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Monday, June 28, 2010

How Hot? We're Talking Spontaneous Combustion

How hot is it? It's so hot that dead plants are spontaneously combusting in Frederick, Md.
Don't believe it? Just ask Frederick County Fire Marshal Marc McNeal, who told the Frederick News-Post that excessive heat caused a dead plant to catch fire Sunday afternoon in a hanging planter on the rear deck of a townhouse.

The hanging basket fell to the deck and burned some vinyl siding, causing about $3,000 in damages.

It has definitely been hot in the Washington region. Monday will be the 10th day in a row that we've reached 90 degrees or higher, and this will be the 17th day of the month that the thermometer has reached 90.

NBC4 meteorologist Tom Kierein said that when it's all said and done, June 2010 likely will be the hottest June on record in the District.

Well, there is good news for all of those concerned about spontaneously combusting as soon as they step outside Monday. Relief is on the way.

A welcome break will come Monday night as a cool front brings cooler temperatures and lower humidity. But it will come at the expense of possible thunderstorms ahead of the cool front.

There will be a small chance of isolated storms with damaging winds between 4-8 p.m.
However, the low humidity and cooler temperatures are expected to stay with us all the way through the Fourth of July weekend.

So try not to catch fire just yet. If you can hang on for one more day, you will be rewarded with a break from the heat.

Source

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank God! I have no A/C in my car and one of the A/C's died in my house. I went to Walmart in order to cool off.

Anonymous said...

Check your breakers & fuses to the outdoor unit.

Anonymous said...

sorry, not possible unless a magnification of rays through glass or crystal. Ask any physical science major.

Anonymous said...

8:43..wrong! There have been many spontaneous fires at playgrounds where mulch is used. Fertilizers are used in plants and chemicals are used in mulch the generated heat can spontaneously ignite. There have even been children injured on playgrounds when this has occured, check it out. A lot of playgrounds are replacing mulch with rubber and other materials as a result.