tomikawaTT, from one retiree to another, thanks for the laugh; as they always said, “It’s not the heat; its the humility”.
For all of the heat which we have down here in the desert Southwest it is not really destructive and AC relieves a good part of the discomfort of 100º plus temps. But I have been watching FOXNEWS for the last couple of days and seeing roadways that look like seaways and I can sympathize with those people and with those who have basements flooded and I’m sure model railroads which have been destroyed. This morning I observed a map which showed a storm system stretching from Chicky City all the way back to the panhandle of Oklahoma promising more rain where it is least needed; one town in Illinois had eight inches of rain yesterday and it has put the Fox River just west of Chicago over its banks and that river was still rising. Bad Vibes!!! And then there’s the South and Southeast with day after day of 100 plus degree temps and this heat has caused numerous deaths.
I returned to Memphis from NJ three weeks ago just as the heat wave here started. According to my car thermometer the outside temperature hit 100 plus every one of those days and 109 at least once. Of course, Memphis is also known for it’s high humidity. I had planned to do a lot of yard work but had to stay in the house all this time so as not to become one of the statistics.
However, the upside was that I finally finished converting my Spectrum 4-4-0 to California & Northeastern number 1 ( A major kit bashing project which I had begun back in January)
Colorado has had a fine summer. Denver area is 80’s during the days and 60’s at night. We have been getting quite a bit of rain. We have had a few 95+ days, but nothing over 100, I don’t believe.
We framed houses in Dallas at 115 degrees plus in the early 70’s. That was hot. Pick up a nailgun that was setting in the sun after forgetting to cover it with a plywood scrap and you might leave part of your palm with it.
An open truck window on the way home was like a blast furnace, but at least we were moving. One benefit of construction is living where others work, and working were others live, so the traffic jams are usually going the other way.
I’d rather be out in 115 degree Dallas heat than 90 or 95 degree midwest heat, any day. 100% humidity is like swimming in sweat and breathing soup. One day we lost a guy to heat stroke, and we were so electrolyte loss stupid we just let him lay in the shade and quiver. You’d take a measurement, turn to yell it to the sawman, and forget what it was before you could open your mouth.
Six or seven times in a row.
The heatstrokee was a good friend, and we used to tease him he had it worse because he was…of a darker skin hue. He had a great response, really innovative, but I’d get banned for posting it here.
its the humidity here in central PA. wasnt that hot today but the humidity…geeze!! Arizona is looking like a fine place to move to!! i think im ready for winter!
The biggest mistake new comers make in AZ dry heat , 100 + degrees with 6 to 10% humidity, is start removing clothing as they did in their high humidity home town.
In low humidity high heat, one should wear light colored loose fitting cotton such as white T-shirts.
As you body perspires the cotton wicks and evaporation takes place which will cool the body.
In fact just pour water on the T-shirt… and you will probably shiver as the shirt drys.
That has been the odd thing in Alabama this year. The humidity has been unusually low. During the last week, the afternoon humidity averaged about 14% and the overnight humidity only recovered to about 50%. That’s why we are so dry. It’s just like Arizona before the monsoons. No humidity to help destabilize that atmosphere and cause thunderstorms, the main source of our summer rain. There’s also been no tropical storms of note in the Gulf of Mexico, also a major contributor to our summer rains. We are now almost 18 inches below normal and, if this was California, the whole state would be on fire. There’s still enough fuel moisture left to not let fires get out of hand but that’s getting worse everyday. It’s so dry it’s even killed the mosquitos - I haven’t seen or been bitten by a mosquito in two months.
I have made the acquaintance of several people who lived here in the thirties - that’s pre-AC days; they would sleep on second story balconies after soaking - and then curling up for the night under - sheets.
