How hot is it?

Yes, this is Alabama, and it's August, and we ought to expect this sort of thing by now. But man, it's hot out there. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for 37 Alabama counties, including all of The Star's coverage area, amply reported by our own Nick Cenegy here.

According to the weather service, a heat advisory ...

(...) MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS
EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY
WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE
POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS...STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED
ROOM...STAY OUT OF THE SUN...AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND
NEIGHBORS.

Whew. That's hot. So hot, in fact, that a casual repetition of a time-worn phrase has turned into a newsroom dare: Is it really hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement? Since we at The Anniston Star aim to provide readers with answers to all the important questions, we're coming tomorrow in hot pursuit of the truth, armed with a half dozen eggs and a stick of butter in the newspaper's parking lot. We'll also have a video camera so we can share our findings with you right away. Check this blog for the results around mid-afternoon tomorrow.

Thanks, and keep cool.