What's your weather currently?

[US 89]

I've read that greater heat than one is used to can exacerbate existing underlying conditions to such a point.  It just surprises me that it frequently occurs within the home, rather than out and about in the weather.

It's hotter outside, but it's also hot indoors as well. If you have no AC, and your home was not designed in any way to dissipate heat, it's going to become miserably hot and very nearly, if not absolutely, unlivable indoors. Most people can find ways to rectify the issue (only 500 to 1000 are thought to have perished thus far), but there are others that may not be able to (mobility, most likely, plus underlying conditions). Western WA/OR is also, logically, a frequent move-spot for those who have trouble regulating their body heat, such as those with anhidrosis or chronic dehydration, since it doesn't normally get outrageously hot here; they should be prepared (my father has anhidrosis so we have always had AC growing up), but that's no guarantee, sadly.

My previous house didn't have working central air conditioning, so we had a room air conditioner, which was put in an unused room (most of the outdoor windows didn't open, but that one did), not any of the rooms we used. The days in the 90s were mildly uncomfortable but not enough that you would get sick or die. Once it becomes nighttime, you could go outside and it would be fine. In addition, indoors, the first day was fine; it would only become an issue with two or more days in a row.

It was hotter than the 90s by quite a significant amount during our last heat wave, so indoors would have been much hotter than what we are normally used to (Seattle summers usually peak in the upper 90s at most), or for that matter, what most of the country east of the Mississippi would normally be used to.

I'd like to stress that, for the most part, being hot inside is not going to kill regular, active, healthy people. We're talking largely about those with underlying conditions, those of advanced years, maybe those with mobility issues, those who were not properly hydrated, etc. These things are only accelerated by even hotter temperatures, and living situations insufficient for such temperatures. That you even have central air (working or otherwise) already puts you ahead of most PNW homes.

In addition, a huge factor in the deadliness of heat waves is not the daytime high, but the overnight low. Going outside and opening windows at night works well if the air out there is colder than desired room temperature. Taking a quick look at summer temperatures in Lowell (where 1's profile indicates he lives) for the past few years, for the most part even on days with daytime highs well into the 90s, it has cooled off into the mid-60s if not lower - a pattern also typical of much of the PNW, which is why air conditioning is relatively rare in that part of the country. If overnight lows stay in the 70s (i.e. never falling below room temperature) as they did in several areas during the PNW heat wave, no matter what you do your house won't cool all that much at night.

[Roadgeekteen]

80s and partly cloudy.

[Skye]

Sunny and hot

[Bruce]

Yeah, the nights where it was still 85+ in bedrooms overnight were torture. With the sun still up until 9 pm, there was no escape.

[Roadgeekteen]

Around 90 and partly cloudy

[Bruce]

Mid-60s and cloudy. Like summer ought to be around here.

[Scott5114]

91° isn't that hot but it's been stupid humid this whole week (which I got to experience first hand yesterday, as I was working at an outdoor job site). It looks like we're due to receive some T-storms in the next few hours, which might cool things off a bit, but probably ratchet the humidity even higher. Sigh.

[Roadgeekteen]

70s with clouds, rain and thunderstorms.

[SectorZ]

91° isn't that hot but it's been stupid humid this whole week (which I got to experience first hand yesterday, as I was working at an outdoor job site). It looks like we're due to receive some T-storms in the next few hours, which might cool things off a bit, but probably ratchet the humidity even higher. Sigh.

My weather channel used to look like that 20 years ago, is that what yours still looks like?

[Roadgeekteen]

Around 70 and cloudy

[Roadgeekteen]

80s and partly cloudy

[Roadgeekteen]

Upper 70s with a chance of thunderstorms.

[thspfc]

Hazy for the 4th straight day. It makes the late afternoon sun very orange.

[tolbs17]

79 and clear. Boring and warm outside.

[Bruce]

I'm currently in Eugene, where it's mid-80s and mostly clear, with some clouds burning off later in the day. No smoke at all, despite being fairly close to the Bootleg Fire.

[Roadgeekteen]

Around 80 and sunny

[ozarkman417]

Early this week was cool, relatively speaking for this time of year. That all changes starting tomorrow. High temperatures will be in the 90s for at least a week.

Smoke from western fires has been overhead for days now.

[Roadgeekteen]

Around 80 and partly cloudy

[Roadgeekteen]

80 and sunny

[Roadgeekteen]

70s and partly cloudy

[Scott5114]

My weather channel used to look like that 20 years ago, is that what yours still looks like?

I wish. I use a WeatherStar 4000 simulator to recreate the look using modern data (thus the lack of the TWC logo in the corner). It's also nice for the purposes of this thread because it neatly collects all of the relevant information in an easy-to-read format. And, I dunno, it just feels more real to me to see it on a WS4000 graphic instead of just saying "it's 93° today."

Speaking of...


Temperatures have been creeping up, but the humidity is staying parked right where it has been, so things are feeling pretty gross around here. We did get an excessive heat advisory yesterday, I think (but I had a friend over for the weekend so I wasn't posting on the forum). Some parts of the state are advancing toward the 100° mark, which the OKC area has yet to reach this year:

[kphoger]

Some parts of the state are advancing toward the 100° mark, which the OKC area has yet to reach this year:

Wichita's forecast high for the next two days is 102 and 101.

[CoreySamson]

Today it hit 95 in my Houston suburb, the hottest it's been all year. I have noticed this year has been a bit cooler than average, as constant clouds and afternoon thunderstorms have kept the temperature down. Not so much for next week, though, as we transition into our hottest part of the year. Highs average at about 92, and it'll be dry and sunny.

[kkt]

It was kinda hot this afternoon, but now it's cooled off and there's a wonderfully cool east breeze.  I have all my windows open.

[Roadgeekteen]

80s and partly cloudy