… and I think it is something that needs to be talked about. Humidity levels. And if anyone is talking about it the topic is usually broached in hushed tones… like some dirty little secret. Is it just me or have the levels over the last few Summers been higher (like, WAY higher) than “normal”. Seriously, this is important stuff. For one… it totally takes away the claim that it is “a dry heat”. That used to be our claim to fame lo these many years. Who or what is stealing that away from us?
When I first arrived in 1980 part of the promotional material (if you can call it that) was the humidity levels averaged between 10 – 15 percent. Have you checked the levels today? 35 percent! For a few days last week it was hovering around 68 percent! WTF? (No, I do not check it everyday… but I can safely say the levels have NOT been between 10-15 percent for most of this season… or the last few for that matter. This would be anomaly in the days of old for 2 – 3 days in the Summer. Not any more. Now it seems to be a constant for most of the Summer season.
Even the claim that “Fresno Summer nights are great” cannot be made with confidence anymore. It has since been replaced with “Let’s see what the night brings?” With the humidity hanging like a 3 day old dead rodent the air doesn’t cool as fast as it used to. For instance, I left Veni’s a few nights ago at around 10 PM and the temps were still at 90 degrees!
Has the out of control sprawl (with extra asphalt and sprinkler systems) added to the humidity levels? Is it some global climate phenomenon? Apart from my body (which was born and bred in a high humidity equatorial climate) as a gauge… the other evidence includes “sweating” glasses of iced cold drinks and dripping window unit air-conditioners. That kind of condensation doesn’t happen in a dry climate, yo! (There’s your scientific component to this topic.) And what does that do for swamp cooler sales?
And let’s not just talk about it… let’s do something about it if possible. I mean, seriously… this stuff is heavy… like the air we’ve had to live in of late.
EDIT: I was talking about this the other day and a friend responded with a blase. “So what?” Well, climate affects everything… from the things we grow and eat (yeah, some crops do not take well to humidity) to event planning. Even if it is just to go out for dinner… sweltering in an open air patio is not that much fun. So, it does affect business in more ways than one.
… how to be around people again. Of late I have noticed that I get rattled when I am in a place with more than 10 people in it. This never used to be an issue. In the past I was always around people. I would even go so far to say that I thrived on the energy of a crowd.
… especially when it involves people I know. There are times when I will step in and offer to assist in any way I can. But sometimes one just has to hang back and acknowledge that it (the floundering) is an essential part of the growing process. At least it was for me.
