'Derecho' phenomenon has been noted before

Princeton University Professor Michael Oppenheimer told The Associated Press that this summer “is a window into what global warming really looks like.”

Noting the derecho, a Washington Post blog asked, “Could the heat added to the atmosphere from man-made greenhouse gases have provided extra fuel to this explosive storm?”

However, the derecho phenomenon, involving extremely strong winds for hundreds of miles, has been noted since at least 1877. The last time we checked, people at that time weren't “warming” the earth by driving cars.

Derechos are also relatively common in other parts of the country. Karen Hatfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said about four derechos occur in the area of Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri every three years.

And, yes, it has been hot. This isn't unusual in the summertime. National Weather Service records reveal many of Oklahoma's hottest days occurred in the 1930s. The two all-time highest temperatures in Oklahoma City occurred in 1936. And 1934 and 1936 were the third- and fourth-hottest years on record in numbers of days above 100 degrees.