It’s a beautiful day, 97 degree temps not withstanding. Odoroki is guarding the window from… passersby. Hime is brooding upstairs on her throne, because she’s a moody, needy little princess. The basils are blooming, so I lopped off those suckers and scream, “LEAVES, DAMMIT”. And my Rosa Bianco eggplants are busy being dramatic. We get it, you like water, stop whining.
It’s a nice break from trying to figure out how to design an interactive map. Next few days in NorCal will be 108 degrees. *sigh* Stay safe, PNW area. We gotta get through this. Open thread, have at it.
Cermet
But during the dinosaurs’ times, those areas were just as hot – so you can see, AGW is normal and not human caused …wait, I said AGW …oops. Just undermined my own logic.
Gvg
Boring rainy monsoon day with Elsa going by. Woke up by phone text alerts for tornados and it just rains and rains. I cleaned a little and want to cook but just can’t get motivated. Boring. No power loss so that’s good. It’s been raining a lot for about 3 weeks so things were already saturated. I think the forecast is showers for the next week but hopefully not all day.
CaseyL
Today it is actually CHILLY.
First, went into the office (my one day per week) and they had the AC cranked up so much I had to borrow one of the lab coats. Then, when I got home – where all my windows and sliding glass doors are open, have been open since the heat set in – it was cool enough that I could put on some snugglies.
I hear we’re in for another bad heat wave over the next week or so. I will treasure feeling a touch too much cool.
prostratedragon
Robert Cleanth Kai-Nen “D. D.” Jackson:
E.
I am really suffering here on the CA/OR border at 3000 feet. Yesterday was the 12th day in a row of 100 degree temperatures in my town (topping out at 111, but usually in the 102-105 range). No one here has cooling — it has always been possible to cool the house enough at night by leaving your windows open. My house is completely sweltering. Tomorrow I am driving to Oregon to try to find an air conditioner because I can’t take it any more.
These heat domes are a feature of a warming arctic and a more meandering jet stream. They aren’t going to always hit the same place, but they are going to start happening more and more often. Will it wake anyone up? I sure hope so. The last two weeks here have been dreadful, and it’s supposed to start up again next week. 106 forecast for Saturday.
Madeleine
My sister and her fairly new husband closed on a house July 1st in the environs of Tampa. They plan to be snowbirds, but, to make some adjustments in the house, they’re staying for the month. Sooo today they must be enjoying the rains and winds of Elsa. Florida welcomes them.
The town’s name is Zephyrhills, which I have difficulty taking seriously.
Math Guy
Scattered showers = consolidated humidity.
NotMax
Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
Been down, isn’t it a pity
Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city
.
:)
piratedan
@NotMax:
or perhaps…..
you and me and Rain on the roof
caught up in a summer shower
drying while it soaks the flowers
maybe we’ll be caught for hours
waiting out the sun…..
CaseyL
@E.: I’m having someone come by later this month to give me an estimate on a heat pump. I’ll need to find out what kind of refrigerant it uses for the AC part – the old refrigerants are very bad for the environment, but, fortunately, are being phased out.
And then I need to decide whether to go with the heat pump or a swamp cooler. Much less efficient as a cooler, but far more eco-friendly. Depending on how much humidity you get, a swamp cooler might be an option for you. They’re also hella less expensive than ACs, to buy and to use. Note, though, they only cool things down about 5 º.
NotMax
And can’t let pass by an obligatory summer song.
Chh chh-chh, uh. Chh chh-chh, uh.
Suzanne
@CaseyL: May I recommend against the swamp cooler in the PNW? We bought one when we moved to AZ as an affordable way to not run the AC, and they work, but only when it’s pretty darn dry. I think y’all get too much precip.
E.
@CaseyL: We have a swamp cooler here in the bakery and it helps quite a bit — definitely more than 5 degrees, as it is pretty arid here. But I need it so rarely (well, *formerly* rarely anyway) I kind of want something small that I can put away for ten months of the year and only use when I am at home and desperate. I live alone and am not at home that much during the hottest part of the day. But if you live in an arid environment, I think swamp coolers are great. Not so noisy either.
I can’t afford a heat pump, although it would sure be nice. I heat my house with wood and have no other heating. I am getting older now and am losing the flexibility and strength to chop firewood safely.
NotMax
@NotMax
And just in case Amir is around….
NetheadJay
@E.: Fuuck, that sounds unbearable. Hope you get some nice air-conditioned relief.
Ruemara, I always love seeing your kitties and plants too, whether it’s here or on insta. Sending virtual scritches to Odo and Hime.
Spanky
The highest average high for the DC area is 89F, running from July 7 to July 22. The max average low is 71F, running from July 4 to August 10, according to the NWS records. The interesting thing about the record temps for July isn’t the highest highs, but the maximum low temps. Record high mins have been set since 2000 on 21 of the 31 days, vs just 10 21st century record highs.
This, I think, is where we’re seeing the effects of AGW, and why I would be getting AC if I was in the PNW, or any other “usual” cool location. The temps they are a-changin’.
CaseyL
@Suzanne: Turns out Seattle is more humid than I thought (the weather being so mild that it’s usually not noticeable) but still under the 50% threshold for using a swamp cooler. One might not be as effective here as someplace like AZ (or, per E., the CA-OR borderlands) but it would still make a little bit of a difference.
I’m weighing whether a little difference will be enough. Running an AC has a lot of drawbacks.
Cacti
@Suzanne: They’d probably work pretty well anywhere east of the Cascade ridge.
WaterGirl
@Spanky: What is AGW?
NotMax
FYI, dropping on Netflix this Friday, the Gallic How I Became a Superhero.
Sure Lurkalot
I’m not looking forward to the next two days closing in on 3 digit hell. I should be happy with a 30 degree diurnal swing here in the Mile High city, but I dislike anything over 80. I have no idea how anyone lives in say, Phoenix or Palm Springs where I would be comfortable like 2 months out of the year and then only marginally so. How doesn’t it zap your energy and motivation? And then there’s the “it’s hot outside, let’s set the a/c to 68” which is just about every indoor space. When I worked, I had a space heater for the summertime.
Dan B
@CaseyL: We put in ductless heat pumps when our gas furnace was dying – 2009. We figured we would use the cooling for the one day a year it got too hot. Ha! $3,000 for two indoor units plus the compressor. It was a lot more than a new gas furnace but it’s been incredibly efficient. Our City Light bills are low except for December and January, less than the gas bills were. It’s surprising how the single unit upstairs heats and cools all rooms but the office.
Nora Lenderbee
Does not compute.
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
Anthropogenic global warming. (Human-caused.)
Dan B
@Spanky: Your observation is correct. The interaction between Jet Stream and North America makes the PNW and NE more likely to get heat waves and the Midwest / Great Lakes to get higher rainfall. Plus, I believe the higher water vapor holds in heat at night, like a blanket.
prostratedragon
@E.: That failure of nighttime cooling is the worst part. Hope you find an air conditioner.
A different view of summer, which should be subtitled “The Mosquito:”
eclare
This is all so strange. I live in Memphis, which has brutal summers and “air you can scoop with your hand,” but we’ve never had anything like what the PNW is getting. And of course we have A/C everywhere. Over 100 for days in a row? I can’t imagine.
Spanky
@Dan B:
Absofrickinlutely, plus the added CO2 in the atmosphere does the same thing.
sab
Mid-90s in NE Ohio this week, and last night our new (last year) all-house generator kicked on for about 1 1/2 hours when the power kept going in and out. We thought we’d only need it during storms. First Energy strikes again.
We put in AC about five years ago. I hated having to do it, but we are too old to weather current climate. Keeping my very elderly dad healthy in his big old house was really a chore. Major reason I moved him to assisted living.
The cats hate the AC. They sunbathe in windows a lot.
ETA First Energy is the company that blew out the whole eastern US about 15 years ago when they couldn’t be bothered to trim trees away from power lines. One of our bigger hometown companies.
germy
This Woman Convinced Her Coworkers She Was Friendly and Approachable by Only Using Gmail Auto-Responses
https://reductress.com/post/this-woman-convinced-her-coworkers-she-was-friendly-and-approachable-by-only-using-gmail-auto-responses/
tybee
Oddly, here on the Georgia coast, it’s been one of the coolest summers I can recall.
Normally, July and August are roastingly hot but not this year and the forecast for the next two weeks is highs in the 80’s. Of course it’s very humid but the A/C hasn’t had to run as much as it normally does.
I like it this way. :)
Gbbalto
I suspect the hotter nights are due to increasing use of AC dumping more heat from homes, plus the energy to run the AC being dumped as well, on top of ACW.
Eta run the AC more which makes the outdoors hotter, so run the AC more… will work for a while unless you’re too poor to run AC.
CaseyL
@Gbbalto: Thus my reluctance to get an AC.
Steve in the ATL
@tybee: no rain down there?
Gbbalto
@CaseyL: I am currently running a window unit that cools my top floor bedroom and office and keeps the rest of the house tolerable.
Eta live inn Baltimore and am old so need some relief
Phylllis
@tybee: Good to hear. We’re off to Jekyll Island next week.
sab
Thunderstorm watch all day, but we are apparently in the 40% that is not getting precipitation. High humidity, but my plants want rain, and husband won’t let me go water them while thunder is rumbling.
tybee
@Steve in the ATL:
Getting welcome rain now due to Elsa. It has been a pretty dry spring.
Dan B
@eclare: I lived in NE and visited Fort Smith and Clarksville in the summers prior to AC. It was brutal as you say, “air you can scoop”. It felt as bad here at 100 – 110+. It was over 100 by 9 AM and below 100 at sunset – 9:15PM. I remember a friend informing me that 90 was brutal in Fairbanks because it was 20+ hours of daylight and heat. I recall one day in Clarksville where we lay on drenched sheets in the fan because it was 90% humidity and 90 at 8AM and got up to 104 by noon. I was delirious. That was hotter than it felt in Seattle. One day that it was worse in a year in Arkansas.
We had plants that were scorched to the ground and some large shrubs that lost all their blooms from the sun.
tybee
@Phylllis:
this is about as good as it gets down here this time of year:
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/9c0ae75de815f7462101e3433474c2ee900697972e1435964ee5c97dc0b97a07
brantl
@piratedan: You can’t go wrong with the Lovin’ Spoonful!
Spanky
Well, it’s down to 87 here though the dewpoint is still at 72. I’m sitting out back here enjoying the little breeze and the clouds over the sun. Got the Thermacell fired up because these are ideal conditions for our skeeters.
Dan B
@Gbbalto: The impact of AC from residential is minimal. Our AC raises the temperature in an area 6 x 6. It’s under the porch at the front door so we felt it. A couple feet past that and there was no difference. Wuth a 5,000 Sq. Ft. lot and road the impact of the asphalt and our neighbor’s ICE vehicles is 100 times as much. The heat coming our of the tailpipes and off the engine blocks is huge. Reducing AC and lighting in large buildings would cancel out the impact of most residential AC if it were even minor adjustments.
Save your health. Emergency hospitalization likely has a bugger negative impact than AC for the home. Think of the impact of home heating in the winter. It’s not noticeable even in crowded cities. Pavement causes heat islands.
dexwood
@CaseyL: Here in the High Desert of New Mexico, I have a large swamp cooler on the roof. It keeps my house cooled to 70 t0 72 degrees when the temperature is in the mid to high 90s and the humidity is low. Suzanne is right about your location and the benefits of installing one. You will be disappointed. During our monsoon season, when the humidity is up to 40 or 50 %, it simply does not do the job. Plus, they can be noisy. We’re looking into AC.
opiejeanne
@CaseyL: I hope that prediction is wrong.
Weather Underground says the highest temp in the next ten days in my yard is 85 on Saturday before it heads back down. Today was overcast most of the day, and this morning I wore a light jacket in the garden because it was breezy and 65, and I’m a wuss but by 11 am it was very pleasant outdoors. Within two days of the heat abating, the vegetables were jumping out of the ground, probably because we gave them enough water. Now they’re making up for the late start we had because we didn’t have the greenhouse up and running until late May.
debbie
Just back from my daily walk and I am so over this fucking summer. Too hot, too muggy, and now the cicadas have started up. ???
lowtechcyclist
I’m definitely a hot-weather sort of guy. Here in Calvert County, it’s 84 with a heat index of 94, and I’m sitting out on the deck, perfectly comfortable. The kiddo thinks I’m nuts, but I’d rather be out here than inside with the A/C.
@Madeleine:
Me too, and I’ve been there. (The in-laws live in Plant City, which is pretty close by.)
Eric S.
@Madeleine:
Just after college some buddies and vacationed in the Tampa area several times. One of their grandfathers had a house in Saddlebrook, a tennis and golf resort, in Zephyrhills. Or at least at the Zephyrhills exit. There is (was?) a Waffle House at the exit we spent WAY too much time at in the wee hours of the morning.
opiejeanne
We have people coming to give us an estimate in August and September but the earliest we can expect installation will be sometime after mid-October, maybe as late as January. That heat dome ten days ago has backed up every company with appointments and installation for months.
Amir Khalid
@NotMax:
Thanks. That was actually one of the best guitar lessons I’ve seen on YouTube — simple, clear explanation, and very easy to follow.
Mary G
I hate to say it for fear of jinxing it, but my bottom left corner of Orange Co. has had weather this year from the olden times of May Grey, June/July Gloom. Not much sun until perhaps the afternoon, but temps are low and steady. From tomorrow to Wednesday of next week, the forecast temperature is 73 degrees
every.single.day.Oops, while I was typing that they changed tomorrow to 72, Sat. 77, Sun. 74, M-W all still at 73.It’s more humid than I like, but compare to all y’all it’s heaven.
Martin
@Mary G: I’ve got a hill between me and the marine layer, so we’re running closer to 80. Still pretty reasonable.
O. Felix Culpa
@dexwood: In my corner of the high desert of NM, we finally installed mini-splits. I’m so glad we did. We used a company from ABQ that I can highly recommend, if you’re interested.
JMG
Already had 13 days in Boston over 90, which is just about the summer average and summer’s just started. Here on the Cape it’s been around 80-85 on the real hot days. It’s been humid, too, but with one exceptional day, there’s been breezes to keep it livable if less than ideal. Of course, we’re due to get Elsa on Friday. I will put the grill in the corner of the deck closest to the house, turn the tables upside down and Anchor the covering for the sectional.
oatler.
End of the spring and here she comes there
Hi hi hi there
Madeleine
@Eric S.: Thanks. My sister’s place is in a golf resort. Nice to know that the town has history, Waffle Houses. It must be real!
John Cole
omg that tail in the second picture I would touch it even though I know I would get clawed
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
Here in N CA, my Basil is also trying to bloom, so I keep pinching off the blossoms and encouraging the leaves. Never had this problem before. The basil only bloomed in the fall, when it was time to “go to seed”. Sigh. I sure hope this isn’t the new normal. I have lots of plans for basil leaves when our home grown tomatoes start coming in
ETA: OMG, that tail is glorious!
Mo MacArbie
Man, “The Waffle House in Zephyrhills” should be a song. I don’t suppose they had any pepper mills.
zhena gogolia
@John Cole:
It’s amazing!
zhena gogolia
We just had dinner at our favorite local restaurant for the first time in 16 months. Felt good but weird. We had to eat inside because THERE ARE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS EVERY SINGLE DAY NOW.
WaterGirl
@John Cole: That tale is a thing of beauty. How could you help yourself?
Fair Economist
@Mary G:I think the very hot temps inland have accentuated the Cali coastal AC system (onshore winds). I expect our relative good fortune will fade later in the summer when the water is warmer and the interior less scorching.
Uncle Cosmo
@NotMax:
dexwood
@O. Felix Culpa: I am interested. All front pagers have my permission to give my email address to you. Quinerly. too.
Reasgach
Love the names of your cats! I’m guessing that the kanji for their names are 驚き(おどろき) and 姫
(ひめ). If that’s a good guess, then their names would translate to “Surprise” and “Princess” in English. Of course, being a cat, “Princess” would probably prefer to be addressed as お姫様 “Honorable Princess.” My cats believe they’re royalty of course (and maybe they are)!
smedley the uncertain
prolly to late but; lived 20 odd years in S E Az on the Sonoran Plateau and owned five homes . Four were swamp cooled and one heat pump. Most were slump block with a BUG roof and swamp cooling. Explain that to your back east buds who thought you were nuts to be out there in first place. Swamp cooling was a wonderful invention not only cooled but humidified the air when necessary. Ask any body with solid wood furniture etc. Had gas heat for the few chilly months… BUT! the heat pump. A wonderful invention until it isn’t. Builder installed heat pump, a duct system and a cistern. The cistern to capture water and act as a heat source/cooling sink. Genius. Except didn’t install heat ex-changers in cistern or Heat strips in Heat Pump. It gets cold in the high desert and NO heat source to pump. Dam near cost the marriage ’cause when this shit happens I’m always 5000 miles away on an airplane somewhere. Bottom line, heat pump is excellent when done right.
Dan B
@Spanky: I believe that increased water vapor is directly involve with reflecting heat back to earth at might. CO2 does it in daytime as well as nighttime. Water vapor is key to holding in heat at night and if it helps form clouds at night when the upper atmosphere cools they hold the heat closer to the surface.
Dan B
@opiejeanne: When there’s a Seattle Meetup I’d be glad to open our house and crazy weird (with brilliant bits) garden. We went 90% “Thunberg” and love 99% of it.
I probably could cook on our 5 burner Samsung range and 2 countertop induction burners.
Any Socialist Seattleites game?