It'll Be a Very Warm Time in the Old Town Tonight

I know hot weather. I have been in heat: foolishly trying to walk to an appointment while wearing a pressed, briefly crisp white shirt and tie in Hong Kong heat and humidity. Strolling the Las Vegas Strip when the temperature hit 117F. Shopping in outdoor markets on a sweltering Mumbai afternoon. Stopping at a desert camp for a meal in the United Arab Emirates in weather that was far from chilly.

And I live in California, where temperatures - or temps, as our local TV weather forecasters call them - can reach triple-digits. Yet, unless they actually do reach triple digits, the aforementioned weatherpersons will not utter the H word on the air: Hot. Forecasts this week, for example, call for seven consecutive days with highs at 90F and above, yet the TV weather map reads "Very Warm.'' Excuse me, that's hot. Why the reluctance to utter the H word?

Denial of climate change, consciously or unconsciously? Could be, as said weatherpersons virtually never address global warming in their reports. Or maybe it's a California thing. The Golden State is, after all, famous as the land of sun and fun. With lots of sun come lots of high temps. They are virtually never dampened in the dry summer months by rain - er, precip (forecaster-speak for precipitation). So, maybe it's bad PR for the state, even when directed at people who live here.

Ah, well. It's supposed to hit 98F shortly and that means just one thing: It'll be a very warm time in the old town tonight.