I had hope to get some more work done on THE PORTABLE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY WARGAME book and my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War project ... but it was just too hot to be comfortable in both our home office and my toy/wargames room. They are locate on the top floor of our house in what was the loft before it was converted, and even with all the windows open and a tower fan going full blast, it proved impossible to sit in either room for more than a few minutes before getting soaked by sweat.
At 3.00pm, the local air temperature was 36°C ...
... which I think makes it the hottest day we have had since the beginning of 2020.
Interestingly, the Meteorological Office has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms, and tomorrow’s predicted temperature is ten degrees less than today’s ... so it looks as if we are not going to have a heatwave at the beginning of August.
Despite the heat, I did manage to do something productive. I spent the day going through my collection of military and wargaming photographs, and found some interesting images that I will probably share on my blog over the next few weeks.
Yesterday turned out to the third hottest day in the UK since records began, with 38°C (37.8°C to be precise) being registered at London Heathrow Airport.
At 3.00pm, the local air temperature was 36°C ...
... which I think makes it the hottest day we have had since the beginning of 2020.
Interestingly, the Meteorological Office has issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms, and tomorrow’s predicted temperature is ten degrees less than today’s ... so it looks as if we are not going to have a heatwave at the beginning of August.
Despite the heat, I did manage to do something productive. I spent the day going through my collection of military and wargaming photographs, and found some interesting images that I will probably share on my blog over the next few weeks.
Yesterday turned out to the third hottest day in the UK since records began, with 38°C (37.8°C to be precise) being registered at London Heathrow Airport.
Hi Bob,
ReplyDelete36 Deg is pretty hot- we're currently at a tops of 17 Deg and 1 Deg overnight. I don't like Winter and am looking forward to Summer where 36 Deg is about normal- during these times I open the front and back doors of my shed for a breeze. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteThe heat wasn’t too bad as it was a dry heat ... and you were all right if you took things easy and did not do anything that required too much exertion. I had to assemble an IKEA bookcase, but did it at 8.00am before it got too hot, and was then able to have a shower afterwards. It was then a case of opening every window we could to get a bit of air moving through the house, and turning on the three tower fans with have in our living room, our bedroom, and in the loft area. We also seemed to drink a lot more fluids that usual ... and were very thankful that our water supply wasn’t interrupted!
Today it is cooler ... but the humidity seems to be getting worse, and one ends up feeling hot and sticky all the time.
Personally, I’d like to live in a climate where the days are warm (22 to 24C) and the evenings are cool (13 to 15C) ... but I have yet to find anywhere that fits the bill.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
DeletePerhaps your best option for Climate Control might be Ducted Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning. We tried Gas for heating in Winter -though proved to be to expensive - we now run our Air Conditioner most Winter Nights. I can put up with the heat of Summer in my Shed - though my partner Chris virtually lives in Air Conditioned comfort during the heat of the Day in the House. Stay cool there Bob. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteIt would be worth considering having ducted reverse cycle air conditioning had we not bought a new gas combination boiler last year. It will need to be replaced when gas boilers are banned to reduce our carbon footprint ... which will probably be in about ten years time.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteThat was indeed a hot one! You probably recall that we lived in Dymchurch, Kent before the move to Spain and I like to have a look at the beach webcam now and then. Yesterday the beach was absolutely packed, I'm glad that we now live in Rochester, much as we loved Dymchurch it was just far too busy in Summer. Was told by friends back in Spain that yesterday in Villalonga (Valencia) the temps hit 44 degrees...... sod that!
https://theromneymarsh.net/beachcam Dymchurch looks very appealing this morning :)
‘Lee,
DeleteI visited Dymchurch when I was a child, and loved the place ... but I’m not sure that I’d enjoy it as much nowadays, especially if it was crowded.
I like Rochester, and my wife and I have looked at moving somewhere in that area. We did find a very nice house in Upnor, but it was bought before we managed to put a bid in.
We have been to Valencia several times when we thought that it was hot, but 44C is a whole different ballgame! Too hot for me by a long chalk!
All the best,
Bob
It was damned hot here in Bristol and even I, who don't mind the heat, was pooped by it after doing some gardening for a neighbour. I think we topped around 30C, so somehwat 'cooler' than London. Nice and cool today though:)
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteI can enjoy dry heat, but humidity and a high air temperature knocks me for six. You are currently ‘enjoying’ the cooler front that is coming in from the Atlantic, which I understand should be reaching us later today ... possibly with a thunderstorm or two for good measure.
Coincidentally, I have just had an email asking me to visit Bristol next year to give a talk at the Masonic Centre In Park Street. I am looking forward to it, as I visit a Bristol once or twice a year, and always enjoy myself when I do.
All the best,
Bob
"Yesterday turned out to the third hottest day in the UK since records began"
ReplyDeleteApparently records in the UK only began in 1910 (only just over 100 years ago), In other words it may well have been hotter before, for example, in the Medieval Warm Period.
Also "third hottest" means that there were at least two days since 1910 that have been hotter.
Mike,
DeleteI understand that the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK was 38.7C at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens in 2019, and that the second was in 2003, when the temperature rose to 38.5C in Faversham, Kent. It is a telling fact that these have all occurred since the start of this century.
All the best,
Bob
London probably has its own micro-climate and is likely warmer than areas adjacent. Here in Canada the Weather Channel is always referring to Toronto's micro-climate. It is always a bit warmer than outside the city, which they remark on the most in the Winter. Maybe in a few years you'll have palm trees in the yard? ;-)
ReplyDeletePhf,
DeleteLondon lies in a shallow river valley, with the north and south edges of the valley marked by the Low Weald and the High Weald, the latter forming the Chiltern Hills and North Downs. This tends to channel the wind along an east-west axis, and create its own micro-climate, within which there are smaller micro-climates!
We live near the top of the north-western side of one of the highest points around London, and the southern side is covered by a large ancient woodland. This creates a micro-climate at the top of the hill we live on ... and it has been known to snow here when it isn't less that half a mile away! Our garden plants also tend to flower up to a month later than those at the bottom of the hill. I suspect that we will have to wait some time until palm trees will flourish here!
All the best,
Bob
It has been hot in the Northwestern US too. High of 101F on Thursday and 102F on Friday. Cooling off on Saturday to only 95F!
ReplyDeleteJonathan Freitag,
DeleteI suspect that your summers are hotter and your winters are a lot colder than ours are!
I hope that you manage to keep cool,
Bob
G'Day Bob, no comment on the temperature - I think the comments above cover it. Looking forward to seeing some of your photos. Cheers Greg
ReplyDeleteDelta Coy (Greg),
DeleteI hope to use the images over the next few weeks. There are quite a few from some of the early COWs, and I must admit that some of us looked a lot younger (and thinner!) back then.
All the best,
Bob
Yeah Man, but it's a dry heat! (Aliens, 1986)
ReplyDeleteRegards, Chris.
Chris Kemp (Chris),
DeleteFunnily enough, it’s not a film I’ve ever watched!
All the best,
Bob
Before I moved, again, where I lived would often reach 45C or 46C during summer, sometimes for five or six days in a row before cooling off to 43.
ReplyDeleteOne knows it will be a fun day when it is 36-37 at 7am. Yes, it was a dry heat, but at those temps, the moisture is sucked right out of your body, especially when working outside.
Safety tip: If you ever visit a desert clime and the temps exceed 35, should your car break down, do not walk along the highway, but rather walk about 25 meters off the road, when heading for help. Otherwise, you'll wind up dead from overheating/dehydration. It happens all the time in the deserts of the USA.
Justin Penwith,
DeleteI’ve experienced temperatures in the low 40C a couple of times, and know what you mean about it feeling as if the moisture is being sucked out of your body. It was actually painful to breath when hot air reached your lungs.
I was told that you were better off finding whatever shade you could as close to your vehicle as possible rather than trying to walk to ‘safety’.
All the best,
Bob
In most of the desert areas I have lived or traveled, there's no real shade even close to the road. If you can find it nearby your car, then that is ok. Otherwise, in some areas, you can go a half day without seeing another car.
DeleteAnother way to do it is to light the spare tire on fire as the smoke is bound to bring help.
Justin Penwith,
DeleteLuckily, the chances of me driving across a desert are quite small, although there are roads in some parts of Scotland where I am told that you are lucky to see more than two or three cars per day.
I imagine that trying to set fire to your spare tyre is not the easiest thing to do.
All the best,
Bob
Celsius temps don't register in my brain; I always have to look up the conversions. I know Fahrenheit better, where 100 degrees means it's warmer than body temperature and too d**ned hot for comfort. I spent more time than I like in climates where it was 100+ for days and even weeks on end, starting as early as March and lasting until the end of October (with occasional breaks). I visited London once when the high got up to around 100F, too. Not exactly my favorite weather, to put it mildly. I hope you get some relief.
ReplyDeleteFitz-Badger,
DeleteI must admit that it has taken me years to get out of the habit of referring to temperatures in Fahrenheit, even though I still mentally revert to that system from time to time.
Normal body temperature is 36.5 to 37.5°C (97.7 to 99.5°F), and when it goes over that, people tend to overheat. This is bad in normal circumstances, but when we have a pandemic whose cause has as one of its symptoms fever (37.5 to 38.3°C (99.5 to 100.9°F)), the dangers become worse. Do I feel hot and have a feverish temperature because I have the virus or just because the weather is hot?
Luckily, the air temperature is down to a much more acceptable 24°C (75.3°F), which makes it feel quite cool in comparison!
All the best,
Bob
Thanks, Bob!
DeleteI've been trying to learn metric at least a bit, but lifetime habits can be hard to break.
I've experienced heat exhaustion a few times in my life. Not fun. No heatstroke though! Can't imagine soldiers back in the day operating in steamy climes in their temperate climes gear! I overheat just looking outside when it's hot out. ha ha
Fitz-Badger,
DeleteI told Blogger to publish your comment, but for some reason it disappeared. Luckily I had an email notification that included your comment ... hence it appearing under my name!
In the UK, we still work in a mixture of metric and imperial measurement. For example, my wife buys material in imperial widths (e.g. 54-inches) and metric lengths! We also buy petrol in litres ... but our cars show our usage in miles per gallon!
I’ve heatstroke twice ... and it is not a nice experience. Although I hate wearing a hat in hot weather, I’ve learned that I need one when I’m outside on hot sunny days.
All the best,
Bob