107°F here in a few days

[DCLMP]

Based on my driving experience in AZ, AZ does NOT know how to make a road.

The drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon to Flagstaff to Antelope Canyon to Phoenix were some of the worst roads I have ever experienced. 30-40 mile long potholes, not a road 30 to 40 miles long with potholes, but 30 to 40 mile stretches of one long continuous pothole.

Horrendous.

Edited to add:
Asphalt is most likely to "melt" in extreme heat before it has fully cured. It takes 12-18 months to cure. Perhaps AZ's success is tied to the fact that roads are rarely paved. Their back to the dirt road campaign I experienced is working great!

I’ve lived here for 24 years our freeways and roads are mostly new and constantly repaved. . I can’t speak for the northern as that’s not a populated area. The 10 freeway has been shut every weekend this Summer for repaving and road improvements. We have two new freeways that opened in the last few years Most of the Phoenix area is relatively new. People keep moving here in droves.

 

[WhatDinosaur]

I wish I was in London this week to witness this melting road phenomenon. I guess AZ just knows how to make a road. Texas has no excuse.

Or maybe roads in the UK are made of materials that will survive their common weather, like rain or snow, instead of extreme heat? Civil engineers spend a lot of time on material selection, and these heat waves have been very uncommon, though they’re likely to happen more often in the future.

 

[Kestryl]

I'm not belittling them just pointing out they'll survive.

I mean, the poster will probably survive this heat wave. But not everyone will.

Extremes in cold or heat can be deadly, especially when you start factoring in secondary issues like power outages. Just because one may happen more often doesn’t mean the other should be ignored.


To all dealing with this- good luck! Stay hydrated, stay prepared. It’s rough to face an extreme.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

The roads and runways here DO melt. They're not built to survive the heat you see. And our train tracks do indeed buckle as they swell under the heat. It is what it is.

 

[DCLMP]

The roads and runways here DO melt. They're not built to survive the heat you see. And our train tracks do indeed buckle as they swell under the heat. It is what it is.

The technology is there for this not to happen. It really shouldn’t be happening in the US. Maybe someday we’ll get around to improving our roads instead of all the other nonsense.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

The technology is there for this not to happen. It really shouldn’t be happening in the US. Maybe someday we’ll get around to improving our roads instead of all the other nonsense.

I know, it's bizarre. We actually have gritters out on the road sanding the surfaces down.

Oh, and now the temperatures are due to hit 43°C, not 40°C.

 

[AnnaS]

Stay safe - in the US and Europe!

 

[RamblingMad]

They melt here in AZ as well. We're more used to the high temperatures.

 

[luvthatduke]

Death toll from European heatwave hits more than 1,000:​

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...orests-heatwave-causes-1-000-deaths-DAYS.html

 

[DCLMP]

They melt here in AZ as well. We're more used to the high temperatures.

No, they don't.

 

[DCLMP]

I know, it's bizarre. We actually have gritters out on the road sanding the surfaces down.

Oh, and now the temperatures are due to hit 43°C, not 40°C.

It will be over in about 48 hours and then you'll be back to gloomy grey skies and drizzle... just in time for my arrival.

 

[RamblingMad]

No, they don't.

Yes. They do. Here's a video with folks getting rescued off a mountain. At about 40 seconds in you'll see one of the rescuers put his foot into the warm asphalt.

 

[DCLMP]

Yes. They do. Here's a video with folks getting rescued off a mountain. At about 40 seconds in you'll see one of the rescuers put his foot into the warm asphalt.

That’s a hiking trail not a highway. LolL What is that Camelback where all the idiot tourist try to hike in July without water. Good grief.. I’ve lived here almost my whole life driven all over the valley daily for work and never have I had an issue with melted asphalt. Car batteries and tires don’t last at all here, but roads and highways don’t close down due to melting… if you actually live here then you already know all this.

 

[georgina]

It was hot in London last week (had to get off a bus because it overheated and walk instead), but it’s hotter now. Stonehenge was miserably hot yesterday.

 

[luvthatduke]

Neapolitan, you could see a free movie if you're a Ginger:

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/ne...medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

 

[Jangles]

It was hot in London last week (had to get off a bus because it overheated and walk instead), but it’s hotter now. Stonehenge was miserably hot yesterday.

Stonehenge had very little shade. Are you visiting Longleat while you are in the area? Or Salsbury to see the Magna Carta. England is actually very beautiful when the sun shines.

 

[VandVsmama]

Planes take off and land ever few minutes in Phoenix even with temps nearing 120. Most of the US has temps over 95 degrees in the Summer without melting runways. I find this story hard to believe.

It's simple. The asphalt/concrete runways in Phoenix are built to stand those temps, but the runways in the UK are not because they so rarely get such high temps.

 

[Karin1984]

To give a comparison for those who cannot understand complaining about the weather or have a 'we have it worse / that is my day every day'-opinion.

Think of the snowstorm Texas had last year(?), Texas isn't build for snow, Western Europe isn't build for heat above 90-95 degrees.

We reached 102F in the Netherlands today. Day care centres closed, extra measures at schools and homes for the elderly. Businesses spread their deliveries over several mornings instead of working in the afternoon. A lot of colleagues left early to go to the beach and our office manager handed out ice cream, first round at 11.00, second round at 15.00.

 

[RamblingMad]

To give a comparison for those who cannot understand complaining about the weather or have a 'we have it worse / that is my day every day'-opinion.

Think of the snowstorm Texas had last year(?), Texas isn't build for snow, Western Europe isn't build for heat above 90-95 degrees.

We reached 102F in the Netherlands today. Day care centjes closed, extra measures at schools and homes for the elderly. A lot of colleagues left early to go to the beach and our office manager handed out ice cream, first round at 11.00, second round at 15.00.

Exactly. I was in Atlanta when it shutdown due to snow.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

OK, this isn't funny anymore. It's hit the magical 100°F today. We aren't built for this. We are built for RAIN! There are giant cracks in the golf courses, wildfires all over the place (it's a tinder box in many places and all it needs is a shard of glass or cigarette end) and people are wilting. Makes me appreciate the A/C in my car so much more!