The "Heat Hits New Record!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the headline in my morning paper which read: "Heat hits new record."  Now, if I had been in a warm climate or possibly one of the Caribbean Islands, I'd understand the headline...but in Lancaster, Pennsylvania...well, that's pretty hard to fathom!  The subhead continued with "Mercury in Millersville reaches 90, breaking record set in 1974."  90 degrees...and it's only early May!  What's it going to be like in August this year?  Well, the newspaper went on to exclaim..."A wave of summerlike warmth sent temperatures in Lancaster County soaring into record territory, eclipsing a record high that had stood for half a century.  Not since 2010 has the first 90-degree day of the year happened in April, said Kyle Elliott, the center's director.  Seems we also have projected highs in the 90s for a few more days.  And...May has only begun!!  Temperatures should remain several degrees above normal for the balance of the week, according to the weather center's forecast.  Elliott said temperatures could dip again in a few days, but still continue in the above-average temperatures.  May doesn't look cool, and there should be no more frost or freeze concerns across southeastern PA.  The number of warm days should definitely outweigh the number of cool ones, but temperature won't approach record levels again for at least the next 1-2 weeks.  The temperature spike is a welcome change after a frost advisory last week, Penn State Farm food safety educator Jeff Stoltzfus said. Last week's low in the mid-to upper 30s posed food threats to produce including strawberries, peppers, tomatoes and peaches.  Stoltzfus said farmers are resting easier with the temperature bump.  "If we do that whiplash again, and go back again to frostbite-type temperatures, that will be an issue because the crops will have moved along.  The further along they are when that cold weather comes along, the more the challenge."  Stoltzfus said the increased warmth could lead to some early harvests.  "I think we're in good shape.  We've had some dry weather here as farmers have gotten a lot of field work done," Stoltzfus said.  "At this point, we're all just glad to be past the frost."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.