Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

July 11, 2007

The heat is on

"It's Hot.
Africa Hot.
Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot.
I don't think I can stay here if it's gonna be this hot." Biloxi Blues

Yes that's right, Pacific Northwesterners are bitching about the weather again. It's who we are, it's what we do. We don't like it this hot. Some of us moved here specifically for the rain. The thing that kills me is all the people flocking to Home Depot to buy up fans and air conditioners. You'd think that everyone would have at least one fan in their homes from prior heatwaves!! Anything in purple is considered the "Excessive Heat Warning Zone."

And Brian has to go to Albany, Oregon today, then to Portland on Thursday, and home on Friday night. It's gonna be hot down there too. He is not a happy camper.

Brush fire along Highway 167, near Sumner, on Tues. 7/10.

But at least I don't live in Eastern Washington, where it stays hot like this ALL summer. And yeah, it's supposedly a "dry heat" but you know, heat is heat. It's uncomfortable, humid or dry.
Here are some area high temperatures from yesterday. What makes these highs so amazing is that places like Astoria, Quillayute, Hoquiam, Shelton & Forks are coastal and usually stay cool in the summer; Friday Harbor is in the San Juan Islands and rarely ever gets that hot!

Astoria, OR: 92
Vancouver (WA): 104
Portland, OR: 102
Hoquiam: 99 (All time record high)
Shelton: 98
Forks: 93
Bremerton: 91
Port Angeles: 91
Quillayute: 93
Olympia: 90
Seattle: 89
Friday Harbor: 87
Now this is what I'm talkin' about!! Next stop: Juneau, Alaska! Seriously. Not this year, not next year, maybe not even for 5 years, but we will be relocating to Juneau at some point in the future.
Val and I had a really great discussion the other day about reducing one's "carbon footprint". The 2 things that have no wiggle-room for me are needing my car to get to work and the use of air conditioning. It never occured to me that Euro cities don't utilize air con the way we do over here, and Val said she was surprised to read so many American blogs and comments where we talk about cranking up the air con. I was raised in hot, humid Massachusetts, then spent 10 years in the Bay Area, 6 of which were in Marin County, where it gets hot like this on a daily basis. I was miserable and cranky. I have passed out from excessive heat. I vowed "never again". So, I guess my carbon footprint is what it is. The one good thing is that our central air system at home is extremely efficient, and my car is also fuel efficient, so I do what I can, but I make no apologies for putting my personal comfort first. When I was 22 and got my first car, I specifically requested no air con because it was bad for the environment. I was young, foolish and trying to change the world. Now I'm just old and cynical.
On another note, some of my alltime favourite places in the entire universe made the Top 10 Cities in the USA! Here is the list:

1. New York
2. San Francisco
3. Chicago
4. Santa Fe
5. Quebec City
6. Charleston, SC
7. Vancouver, BC
8. Montreal
9. Victoria, BC
10. Seattle

I'm sure Canadians will be so pleased to know that Quebec City, Vancouver, Montreal & Victoria are considered "US Cities".

11 comments:

  1. I need a ticket to Alaska please!It is almost 100 here PLUS the extra weight of humidity,which makes you sweat,even IF you didn't have that capability!

    I know dry heat is hot too but DAMN the humidity!And it isn't as though this is new to me....I have lived all of my 29 years here but it seems as though each year is hotter than the last.

    Try to stay cool Jojo!I was thinking of trying to cram myself into my freezer,but it is WAY too small.I could stick my head in though;)!

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  2. Florida would be uninhabitable if there was no air conditioning! I stop going outside between 9am and 8pm and seriously stop and think before I go out the rest of the time. Used to be able to take the heat but not now. I wonder what I'll do when I'm really old, sweat to death I guess:)

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  3. I can't believe that - 3 of the 10 are Canadian! I knew a lot of people in the US had poor geography skills, but still!

    As for the a/c debate, when I feel baked, I try to imagine what it's like to live somewhere REALLY hot that doesn't have any mod cons, and is getting hotter because we DO have it. I get very preachy on this and I'm sorry, but I don't think we empathise enough in the west with countries where they have real droughts, starvation and death because of the climate change we are fuelling.

    Did you know that George W. made a mockery of the G8 aid debate by trying to reduce the amount of aid given to Africa to make up for the cancelled debt? Gotta love the guy. He's no hypocrite.

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  4. Oh geez Val, don't get me started on Bush and his wicked, hypocritical ways. Thanks to him we are now the joke of the entire world. He wouldn't get together and sign the Kyoto Protocol several years ago either, to reduce greenhouse gases.

    However, I admit that I am selfish when it comes to my personal comfort, I can't give up the air con. I think you'll find most Americans feel that way.

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  5. I know Afrika hot first hand

    BTW everyone is invited to my new bloggy!

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  6. Anonymous3:28 PM

    I wanna move to the North. The Winter is fucking wonderful right now...I can't get enough, man!
    After my birthday its gonna swing to the damned sun again...

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  7. Anushka! Glad to hear from you and I will surf on over to your new blog!

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  8. oh please! that's not hot! im in boise right now and its in the 100's and it feels wonderful. compared to kansas city's 90-somethin degree weather with 100% humidity, this is absolutely fabulous weather. i'll take the dry heat any day.

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  9. Wow it actually rained here (well it sprinkled) last night. It was cloudy and only 90 yesterday. Weird cuz there is NEVER any moisture at all in the summer (especially July and August) here in Folsom, California. And it has been so cool at night that I don't even need the A/C on at all even thru the next day.
    Har! When I first read your list I thought, what has jojo been smokin'?? LOL

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  10. L'Oreal - I figured you'd be baking alive over there in Boise. You may love it but I'm a winter girl through and through.

    Claire - we run our A/C from early spring till late fall, without fail, and sometimes in the winter if it's too warm out.

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  11. I Hate Summer! The humidity in Nebraska is unbearable. You go outside and it feels like someone has thrown a wet wool blanket over you...Yuck.

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