Texas To Summer Construction Workers: Drop Dead

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation that 
prevents cities in Texas from mandating water
breaks for construction workers toiling in
the state's excessive heat. 

 Politics and politicians in Texas tend to be awful, to put it mildly. 

One of millions of examples came to light this week. 

Apparently, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and a majority of the state's legislature do not care if construction workers die of heat stroke. 

The rule that Abbott signed into law eliminates local ordinances that mandate 10-minute water breaks every four hours for construction workers in hot weather. 

According to the Texas Tribune:

"The law's scope is broad but ordinances that establish breaks in the workplace are one of the explicit targets. The law will nullify ordinances enacted by Austin in 2010 and Dallas in 2015 that establish 10-minute breaks every four hours so that construction workers can drink water and protect themselves from tree sun. It also prevents other cities from passing such rules in the future. San Antonio has been considering a similar ordinance."

Abbott and others justify this by saying that a hodgepodge of local laws and ordinances is a burden on businesses. Which is actually probably true. 

So instead of getting rid of the ordinances, why not establish a blanket statewide law mandating these water breaks?

I guess because the Texas "elite" regards construction workers as just cattle and machines, and who cares if some of them drop dead in the heat? Just replace 'em.  Bonus: The replacement can be paid a lower wage than the lazy bum who had gall to die on a 110 degree afternoon. 

No regard for human life here. Which is ironic given Texas Republicans' obsession with abortion bans. 

Democrats in the Texas legislature did file bills that would create a statewide rule mandating water breaks, but those filings went nowhere in the Republican controlled Texas Statehouse. 

Summertime in Texas makes a Vermont heat wave look like a lovely February ski vacation. Temperatures routinely top 100 degrees in the summer. Humidity drives heat indices into the 110s or higher. Absolutely brutal and dangerous conditions for outdoor workers. 

As Texas Tribune points out:

"Texas is the state where the most workers die from high temperatures, government data shows. At least 42 workers died in Texas between 2011 and 2021 from environmental heat exposure, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Workers' unions claim this data doesn't fully reflect the magnitude of the problem because heat-related deaths are often recorded under a different primary cause of injury."

The new rule signed by Abbott and pushed by Texas Republicans will probably cause more construction industry deaths in Texas.  

"'Construction is a deadly industry. Whatever the minimum protection is, it can save a life. We are talking about a human life,' said Ana Gonzalez, deputy director of policy and politics at the Texas AFL-CIO. 'We will see more deaths, especially in Texas' high temperatures.'" reports the Texas Tribune. 

Given that the majority of Texas construction workers are Hispanic, I also whiff some racism in this deadly new law. 

The elimination of the local water break rules doesn't take effect until September 1, but even the timing of Abbott's signature seems cruel.

He signed the bill as most of Texas is enduring record breaking high temperatures and in many places, oppressive humidity. The heat index in one south Texas town the other day was 135 degrees.

 I wonder how Texas Republicans would do laying asphalt or installing roofs during the excessive heat warnings that are now in place across much of Texas, including the big cities of Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio.

Even that 10-minute water break once every four hours seems woefully inadequate. OSHA does not have heat stress standards for workers, according to the CDC.

However, some states do. 

The CDC recommends employers ensure workers take breaks in the shade and drink plenty of water.  They should schedule hotter jobs during cooler periods of the day, or postpone such work until after a cold front has passed. Construction companies should also provide larger coolers full of chilly water in which worker can immerse their arms and such to lower their body temperature.

And, the CDC says, construction bosses should demand an employee stop work if they are showing signs of heat-related illness. 

 I'm sure a number of Texas construction companies hew to these CDC recommendations.  But I'm also sure other construction companies and other employers don't.  

Every business wants and needs to be profitable. But if the profits come at the cost of heat-related deaths, is the money worth it?

To some employers, Texas lawmakers and Abbott, the answer to that question is apparently "Yes."

 

 

Medications, Both Ilegal and Illicit, Can Make Dangers From Heat Waves Worse

Many medications can make the effects of hot 
weather more uncomfortable or even dangerous
for many people.  Talk with your doctor about this. 

When I was younger, I loved summer heat waves.  Who could resist jumping into the cool waters of a clean Vermont swimming hole, then baking in the sun for awhile, then leaping back into the water? Rinse and repeat.  

As I got older, I - along with so many other not-so-spring chickens - are now forced to dread hot spells, like the one in the forecast later this week.

A bout with very early stage melanoma more than a decade ago forces me to to do a vampire act, trying and often failing to stay out of the sun.  I'm now on two, count 'em, two medications that make the effects of hot weather much worse for me. 

And, I have to try to avoid two vices, caffeine and alcohol because, those, two make hot weather more dreadful, even dangerous. 

I'm just using myself as an example. Millions of Americans, as they age, go on medications that make hot weather unbearable. Plus, older people are just naturally less able to tolerate heat waves than when they were younger. 

Alcohol and caffeine can make heat stress worse. And if you are really hard core (and clearly need help with addiction) cocaine is especially dangerous in relation to heat. 

Meanwhile, climate change is making heat waves often more intense and/or longer lasting. 

As Yale Climate Connections reports:

"....many common prescription and over-the-counter medicines, such as certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines and drugs used to treat diabetes and high blood pressure, may reduce the body's ability to maintain a safe temperatures.

The drugs may interfere with the body's internal thermostat or impair sweating, according to a 2021 review in The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal. 

Kenneth Mueller, a pharmacist and clinical instructor at the Emory School of Nursing, says some medications can affect a person's perception of heat and internal thermostat. And they can alter the body's ability to redirect blood flow to the skin, a key way that it cools itself."

Medications can enhance the sometimes dangerous effects of dehydration. This dehydration can increase the blood levels of some medications, and even slight increases can lead to toxic effects for some drugs, like lithium. 

Always ask you doctor what if anything you can do to minimize the effects from drug interaction with heat. 

As for me, my medications make me sweat way too much when I exert myself when it's warm.  Direct sunshine makes the effects much worse, so I always welcome cloudy days like it was Sunday to work outdoors. I also try to do vigorous outdoor work early in the day or in the evening. 

I do more sedentary tasks indoors in a cool-ish room during the heat of a summer day. 

The sweating makes me dehydrated, so I drink a lot of fluids.  I drink a LOT of water, but sometimes I overdo that, which isn't great. Too much water can create an electrolyte imbalance. 

In that case, sometimes I resort to Gatorade, which actually isn't a great idea because of the sugars in that drink.  I also sometimes have a nightcap on a hot evening in the form of a glass of Pedialyte. 

As for what you should do, definitely consult with your doctor. And carefully read the information that comes with your medication.  There are so many medications out there with so many different effects that it's hard to keep track.

For most of us, it might just be a case of needing to slow down a little. 

.On a warm, humid summer evening, when I want to get a lot done in the gardens, I take breaks.  As I noted, my dearly departed dog Tonks taught me this trick:

You have to enjoy the handiwork of a garden, not just constantly work on them. So, taking Tonks' advice, I sit down in a kiddie pool of cool water, cold drink in hand on an oppressive summer evening. And I just watch the changing light of the evenings, the organic mix of aromas from flowers and decaying organic matter, the habits of birds, the feel of the wind, the ever-transforming clouds overhead, and later in the evening, the winking lights of the fireflies in the weeds on the edge of the property. 

Like many other people, I can't get as much done during hot weather because of the medications I must take. But it gives me the chance to quietly embrace the quiet of a balmy summer evening. 

I've found a way to not miss out on the joys of a hot summer.  You should, too.

One Last Vermont Rain Update

National Weather Service office in South Burlington
released this map Sunday, showing how much
rain fell over six days ending early Sunday. 
Areas that needed the rain most in general
got the most rain, which is nice. 

 The National Weather Service updated their rundown of the six day rainy spell we just had. 

The map is in this post. Click on it to make it bigger and easier to see. 

As is normal with summer rainfall, totals were really variable, but everybody got a good soaking. Some spots that got bullseyed by thunderstorms Thursday and Friday did really well.

 I saw a 5.28 inch total in eastern Rutland County, and a few places in north-central Vermont that had over four inches. 

In general the heaviest rain hit where it was most needed, in that north-central Vermont area. That's where the U.S. Drought Monitor has been regarding as the driest area of the Green Mountain State, and the area that needed the most rain. 

As I noted yesterday, aside from isolated showers Monday and Tuesday, we're dry through Friday.  There are hints that it might end up raining hard again, at least in spots, this coming Saturday and Sunday.

But that's a long way off, so that forecast is subject to change. 

Despite all the rain we just had, it really wouldn't hurt to see more.  One rainy week can't entirely wipe out the effects of a dry spring. 

Vermont Rain Shuts Off For Now, And Heat Will Build. How Long Will Rain Stay Away?

Water beaded up on hosta leaves this
morning in St. Albans, Vermont.
Gardens and crops got a nice 
drink of water in the past week or so.

Saturday's anticipated heavy rainfall turned out to be more variable than I thought it would be across the state.  

Early reports indicate parts of eastern Vermont got swamped, while the Champlain Valley's rain totals were a little disappointing. 

Rainfall reports in the 24 hours ending 7 a.m. Sunday show plenty of towns mostly in eastern Vermont received more than an inch of rain. And that doesn't include the rain that fell late Friday night and before dawn Saturday. Western Vermont had more than a half inch of rain since 7 a.m. Saturday. 

We have a report of at least 2.9 inches of rain Saturday from Hartland, Vermont.  Across the river in New Hampshire, flash flood warnings were in effect for a time Saturday in and near Lebanon.  However, I haven't seen any reports of any real flooding from Vermont. 

The moisture stream came from the east, and I think the Green Mountains blocked some of the moisture from reaching the Champlain Valley. This is a common occurrence with snow during winter nor'easters, so I shouldn't be that surprised. 

Burlington received about 0.6 inches of rain from this episode, falling short of the inch or so that was in the forecast. Still, over the course of five days, Burlington got just a smidge under two inches of rain, so the wetting was still pretty good - and needed. 

Video of the nice, rainy Saturday is at the bottom of this post. Looks like the flowers and trees were really enjoying the drink from the skies. 

The rains put us in a good position to survive the upcoming week, because the rain is once again shutting off for awhile. 

Clouds, sprinkles and cool temperatures today will minimize evaporation, but the rest of the week looks quite dry, sunny and increasingly warm. The only rain in the forecast is for very isolated showers Monday and Tuesday, but I imagine 90 percent of us won't see any rain at all. 

Early guesses are this dry spell won't last as long as the one that caused some drought conditions to develop in parts of Vermont during May and early June. 

At this point, it's beginning to look like humid air will start to set off some showers and thunderstorms as soon as Saturday and probably continuing Sunday and probably beyond. You might have to irrigate gardens by the end of the week, but it probably won't be a long haul. 

The end of the week will probably be uncomfortable as well, as temperatures rise into the mid and upper 80s and humidity starts to creep up at little Thursday, then really take hold on Friday. 

Fingers crossed, we might, maybe have cut off what was an incipient drought.

Video: Gardens and trees around St. Albans, Vermont have a glorious drink of water on a rainy Saturday. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that: 

Atlantic Ocean Is Off The Charts Warm: Not The Apocalypse, But Something To Worry About

Chart shows how warm the North Atlantic is. All the blue
squiggles are average water temperatures over the
past years since 1982. Red line is this year. 

 For at least a month or two now, scientists have been astonished by how warm much of the Atlantic Ocean is. 

As of last Wednesday, the average temperature of the North Atlantic (everything north of the Equator) was 73 degrees. The average temperature in the ocean over the past three decades was 71 degrees. 

Two degrees doesn't sound like much of a difference, but in terms of oceans this is huge. It represents an enormous amount of potential energy that can produce larger, wetter storms, heat waves, dangerously high humidity or other weather extremes. 

The Atlantic Ocean is so warm that something very rare is happening. The area of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa, is a zone where some of the strongest hurricanes get their start. This pretty much always waits until August and September when that stretch of ocean finally becomes warm enough to develop wannabe hurricanes. 

In the past few days, a disturbance has emerged into the ocean off the west coast of Africa. The ocean water is way warmer than it should be in June. It's more typical of September. The National Hurricane Center says the system is almost certain to become a tropical storm or hurricane this week.  

It's still unknown whether this future tropical storm will affect the Caribbean islands and eventually the United States, or just go out to sea and miss everything. 

A hurricane originating in this areas is almost unheard of.   You do occasionally get tropical storms and hurricanes in June, but they almost always form in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, or sometimes just off the southeastern United States coast.  

The potential hurricane is just one symptom of how off-kilter the Atlantic Ocean is right now. 

IN PERSPECTIVE

I've heard a variety of way-too-alarmist reactions to this hot Atlantic Ocean water. "It's a tipping point! It'll make the world go into an extreme climate calamity!  

It's true that climate change is contributing to the Atlantic Ocean's newfound heat. All of the world's other oceans are warming as well. 

What seems to be going on is a whole bunch of influences are conspiring to bring the Atlantic Ocean to a figurative boiling point.  Besides climate change, there's the arrival of El Nino.

 Michael Mann, a scientist who is never shy about sounding the alarm about climate change, is urging calm with the latest news about warming oceans.  He says climate change is one factor raising ocean temperatures, but there are plenty more influences, such as the recent onset of El Nino.

"The warming is steady & that's bad enough. Hyping the warming as we had into an El Nino event is as bad as deniers who hyped the cooling their the '00s and early '10s from extended La Nina events," Mann tweeted

Other factors contributing to the Atlantic Ocean's recent quick heat up include below normal levels of dust from the Sahara Desert blowing out over the ocean. 

That dust regularly blows westward off the African continent out over the oceans, where it blocks a bit of sunlight. That reduction in solar energy helps keep the water temperature in check. But with so little dust this year. the sun can blast down on the ocean, rapidly heating it. 

Another influence might be new regulations requiring ships to burn cleaner fuel.  That has led to a sharp decrease in sulfur dioxide emissions. Like African dust, the sulfur pollution dims the sun. With the drop in pollution from ships, the sun over the Atlantic shines ever brighter. 

There's yet one more influence: The Azores High.  According to Vox:

"The Azores High is a semi-permanent region of high atmospheric pressure that sits over the North Atlantic. This creates a sinking column of air that generates trade winds blowing east to west over the water. Wind wind moves over water it leads to more evaporation which cools the surface of the water, similar to how a breeze can cool your skin when  you sweat."

Lately, the Azores High has been weak, so the trade winds have been weak. Which means that cooling influence is diminished. 

With all these things going on, you can see how the study of climate change can be almost impossibly complex.  Dozens of factors work in concert with, or against climate change, to make predicting just how it will play out a challenge to say the least.  

Given all these factors, I doubt the Atlantic Ocean will keep heating up forever without pause. More African dust, an eventual end to El Nino might well cause a temporary Atlantic ocean water cooling. The operative word here being temporary. 

Climate change will inexorably make ocean temperatures rise, if it fits and starts. The current warmth in the Atlantic Ocean would be impossible without climate change, even if everything else cooperated to cause a spike in water temperatures. 

The current situation in the Atlantic Ocean is probably a foretaste of an ugly future. 

One More Really Wet Vermont Day, Then An (Eventual) Heat Wave?

Today won't be a day for enjoying the summer out on the
deck. A chilly, day long rain is underway in Vermont.
Which is OK, we still need the moisture. 

 Dark, rainy and cold for the season is the story for us as we got up this Saturday morning. 

This will be Vermont's big washout weekend day of the summer.  Probably simultaneously the worst and best weather day of the season. 

It's the worst day of course because outdoor recreation today in Vermont is tricky at best.   Temperatures will stay in the low 60s, a good 15 degrees below normal.  If it stops raining where you are for 10 minutes, consider yourself lucky. 

On the other hand, it's a fantastic weather day.  It's pretty rare to get a good, day long soaking statewide this time of year.  And, it's the second good widespread soaking with a week. 

Usually, it's hit and miss showers and thunderstorms during the summer months.  More often than not, those showers are widespread enough in the summer to give us adequate wetting, but not always. We really needed this wet week, because it was too dry before this hit, and we're in for what looks like another spell of hot, dry, weather. At least eventually. 

More on that in a bit. 

SOAKING RAINS 

Yesterday's rain in Vermont was indeed hit and miss. Some places got a lot less than expected, a few spots got more. It was a strange day on the radar screen. Showers and thunderstorms developed randomly, especially north, some with heavy downpours. 

They moved very slowly, if at all, and erratically. Some storms approaching from Canada headed south, while other areas of rain moved eastward or even northward.  I'm sure a few spots got TONS of rain, which slightly raises the stakes for potential minor flooding in those areas today.

So far, the most rain I've seen anywhere in Vermont as of 7 a.m. is 1.51 inches in Hinesburg, but I'm sure a few local spots got more. 

Today's storm is acting very much like a wintertime nor'easter. Except it's not going to snow. 

The storm is consolidating along the New England coast, and is flinging some occasionally fairly heavy rain westward all the way through New England into New York State.

In the winter, something called a deformation zone, a stripe of heavier snow, sets up well northwest of the nor'easter. This situation gives us Vermont our big dumps of snow for the ski areas.

That wintertime deformation zone seems to be setting up in eastern New York and Vermont today. Which explains why rainfall totals for most us, starting last night and ending tonight, will amount to more than an inch. 

This heavy rain seems like it will hit New Hampshire and Maine a little harder, so flood watches are up in that area.

No flood alerts are in effect in Vermont as of mid-morning. Forecasters are watching areas of especially heavy rain for signs of high water. So far, it looks like we'll escape with  nothing worse than ponding of water on some roads, underpasses and low spots. 

DRYING, HEATING UP

The upper level storm system that has been keeping us wet will gradually depart over the next few days,  to be replaced by a heat dome that will center itself over Ontario, parts of Quebec and extending into the northern Great Lakes and northern New England. 

A heat dome, common in the summer, is an area of high pressure that traps an area of hot air beneath it. These can lead to extended, record breaking heat waves. 

This one looks like it might only last a few days, but probably will cause some record heat in parts of Ontario and Quebec.

For us, it means a gradual shift during the upcoming week from cooler than normal weather Sunday, to near normal conditions Monday through Wednesday, then hot by the end of the week, with temperatures possibly reaching 90 degrees by then. 

This will shut off the waterworks. We might still see a few light showers Sunday, but that will probably be just about it through at least Friday. (Though there might be a few isolated light showers in the mountains Monday and Tuesday).

The new weather pattern is obviously bad news for those wildfires burning in Quebec and Ontario. They're really not getting much rain up there and the fires are still going. The upcoming hot, dry weather in these Canadian provinces will reinvigorate some of these fires, and new ones will likely start. 

For us, that just keeps the chances of more smoke attacks in Vermont and much of the eastern United States going for probably at least the rest of the month. 

Enjoy The Soaking Vermont Rains; They'll Shut Off Again Starting Next Week

Thunderstorm clouds loom over a farm house somewhere
in eastern Franklin County, Vermont Thursday. 

 Some classic Vermont thunderstorms blossomed on Thursday, with the familiar tall anvil-shaped structures of pretty vigorous thunderstorms. 

The rain and storms were much more scattered and hit and miss than the day before. One severe storm moving toward the southeast crossed the Canadian border into Highgate Springs, knocking down several trees along Route 207 and dumping quarter sized hail.

Luckily, the storm weakened quite a bit as it continued on into eastern Franklin County, where I took a few photos and videos. (A couple storm videos from this week are at the bottom of this post. Nice cloud structures in both clips).

It looks like we have quite a bit more rain to get through, but probably not as many thunderstorms. 

There might be patches of blue sky this morning as you get up, but they won't last long. Another vigorous disturbance is coming through beneath that stalled upper level storm that continues to lurk overhead or nearby. 

This new one will cause a lot of showers to blossom this afternoon.  There probably will be a few thunderstorms mixed in here or there, but there won't be anything too rambunctious. Except for maybe some locally heavy downpours. 

Traffic on Route 105 in Sheldon, Vermont as skies
clear following a late afternoon thunderstorm.

This new systems will crawl eastward, hit the New England coast and become a de facto nor'easter. Which means Saturday will essentially be a washout. It'll rain pretty much all day. And it will be cold for the season. 

Most of us won't get past the low 60s for highs Saturday at a time of year when afternoon temperatures should be in the 75 to 80 degree range. 

This event will be another soaker. Most of us should see between an inch and an inch and a third of new rain between now and Saturday evening. 

NOAA's Weather Prediction Center actually has us in a low-level, marginal risk for excessive rain and flooding. But if any flooding does happen (which I kinda doubt) it will be pretty minor and also pretty localized. 

Sunday will start to improve, but forecasters expect some showers around. 

Next week looks drier and warmer, with that weird setup of hotter air in Canada trying to come down at us from the north. 

Videos:

First one is Wednesday's storm, with views mostly taken from South Burlington, Vermont.  Not a severe storm, but nice structures! Click on this link to view or if you see the image below, click on that:

Another storm in northwest Vermont.  It had been severe when it crossed the border from Canada, but had weakened by the time I caught up to it in eastern Franklin County. Nice storm views, though. Again, click on this link to view or click on image below if you see it. (Image doesn't show up on some devices).