Weather Flashback

Summary

While air temperatures in excess of 100 °F are not uncommon in Oklahoma over the summer months, this was one of the hottest days I have endured. The hot air on this date occurred during a drought and heat wave (and one of several of what I will define as "heat wave-lets" lasting 2-5 days each before a break) that impacted the southern Plains region. Unlike most (official) "surface temperature" measurements which record air temperature in a sunlight enclosed shelter, the temperature probe here was not in a sunlight enclosed shelter. Additionally, instead of being positioned at a height of 2-meters above ground like (official) temperature measurements, this probe was positioned at a height of about 4-meters above ground. Also, the surrounding surface, which is where (most of) the energy would have radiated from locally to generate the hot air, was mostly (less reflective) slab asphalt versus (more reflective) bare ground, for example. Nevertheless, the temperature probe here was facing north and at least somewhat building-sheltered from sunlight; hence, a hypothetical 2-meter temperature probe in a sunlight enclosed shelter here at this time probably would have registered something close to 118 °F (e.g., 110 °F.) Further evidence of this reading being in the ballpark of capturing how hot it was, is the official temperature of 110 °F at Will Rogers Airport then. Will Rogers Airport is located about 15-miles (as the crow flies) to the northwest of my location. Will Rogers Airport is also positioned at about the same elevation as my location. With the elevation difference between my location and the Will Rogers Airport site being something on the order of maybe a few tens of meters at most (air higher up tends to be cooler because the air higher up is thinner, which was negligible here.) And finally, with no discernable (temperature) boundaries or discontinuities in the area, we can assume that the temperature here was probably about the same as Will Rogers Airport then.