So, you think it’s hot in Andalusia at this time of year? Bah, Humbug, I say. You don’t know what hot is. Here in Southern Arizona (very aptly named by the Conquistadores – Arid Zona) we’ve been consistently around 110F (c.45C) for the past few weeks. For our British readers of a certain age, I can only quote the title of an old British sitcom, It Ain’t Arf  ‘Ot, Mum.

When you add in an almost complete absence of rainfall for the entire calendar year so far (about a centimeter), you can guess what comes next. Yeppers; raging wildfires. Current estimates put the burnt areas at about 4,000,000 acres (don’t ask me how many hectares that is, but it’s a whole bunch).  Now, while we all know this is Nature’s way of replenishing itself, that’s of little consolation to the people who have lost their homes or been forced to evacuate and hope there is something left when they are allowed to return.

Many of these wildfires have been burning for several weeks – really. Reports from the Fire Fighters only claim to have the fires to be around 50% controlled. All it takes is one stray ember to burn a new area, and the whole thing starts all over again.

All in all, though, these temperatures are considered to be about normal for this time of year. The absence of rain is the major difference. We’re told that the ‘Monsoon’ season is about to descend upon us, with immense amounts of rain in very short periods of time. Well, roll on.

Reminds me of the day I parked my car in Salobreña one morning and upon returning to it after an hour of Andalusian rain, could only gain access by wading through water above ankle deep. That, however, was in what passes for winter in Southern Spain. It’s a new thing for us to expect the major rainfall for the year in the summer months. All very strange! We just have to be thankful for a trio of modern creations, i.e. a swimming pool, central air-conditioning and refrigerators. In this heat, you take a cooling dip, retreat into the air-conditioned house, then take a cold cerveza from the ‘fridge. Then, as most prescriptions state, “Repeat as necessary”. It seems to work.

There have been so many more major ‘Natural Disasters’ in other parts of the USA, you’d think the End of Days is in perfect alignment. After more major floods and hurricane damage around the Mississippi Delta, we now have unusual amounts of flooding in the Dakotas (of all places), severe weather conditions in Minnesota and a lot of unseasonal rain in the North-East area.

Meteorologists are at a loss to explain these weather patterns (or lack of same). All I can tell you is – I knew this President would be a disaster! (And for our American readers who take their political stuff seriously – it’s a joke, OK? )