Canadian Arctic hits 98 degrees

[Guest guest]

" Zepp " <zepp

Sat, 16 Jul 2005 05:59:19 -0700

[Zepps_News] Canadian Arctic hits 98 degrees

 

And as Bush, the Neocons, the energy interests and their flunky

scientists are fond of saying...Global Warming?.. Who..?, what...?,

where...?, why...?, when...?. I don't know....

 

 

 

<http://nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/50715_03.html>

The sweltering Arctic

 

Kuujjuaraapik suffers under 37°C heat

 

NUNATSIAQ NEWS

 

If you wanted to find someone in Kuujjuaraapik earlier this week, the

best place to look was along the shores of the Great Whale River.

 

As two sea-doos bounced around in the cool water, the river was an

ideal

place for residents of this Nunavik community to escape from the

oppressive heat.

 

" Half the community is there, I've never seen so many people in the

water before, " said one woman who confessed to going to work wearing a

wet swimsuit under her clothes to keep cool.

 

Temperatures in this Eastern Hudson Bay community hit 36.6 C on Monday,

making Kuujjuaraapik the hottest place in Quebec and breaking the

previous record of 29.4 C, set in 1969.

 

But Tuesday was even hotter. The day's high climbed to 37 C, breaking

the previous record high of 28.3 C set in 1998.

 

These temperatures were much higher than the normal temperature range

of

around 15 C.

 

At the height of the heat wave on Tuesday, an employee at the

community's health and social services clinic said " everything here has

stopped. " The telephone didn't ring and those with appointments were

staying home or heading to the beach.

 

At home, Kuujjuaraapik's residents coped with the heat by keeping

windows shut and blinds down. Sleeping on damp sheets was another

strategy — but many still tossed and turned all Monday night.

 

The good news is that, despite the heat, the health clinic was quiet

and

police had little activity: closure of the community's two bars due to

a

death the previous weekend helped keep the peace and prevent

dehydration.

 

Environment Canada meteorologist René Héroux said Kuujjuaraapik's heat

wave was extremely unusual. Héroux said the spike in temperatures were

caused by a layer of hot air in the upper atmosphere, which was pushed

north from the United States.

 

" It was very unusual, and will it happen again? Well, we can certainly

say that it's another indication climate change is no joke, " Héroux

said.

 

Temperatures in Kuujjuaq also were in the high 20s this week, above

normal values.

--

 

 

" As democracy is perfected, the office of president

represents, more and more closely, the inner soul

of the people. On some great and glorious day the

plain folks of the land will reach their heart's

desire at last and the White House will be adorned

by a downright moron. " --- H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)