On this date in 1936, the high temperature in Fredonia reached 121 degrees. That set a record for hottest temperature in Kansas which still stands.
But the heat wasn’t restricted to the southeast corner of the state. Just six days later after Fredonia hit 121, Alton in northcentral Kansas matched it.
Sounds like the set-up for a punchline — but it’s not.
Researchers say that global warming could eventually lead to more kidney stones in much of the United States. Not only that, they calculate the direct and indirect costs of treating perhaps two million new kidney stone cases a year could climb $1 billion by 2050. That’s an increase of 25%.
Previous research has found that the risk of kidney stone formation increases when urine volume drops, which happens when a person is poorly hydrated. Global warming could increase the number of cases of kidney stones by 30%, researchers say. The projection is based on the theory that global warming will make people sweat more, and without proper hydration they will be at greater risk for kidney stones.
The researchers caution that if the risk increases directly with temperature, high-population coastal regions could see the largest jumps in the number of kidney stone cases. If, however, the risk suddenly climbs steeply at some threshold temperature, a band stretching from Kentucky to northern California would likely see the most new cases.
I hope not. Late June days rarely come this nice around Wichita: mid-80s, a light teasing wind, wisps of cottony clouds speckling a powder blue sky.
Contrast this, for instance, with the last day of June in 1980. The mercury hit 110 that year, which is the hottest June day in the city’s history. It served as an early indication of one of the city’s most memorable heat waves, but I’ll write more about that later.
For now, savor June’s farewell.
The mercury is expected to reach 90 today, and Memorial Day’s still a week away yet. As early as that may seem, it’s a far cry from the earliest date for that temperature in Wichita history.
You’ll have to go all the way back to March for the earliest date to reach 90. On March 19, 1907, the thermometer reached 91.
Fret not, though: despite today’s toasty reading, forecasters say it doesn’t mean spring’s already history. Cooler temperatures are on tap for the rest of the week.