Need an accurate thermometer? Just count the cricket chirps
We are seeing an explosion of grasshoppers and all other insects this extremely hot and dry early summer of 2015, already ravaged by wildfires across the drought-parched Far West.
During the evening hours, crickets have been chirping so loudly that people say they have been "driving them crazy," while trying to talk over their noise.
Studies show that crickets chirp much faster and louder during periods of unusual warmth. Also, the drier the weather conditions, the more active insects become, including grasshoppers and crickets.
It's possible to calculate the exact temperature by counting the number of cricket chirps in 14 seconds. Begin with a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit, then add the number of chirps that you hear in 14 seconds. At least 90 percent of the time, you'll either hit the exact air temperature at your location or be within a single degree Fahrenheit.
In the late fall and winter months, however, when it is cold, below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, crickets are silent. That's another reason why winter evenings are much quieter than warm summer nights.
By the way, it is also true that one can tell the temperature from the frequency of a rattlesnake's rattle, it one is willing to risk getting dangerously close to them.
The frequency of a snake's rattle is about a hundred times a minute at 98 degrees Fahrenheit. This technique, however, doesn't work below 32 degrees. At that frigid reading, rattlesnakes put their rattle warnings "on hold." So I guess that we should be very careful around these venomous creatures during the winter months. They may not rattle, but they can sure leave an awful bite if stepped upon in an Arizona desert.
NORTH IDAHO WEATHER REVIEW AND LONG-RANGE OUTLOOKS
Thus far, the current summer of 2015 has been one of the hottest seasons on record as well as one of the driest periods since at least 1895, when daily weather record-keeping began in Coeur d'Alene.
As of this writing, Friday morning, July 10, we had observed in Coeur d'Alene an all-time record 15 days in-a-row at or above 90 degrees in town since the heatwave started on Thursday, June 25. This brought our 2015 season total of blisteringly hot 'Sholeh Days' up to 19, also a new record for so early in the season.
The past couple of weeks likewise saw four afternoons with sweltering triple-digit temperatures. The all-time June high temperature of 105 degrees in town took place on Sunday, June 28, during the Ironman Event. We observed 101 degrees on July 3 and 100 degrees on both June 27 and Thursday of this week, July 9. The month of June 2015 was the hottest such period on record with maximum readings some 11 degrees above normal on Player Drive.
Not only has it been very hot this summer, but it's likewise been extremely dry. As of 10 a.m. on Friday, July 10, we hadn't had any measurable precipitation in Coeur d'Alene since June 2. The 38 days without any rain was second only to the 41 days in June and July of 1922, nearly a century ago.
Following our record 16th consecutive afternoon on Friday with 90 degree plus temperatures, we were expecting some showers and thunderstorms along with cooler readings in the more normal 80s this upcoming week. However, it should turn hot again in late July and early to mid August with another string of 'Sholeh Days' and drier than normal weather conditions caused by a strong, stationary ridge of high pressure. High fire danger levels will prevail all summer into at least the early autumn period, thanks to the warm El Nino event in the waters of the east-central Pacific Ocean that's still strengthening.
The long-range weather outlook for this year's edition of the 2015 North Idaho Fair and Rodeo in late August still calls for warm temperatures and very little rainfall, except for scattered showers and a few thunderstorms, mostly in the nearby mountains to the north and east of Coeur d'Alene.
SPECIAL NOTE: I would like to personally thank Melissa and Marlene at the Well-Read Moose bookstore in Riverstone for a joyous book signing of my book "Weather and Bible Prophecy" last Friday. I had a great time and enjoyed talking with many Press subscribers that stopped by. I should also mention there are more autographed copies of my book at the Well-Read Moose.
Cliff Harris is a climatologist who writes a weekly column for The Press. His opinions are his own. Email sfharris@roadrunner.com