Let's Talk About the Weather

Reddit photo by user DusterX17

It's hot.  Temperatures in Atlanta are expected to reach 97° today, making it the hottest October day since record-keeping began in 1878.  By the way, the previous record (96°) that today may beat was set just yesterday.  Before yesterday, the record high of 95° was set back on October 5 and 6, 1954. 

Atlanta typically reaches the 90-degree mark 37 days a year, but today will be the 90th day this year with temperatures in the 90s, which ties the record set in 2011.  Tomorrow is expected to break that record.

To make matters worse, the Atlanta Braves’ first playoff game of the season is at home today.  First pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals is set for 5:02 p.m.  The temperature will be around 95 degrees at that time, making it one of hottest opening playoff pitches ever, although by the ninth inning, temperatures should drop to the upper 80s, but still making it feel like the dead of August.  

(No, I'm not going to the game, but in case you're wondering, yes, with the Red Sox not making the playoffs this year, I'm jumping on the Braves' bandwagon.  If you go back far enough in history, the Braves were formerly a Boston team, so there's that, and I was an Atlanta Braves season-ticket holder in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.  I still resent them for moving from downtown out to suburban Cobb County - I'm an urbanist, after all - and I'm still angry about all of the talent they squandered in the 1990s with only one World Series Championship to show for it, but a Retired Old Man needs his diversions and enthusiasms, so I'm blatantly hopping on the Braves' bandwagon this post-season, and will promptly switch back to the Sox once spring training begins in 2020.)  

The weather on any given day, no matter hot or cold, rainy or dry, can't be attributed to climate change, but the trends in weather conditions, such as every year setting new global high-temperature records, can.  Here in Atlanta, it's a vicious cycle, a feedback loop - each year, temperatures get higher and the hot weather lasts longer, which means more electricity is consumed for air conditioning, which means more coal and natural gas are used to generate electricity, which contributes to global warming.  Rinse and repeat.