Heatwave

Rather than hijack the BOB Test thread, I thought I'd start a new one.

We hit 49C here yesterday with the humidex. People just aren't used to it. If the grid goes down there's going to be lots of people with big problems.

I've been rethinking our family bug-in plans, BOBs and hiking packs with that in mind. I'm usually prepped for cold and wet weather, but I find hot weather more daunting. Warming up seems easier than cooling down.

*constant reminders to family and co-workers to hydrate - check
*lots of water for people and cats - check
*vehicles stocked with extra water - check
*frozen water bottles to EDC - check
*lots of frozen water in deep freeze - check
*5 day coolers easily accessible - check
*electrolite/pedialite drinks/crystals - check
*towels/bandanas for soaking - check
*light-weight clothing with long sleeves and pants - check
*full-coverage hats - check
*SPF 60 sunscreen - check
*plan to strategically open windows in house to maximize air circulation- check
*sunblocking curtains on all household windows - check
*bedding in basement (coolest room in the house) - check
*plans for as little exhursion outside in the heat of the day as possible - check
*conserving as much energy as possible - check
*taking advantage of the neighbourhood pool that sucks up my condo fees - check

Forty-nine? You need to visit us in Texas where it's cooler.

Jeanette Isabelle

That would be nice! It's a dry heat, right?

We only get a month to six weeks or so of truly hot weather every year. Last year it got into the low 40s a few days but it usually averages in the low to mid 30s. This year is unprecidented, breaking records all over the province. They say 50C is the average temp in Dubai.

I had to go to my handy online converter to find out how high 49ºC is.

914ºF !!! HOLY MOLY!!!

Wait... where did that zero come from?

Oh, 120ºF. That's still pretty hot. I lived in Las Vegas, NV, and the record high there is 117ºF, only 47ºC. But the humidity there is usually less than 15.

You have my extreme sympathy!

Watch out for the oldsters around you, if you can.

And if you see any Swiss visitors, warn them to keep their shoes on.

Sue

LOL@Sue!

It's not the worst in the world but higher than normal for these parts. Our regular hot brings health and power issues. Most cities have opened cooling centres and many are keeping their pools open until midnight.

There was a major commuter train delay two days ago and I saw 5 major commuter busses broken down on my way home tonight. I don't know if the breakdowns were related to the weather, but standing on the side of the road sure would have been a sweltering experience

Great point to watch out for elderly neighbours. We try to. #1 is in NY and #2 went to hospital a couple of days ago. My bosses mom went down walki through a parking lot yesterday and one of our technicians who works outside ended up in hospital yesterday too. (We're stocking them with frozen water several times a day.)

We also try to watch out for the neighbourhood kids. There's a huge tub of bottled water in the garage that we move to the front step during the day. All my son's friends are told to help themselves while they're playing, which has been very limited the past week or so.) We've also been doling out freezies.

I have a 12-volt fan that plugs into a lighter socket in each vehicle to assist with cooling us down. They can also be brought into the house and rigged to a 12-volt battery. They were inexpensive at the local auto parts store. I tested them in a 110 degree (F) car, and combined with drinking water and applying some water on the skin, worked fine for cooling one or two people.

Our temperatures have been 100 or higher every day for about 20 or 21 days this month.

We had a town about 35-45 minutes north of here lose a police dog on Thursday afternoon. (The high that day was 106; low was 83.) The Belgian Shepherd was left for about 2 hours in a kennel with a concrete floor with plenty of water but only partial shade. The officer that was caring for the dog may face departmental discipline.

The moral of the story is to remember your furry friends when the weather is being unfriendly.

You would think (hope) a LEO would be smarter than that. He knows shade moves.

And it was a Maligator (Belgian Malinois)! They're wonderful dogs. I have the longer coated version, the Belgian Tervuren. It's bad enough when it's a 'regular' dog, but a Belgian...!

Sue

try a couple of "mister" hoses suspended from shade trees, or one of the foldable canopys...they work very well, even with the high humidity we have down here...

also for the older folk.. the neck bandanas with the hygroscopic gel can be a tremendous help to keep the core temp down.....soak it in the melt water in the cooler...

watch the urine color and output..

just came back from a shotgun match 91F, 95 heat index