cool down.

And they did: When it came time to walk down the aisle, the thermometers had dipped down to a “cool” 109. When the reception started to wind down around midnight, the mercury still showed triple figures.

I grew up on the East Coast and always knew — and enjoyed — the summer heat. I didn’t realize at the time just how humidity played a factor in all of that. To this day, the heat still doesn’t bother me much. I think my co-workers dislike that about me.

I’ve heard employees on various occasions in recent weeks, complain about the heat as they rolled back into the safety of our air-conditioned office. I do feel for them. Lately, the afternoon heat has disrupted many folks’ regular routines.

Remember, though, it’s only June. The months of July and August may have some new “treats” in store for us.

Rob Langrell is the publisher of The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact him at: [email protected]