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Endless Summer
updated: Sep 15, 2012, 10:04 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

A question to the Edhatters: Does anyone remember when we've had such a long, hot summer? Maybe I'm hallucinating and/or senile, but I don't ever remember a time when we've gone from July-September with scores of nearly uninterrupted, hot, humid days! Does anyone else remember a time when we've had this kind of heat wave in SB?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 320607P	2012-09-15 10:44 PM
Actually, July wasn't very hot this year and I don't remember August being unuusually hot either, until the last half. Growing up here, I remember September being warm and even down right hot when we went back to school.
COMMENT 320610P	2012-09-15 10:57 PM
It was so hot during the summer of 1998, that I got an air conditioner installed in the MBR. And we live less than 2 blocks from the beach.
COMMENT 320615P	2012-09-15 11:16 PM
Seems as if it's been more humid, but that may be my age related condition.
PETER	2012-09-16 06:32 AM
The humidity is most unusual. I have lived hear over 40 years, and I do not remember so much hot humid weather in many a year.
COMMENT 320633	2012-09-16 07:17 AM
This has been a long hot summer and August has been very warm, not so much the first part (remember Fiesta) and the humidity is very high, makes it hotter. The mountains are tinder dry and the Santa Ana's have yet to start. I try not to think about it.
COMMENT 320635	2012-09-16 07:18 AM
I agree with the comments on humidity.
COMMENT 320642	2012-09-16 07:37 AM
Climate change was predicted to make us a bit more tropical. We are now getting a great deal of Monsoonal moisture making it this far north. This may be the new norm.
COMMENT 320645	2012-09-16 07:47 AM
I can't remember if it was 1992 or '93...it was so hot and dry that birds were pecking at my succulents trying to get the moisture from the plants!
REXOFSB	2012-09-16 08:02 AM
If this is what global warming is about, I'm all for it. I LOVE the heat. Call me a sheltered SB native (which I am), but I think it gets way too cold here in the winter. For what we pay to live here, we shouldn't have to put up with any temperature below 65.
COMMENT 320654	2012-09-16 08:05 AM
1968, the year my son was born in late September. I remember carrying him, waddling around all that summer until he arrived,weighing in at 10lbs. 9oz.!
ROGER DODGER	2012-09-16 08:21 AM
1968 Was a long hot Summer in Chicago too..Was it last year or the year before it went up to 107 one day? Scared the HELL outta me..
SKOOBY	2012-09-16 08:24 AM
Yes. When we'd go back to school in Sept. at SB High School ready to wear our new woolen skirts and sweaters, the temps would pop up into the 90s. BTW Friday's LA high finally broke the record set back in 1894. This heat isn't exactly new.
MTNDRIVER	2012-09-16 08:40 AM
I've been here since 1958 and I'm pretty sure this has been the hottest August and early September since then. We do tend to get our hottest days in September, sometimes even in October, but not this steady day-after-day heat. And the humidity has been much higher than normal. Up in the foothills where we live, it's been over 90 most days since early August. Never before. I remember in the early 60s going back to school in Septembers with all our wool--girls in wool sweaters and skirts, boys in Pendleton shirts over t-shirts (yes, even then) and cooking in the Indian summer heat. But it was not like this has been, so continual.
ARCHIE	2012-09-16 09:07 AM
This is the first time in my life that I can remember looking forward to Fall-- I'm totally a summer person. But the unwavering supply of blank blue sky+heat wore me down.
SBJULES	2012-09-16 09:12 AM
My mother always bought me a new outfit to wear back to school. It was always too hot to wear to school on the first day of school. September is always hot. We have good weather in October too.
COMMENT 320681	2012-09-16 09:25 AM
Lol sorry but you guys must be getting old. I graduated in 94 and yes Sept has always been hot. Playing sports and Sept was always a killer month. For the last couple yrs the summer heat has been coming at the end of summer while the beg of summer has been nice. I know this cause lol im young & pay attention & remember :) be glad cause its the 1st summer in a while with 0 fires! :)
COMMENT 320682	2012-09-16 09:26 AM
There have been periods of long hot summer weather as long as I can remember. I have been here since 1951. Typically very hot summer weather, which can occur here as early as May and as late as late October (even November) can also be pegged to large fires. The Gaviota fire, the Coyote Fire, the Carpinteria fire, the Sycamore Canyon fire, the Painted Cave fire, the Tea fire, the Goleta ridge fire, the Jesusita fire, etc. The only difference is this year there has been an absence of the dry intense Santana winds from the Northeast accompanying the heat, which has spared us large scale fires. In place of the dry desert winds we have been under a Southeast and Soutwesterly air flow which has resulted in much higher humidity levels which, once again, is GOOD in terms of fire danger!
YIN YANG	2012-09-16 09:27 AM
Moved from Roger's heat stroke thread: Ranting: Heather, I agree; the tv weather reports make me crazy! Weather Channel had us at 78 yesterday?! Weather underground site, which lists weather stations, had State X Alamar at 96.6 degrees with a heat index of 100. That's what it felt like. I'm vegging out; I cannot bear to get into a 110 degree car with weak air conditioning. The fact we got 2/100" of rain in Sept. is definitely an argument for humidity. And remember how it was almost 100 degrees the day before those two showery days? Just google "wunderground 93105" for real weather stats. Scroll down for the weather sites. It was 90 on the Mesa. You can google the weather site handles for their location. I never trust my memory about weather, I just look up the stats.
YIN YANG	2012-09-16 09:30 AM
Lots of us remember that summer, or at least heat, often starts in Sept. here in SB. We have much danger ahead of us, at least through Oct. Maybe we'll be fire-lucky this year. And please conserve water!
COMMENT 320697	2012-09-16 09:44 AM
610P - I remember the summer of '98 also. I was teaching a summer calculus class at UCSB and there was no AC in the room. We kept the lights out and several people brought fans. Chalk can be a nasty mess when sweat is running down your hand.
YIN YANG	2012-09-16 09:53 AM
oh, this is nice: http://greatweather.com/ You can just click on the city listed to the right of the weather station and it gives you a map location. I've been looking for this.
COMMENT 320708P	2012-09-16 09:58 AM
I remember a summer in the late 1970's when we would go to the movies in the afternoon to get out of the heat. No ac at home and none today bc really not necessary in most parts of SB.
COMMENT 320716	2012-09-16 10:21 AM
Thanks Yin Yang! That is a great website for us weather watchers.
COMMENT 320747P	2012-09-16 11:27 AM
I don't think this has been a particularly long, hot summer. Last year, and both years before that seemed much hotter and longer. I grew up and have lived in SB for 42 years and as I recall August and September have always been our hottest months. June and July typically have more fog. Ready for some cooler weather and some rain.
RAINE5360	2012-09-16 12:42 PM
In the mid nineties I remember we swam in our unheated pool for six months, which for us was unusual. Around '95 or something like that.
COMMENT 320775	2012-09-16 12:43 PM
I've been working as a gardener is SB since 1986. This year has been hotter. I think the biggest reason we notice it is because the last few summers have been cold and cloudy.
COMMENT 320780	2012-09-16 01:07 PM
i've only lived here for six years but this is definitely the hottest summer of them all ... we have had the fan running constantly for months. so over it. wish it would rain!
COMMENT 320781	2012-09-16 01:09 PM
It is definitely entirely different. Hot weather here for most of the 30 years I've been here meant dry heat, with one or two odd humid/cloudy weird days. That, or fog that was neither hot nor cold. This summer has had weeks of humid heat. Ick.
COMMENT 320833	2012-09-16 04:00 PM
Actually, this is fairly common weather. Dropping in the last week's dates into the good 'ol Trip Planner on Weather Underground shows about half the years (a little less) between '97 and now had days above 80 during that same week . Maybe it just feels hotter today and this time next year you'll have forgotten about it?
COMMENT 320852	2012-09-16 05:10 PM
I don't know what you're looking at, 340833, but that page shows that Sep 16 only reached 80 degrees (and no higher) in 1997 and 2006.
AUNTIE S.	2012-09-16 05:37 PM
Oh shucks! We didn't get to have our Fog Festival this year.
COMMENT 320920	2012-09-16 08:43 PM
SKOOBY, 747, 833. You're the ones who have the best recall. I know for certain we had weeks and weeks of humidity not that many years ago. 2009? 2010? The locals know to expect "Indian Summer" whenever school starts. I think most people are feeling wilted due to the humidity, and forgetful of just how typical this weather is for this time of the year, heat-wise. I'm just surprised it didn't reach 101F. I know we had that kind of heat when I was walking to and from school, SBJHS/ SBHS, nearly every September. And what beautiful weather we got this year in June & July. So lovely, when the rest of the country was either underwater or battling wildfires.
REXOFSB	2012-09-17 06:20 AM
@920: Not really Indian summer. Indian summer is the first really warm period following the first frost of late summer. I don't think SB has ever seen frost in late summer, so consequently will probably never have an Indian summer. The traditionally warm period of mid- and late September is...well...summer.
COMMENT 321085	2012-09-17 12:12 PM
Long string of above 90 degree temperatures about 10-15 years ago. People who thought they didn't need A/C reconsidered. So this is cyclical; not global warming hysterical. Who can forget when the birds fell from the sky dead from the heat and the cattle all died description of Santa Barbara in the 1800's ...before fossil fuels and the global population boom.
COMMENT 321274P	2012-09-17 08:48 PM
I have lived here my whole life and always remember Aug-Sept. being the hottest months... Seems a little more humid than normal though...
NANCYSBL	2012-09-18 06:02 PM
More humid and a tad cooler plus we didn't get the uptick in dry heat when school started. Didn't happen last year either. I live off Turnpike and am still getting cool breezes during the day. Now we did have a heatwave in February this year...maybe we are in for a 90 degree Christmas???

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