Some fun facts about the weather…

When people say it is hotter than Hell, most scientists – and by that I mean the first Google result I found – estimate hell cooks at about 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

They derive that figure by assuming that Hell is located “down below,” equidistant from all points on the planet – or the center of the Earth.

Since no one has actually been to the center of the planet, it’s really hard to qualify that.

My grandmother, who spent the last two years of her life in a nursing home – but regularly made hikes around her small Midwest town until the day she died – was fond of the saying that she’d been to “hell and back” for one reason or another.

I don’t think she ever ventured to the center of the earth, but I’m certain Grandma Dorothy knew more about living through the heat of the summer than most of us.

While the question of the temperature in Hell may be more theological than geological, I would offer that it is not nearly as hot as the temperature in my car when I make my Diet Pepsi run in the middle of the day.

Even escaping with my kayak to the cool waters of the Lumber River doesn’t offer much relief.

A recent trip to Myrtle Beach in search of cooler climates taught me that the water was more than 80 degrees. How do you cool down in 80-degree water? Our friends across the country in California are enjoying water temperatures at Newport Beach of 72 degrees – and they’re wearing wetsuits.

Here is Lumberton, we’ve had a hot start to the summer, and as a relative newcomer, I can only echo what others are telling me. It’s hot out there, for sure, but it’s not nearly as hot as it will likely be as summer drags on. And it’s certainly not as hot as it has been in past years.

I spent a little time this week digging through the archives here at the Robesonian and discovered some fun information.

Lumberton saw its hottest day on record on July 21, 1926 when the temperature topped out at 108 degrees. And as Donnie Douglas notes in his column below, it’s been hotter than that in the region.

The year 1986 brought several hot days to Lumberton when the National Weather Service recorded several days in July reaching 103 degrees.

Do you remember 1986? That was the year Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in flames shortly after lifting off.

It was the year that the Chernobyl Nuclear plant in Russia irradiated much of Europe in the worst nuclear disaster in history.

And it was the year that mad cow disease was first identified. Not a good year.

Temperature-wise, June, July and August are Lumberton’s hottest — and record setting — months with temperatures regularly falling in the triple digits. Historically, however, Lumberton saw triple digit heat on Sept. 18, 1931 when the temperature reached 103. After that, record high temperatures begin to fall to a little below 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

But don’t put your sweater on yet, 97 degrees is still plenty warm, so warm that we’ve seen several heat advisories this month.

A recent Robesonian story warned residents to take precautions during excessively hot days.

The story urged local residents to modify outdoor activities and do strenuous work during the coolest parts of the day. Stay hydrated and wear loose fitting clothing.

That’s good advice. Stay cool out there.

David Kennard, who’s number three child does not in fact like his hotdogs blackened, is the executive editor of The Robesonian. Contact him at [email protected].