We’ve arrived at the hottest part of the year, here in Indiana. Stay cool in the knowledge that it can be–and has been–much worse! (Feel free to trot out these little tidbits at your next pool party…you’re welcome!)
- Death Valley, CA is one of the hottest areas in the US. In fact, it’s where the highest temperature recorded in the Western Hemisphere occurred–134° on July 10, 1913. The highest temperature in Indiana–116° in July of 1936–is positively chilly in comparison!
- The largest hailstone ever recorded was 17.5 inches and 1.67 pounds, found in Coffeyville, KS in September of 1979. Yowch!
- The longest path traveled by a tornado was observed in 1917. It covered 293 miles on the ground and traveled from Missouri to Indiana. Bonus tornado fun fact: they are most likely to develop in the early evening, between 3:00 and 6:00pm.
- The only two states in America that have recorded high temperatures of less than 100° are Alaska and Hawaii.
- The sun is powerful stuff…the total amount of fossil fuel used by humans since the dawn of civilization adds up to the energy from less than 30 days of sunshine.
- You may have heard about how crickets are nature’s thermometers: count the number of chirps you hear in 15 seconds and add 37. This will get you a close approximation of the outdoor temperature.
- Want to know how far away that scary-sounding storm is? Count the number of seconds between a flash of lightning and a thunder clap and divide by 5. This is roughly how many miles away the storm is.