The Strawberry Full Moon rises after the Summer Solstice of 2024: NAJ screen shot

By Glynn Wilson – 

THURMONT, Md. – How hot must it get before most doubters are convinced that the planet is warming?

How many heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires, massive hurricanes and tornadoes will it take to convince most people that global warming is changing the climate and that humans are responsible?

An end to the unusually early heat wave blistering much of the country over the past seven days may be in sight with some chances of rain in places as a minor cool front blows into the East in the week before the Fourth of July holiday.

But the searing heat in the Mid-Atlantic region and along the I-95 urban corridor on the East Coast, where 100 million people are feeling the affects of the extreme heat, must suffer one more 100 plus degree day on Sunday before the rain and cool air passes through, according to the National Weather Service, warning that the heat wave could be the longest experienced in decades for some locations.

In farm country in Maryland, the irrigation systems are having to pump overtime to save the tomato plants, corn, potatoes and other crops this early in the growing season. And it’s not just because of the heat. Here in the valley north of Frederick, the lower humidity is also starving the crops of moisture, according to farmer Rick Hall.

Farmer Rick Hall drives his tractor in the fields as the heat bears down: Glynn Wilson

As we drove past a young corn field on the way to buy gas for the generators that power his irrigation system, he points to the curling leaves on the young corn plants, months away from bearing vegitables and harvest.

“When you see the leaves curling like that, you know they are starved for water,” he said. “That’s how the plants protect themselves.”

The corn has only recently been planted when the heat wave hit: Glynn Wilson

As he manages to work in the early morning hours and late afternoon to complete scheduled activities like covering his potato plants with wood chips, he says the lower humidity is good for him and allows him to work more hours in the heat.

“But it’s not good for the plants,” he says.

It requires more irrigation water, which stresses his well and rain catch system.

The Weather Service issued heat advisories for areas east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where the heat index — a measure of how the heat feels with humidity taken into account — is forecast to range between 100 and 108 degrees.

Several temperature records had already been broken by Saturday afternoon. Baltimore reached 101 degrees, breaking the daily high temperature record of 100 degrees, set in 1988. And in Dulles, Va., the temperature reached 100 degrees, breaking the previous record of 99 degrees, also set in 1988.

Forecasters say there will be some relief in other parts of the country that were hit hard over the past week. In New England, record-breaking temperatures have already receded, and forecasters predict that Sunday will bring lower temperatures to the Ohio Valley and the Midwest. This is good news for a region that forecasters described as particularly susceptible to heat-related illnesses, given how anomalous the temperatures were for this time of year.

In Detroit, the heat index is forecast to fall from a high of 95 degrees on Saturday to 87 degrees on Sunday. And in Chicago, the heat index is expected to decline from a Saturday high of 96 degrees to 79 degrees.

Scientists say global warming has made heat waves hotter, more frequent and longer lasting. Extended heat waves come with added dangers, as the stress the heat puts on the body is compounded the longer high temperatures last.

The health consequences of this heat wave are starting to show up in the data, according to coverage in the New York Times. Heat-related emergency room visits spiked in regions of the country that were hit hardest by the heat wave last week, according to a tracker by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In New England, the number of heat-related visits climbed to 833 per 100,000 last Thursday — the highest rate in the country all week.

More Photos

Rain catch containers catch water for irrigating crops: Glynn Wilson

The first little tomato of the 2024 season: Glynn Wilson

Mature tomato plants in the greenhouse: Glynn Wilson

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