Congrats, Louisiana. You are 'the epicenter of summertime oppressive weather'

[fleur-de-lisa]

https://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2018/08/louisiana_oppressive_heat_summ.html

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Brettschneider found the Gulf Coast topped the charts in terms of overwhelming heat, with Louisiana as "the epicenter of summertime oppressive weather." His analysis looked specifically at temperatures -- both actual and "feels like" heat indexes -- on summer days between noon and 6 p.m. He found summer temps in Louisiana are at or above 95 degrees between 40 percent and 70 percent of the time. That compares with 1 percent to 5 percent in places like Michigan and upstate New York. Louisiana is the large pulsing red blob on the country's underbelly on the literal heat map Brettschneider provides.

In New Orleans, specifically, the measured temperature and/or heat index was at or above 95 degrees about 39 percent of the time during summer afternoons and early evenings, according to the analysis. That put us on par with Beaumont, Texas and Tallahassee, Florida.

To be sure, Louisiana isn't the only place that lives under the tyranny of summertime heat. Brettschneider notes there is a "secondary peak of oppressiveness" in the desert areas of southern Arizona, in and around Phoenix. But, as any good Louisianan will tell you, there's a difference between dry desert heat and hot, sticky Gulf Coast heat. Arizona may hit you with the sweltering temps, but only Louisiana will make you feel like you need a shower immediately after your shower.

Indeed, Brettschneider's map may make you question why on earth we live in Louisiana. On the plus side, everyone gets a free, all-access pass to a giant sauna for roughly half the year. Also, may we suggest reflecting on the magical season known as winter? When everyone else is waiting on snow plows and wielding heavy coats and ice scrapers, we're stuck deliberating whether it's really worth it to pack away shorts and tank tops.