Hot Time in the City and a Dubious Anniversary

Today marks a rather dubious anniversary. It was on this date seventeen years ago that the temperature in Phoenix reached 122° - the all-time high. Yikes. I remember a couple of days later commenting to a coworker that it felt noticeably cooler - it was only 118°. There's even a mathematic formula where the date equals the temperature: 6 + 26 + 90 = 122.

'Tis the season, I guess. Temperatures above 110° in the Sonoran Desert are actually a rather necessary precursor to the monsoon. The ancient Indians in the area also timed the monsoon as an event occurring after the cicadas arrived - and I've heard a few lately.

I am, however, thankful we did not hit 122° today. But the thermometer here at our house did record the highest temperature so far this summer - a mere 114°. I'll be glad when the monsoon arrives.