'Unprecedented heat': Iran begins two-day nationwide shutdown amid soaring temperatures
'Unprecedented heat': Iran begins two-day nationwide shutdown amid soaring temperatures
The two-day shutdown comes at a time of record-breaking extreme heat across the globe, with July poised to be the hottest month in history.
The two-day shutdown comes at a time of record-breaking extreme heat across the globe, with July poised to be the hottest month in history.
Precedented
41What do they mean “poised to be?” Its august 2nd.
20I'd imagine official verification and so forth is yet to come.
20And August could be hotter.
4Permanently Deleted
2
While that is hot, it ain't newsworthy hot. In Texas it's considered normal summer weather. Helps to have A/C.
-81Many Iranian cities and towns have suffered from temperatures above 40°C /104°F in recent days, while the oil-rich southwestern city of Ahvaz hit 50°C/122°F on Tuesday.
- OP articleHere in Texas, the month saw several cities shatter heat records, with some parts of the state seeing sustained temperatures over 37°C/98.6°F for days on end.
- Thirsty and exhausted, Texans feel the heat - BBC posted 1 day agoIt is newsworthy hot in both places. The difference is, Iranians are getting some relief from their government instead of having their water breaks rescinded.
80Texas is especially atrocious.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/29/us/texas-prisons-heat.html
The department operates 98 facilities, of which 31 are fully air-conditioned and 14 have no cooling at all. The rest have air-conditioning only in certain areas. The department has been adding air-conditioning each year and now has more than 43,000 “cool beds” — about a third of those in the system — according to Ms. Hernandez. The department has discussed plans to eventually air-condition all prisons at a projected cost of more than $1 billion, but still needs the funding.
OK, so most Texas prisons are only partially air conditioned. It's so hot that inmates feel like they're getting cooked. Even showers don't provide relief because the water which comes out is already warm to hot. It can't be worse than that, right? Oh wait...
The current cost of bottled water is now $7.20 a case. Before, it was $4.80 a case. An individual bottle now costs $0.30 as opposed to $0.20.
As triple-digital heat continues, Dr. Amite Dominick with Texas Prisons Community Advocates pointed out that the price increase could not come at a worse time.
"Oftentimes, the primary breadwinner is the person who is incarcerated. So that's an additional financial strain, and then they are forced to purchase things like water," Dominick said.
The TDCJ pointed out that inmates still have access to non-bottled water at their units for free, but Dominick said many Texas prisons are old with outdated pipes.
"The tap water is filthy. It's simply filthy," Watson said.
16Oh no doubt there, fuck Texas. I thought Texas would be hotter, actually. I'm in CA and we're looking at 107 this weekend with some low 100s before and after, which isn't bad compared to the 4-5 days in July when it was north of 110. But we mandate water breaks and so forth, like the big government lovers we are. Again, I'd imagine the availability of AC plays a role, 100+ where I am is mostly fine, but 90 in the bay area where a lot of home don't have AC is a rougher.
9High humidity will keep air temperatures low. If you want to compare cities in different biomes, it would be better to look at heat index values. I'm showing Ahvaz at 10% relative humidity right now, so the air temperature will be close to the heat index. In Houston, the air temperature can be 100, but with 50-60% humidity factored in, the heat index could top 122.
2
You think that's hot, you should see the center of the sun! Now that's hot!
18You think that’s hot, you should feel the surface of the sun!
1
The highest temperature ever recorded at El Paso, since 1879, was 114°F (46°C), less than the highest temperature reported in Iran of 122°F (50°C). 122°F would be a new all-time high in Texas, which the news would certainly mention.
And Texas's notoriously shitty ERCOT power grid has to endure those temperatures and keep working to even have air conditioning available. Two days ago it hit a new record for megawatts delivered. Then yesterday it broke that record, setting the 7th record high this summer. I'm glad the grid is still functioning, but I wonder how long it can stay that way before resorting to load shedding or experiencing an outage.
16I wonder when Texas will get its head out of its arse and connect to the rest of the nation's grid. It's literally killing people to not have that connection.
1
I was kind of surprised, where I am those are pretty normal temperatures, not for weeks on end but it can hit like that for a few days in a row. We're expecting higher temperatures this weekend.
Many Iranian cities and towns have suffered from temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days, while the oil-rich southwestern city of Ahvaz hit 50 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. [122F]
The capital city of Tehran experienced temperatures of 39 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
I just checked and their nightly lows are in the high 80sF so that sucks for sure. That 122F high is bonkers though, that's pushing death valley territory. But overall it's not worse than Arizona has been going through for like more than a month, highs above 110 and lows in the 90s. Greece's heatwave seems like it is about on par to what Iran is going through, and I don't remember hearing about them shutting down the country, just limiting outdoor work and deliveries during peak heat hours.
But like you said, A/C might be a difference maker. I don't know what Iran's climate control availability is like, and this article didn't say.
6
This is a climate catastrophe! If you still drive a petrol car, you are the problem! Those poor Iranians…
-84Stop putting the blame on the individual when corporations easily account for over 70% of global emissions and pollution. My gas powered car isn't gonna change shit.
39Big yikes. As long as the grid that you plug your EVs into is based off of fossil fuels, you're not solving anything.
12My grid is based off of wind. Yours could be too. Demand it, importantly demand the laws that allow it be built . Many areas have outlawed them, or may as well because of all the red tape. They are standard these days and so permits should be shall issue in request for a standard design.
21
I switched to paper straws so I think that makes me carbon neutral now.
9Great! Every bit helps!
1
I’m not going to have kids so I feel like I can drive whatever because my carbon footprint ends with me. I’m also fairly fatalistic about climate change. Humans are too stupid to stop it and when enough of us die the problem will solve itself.
3I don't get the fatalist viewpoint. Yeah, a lot of people are actively resisting change for one reason or another. But at the same time, there has been progress towards the necessary goals. Civilization will end up worse off than without climate change, but we're not going to be thrown back into the Stone Age or anything.
1
Good point, I'll just commute 2 hours both ways by bike then. Thanks for your contribution. /s
3