I’m not from this area of the country, but I have experienced some really hot summers in other parts of the US. But nothing really compares to this weather. It is unbearable in every way. I feel like I need a shower just sitting here and dehydration is inevitable.
Why is it so brutal here!?
In: Planetary Science
Just to put it in perspective the Gulf Coast is at the same latitude as the northern edges of the Sahara Desert in Africa and at the same latitude as the Arabian desert in the Middle East.
The Earth tilts at a 23.5 degree angle. So at the end of June, the areas at exactly 23.5 degrees latitude (also called the Tropic of Cancer) in the Northern Hemisphere are pointing the closest to the sun, and receiving direct rays from the sun. This will naturally make the areas around this latitude warmer. For reference, Miami is at 25.7 degrees, Houston is at 29.7, New Orleans is at 30.0. Cairo, Egypt is also at 30.0 latitude. Just for reference, other hot areas like Phoenix is 33.4 and Las Vegas is at 36.2.
Another factor is how the Atlantic currents work. In the Northern Hemisphere, currents spin clockwise. That means the waters near the equator in the Atlantic are pushed towards the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and towards Florida, and then up the US Atlantic coast. That means the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the southern Atlantic coast is filled with very warm water, which also heats the air. Water also cools much slower than air, so the water stays warm throughout the summer. Also having all of that warm water from the Gulf makes air very humid in the Southeast US. Humid air takes much longer to cool than dry air, because water takes longer to cool than air. Contrast that to the western US, where the Pacific current also spins clockwise, but that means the Pacific coast of the US has water coming from Alaska being pushed down. Yes, this water heats up somewhat, but even in places like LA and San Diego, the Pacific is still very cool. I just checked, the temperature of the Pacific in San Diego is 64 degrees right now. It is 81 in Miami. It is 87 in Galveston (next to Houston on the Gulf Coast). This huge difference in water temperature makes a huge difference in air temperature.
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