Thermometer Standoff
delosharriman suggested installing insulators behind the thermometer on the back porch so that it would pick up less heat from the post on which it is installed, to reduce the amount of heat radiating from the post, which gets direct sunlight on the opposite side from where the thermometer is mounted.
Taking one of the empty containers of my diabetes test strips, Lisa cut a couple of plastic separators and remounted the thermometer to create an air gap between it an the post.
It's still unpleasantly hot.
Still, the humidity remains at a mere 12%, so the swamp cooler still cuts the worst of the heat as long as we keep ventilating the house. OTOH, the AQI is also still running at around 160 (unhealthy), so that same ventilation brings smoke into the house. I keep the fans with their air filters in the open windows even when I'm not using the fan itself, in order to cut the amount of smoke coming into the house and getting into our lungs. We went to Lowe's this afternoon and bought more air filters, too.
Despite my complaints, I know it could be and is worse elsewhere, especially with what appears to be much of Siberia ablaze.