Growing up in "extreme Northern California", it wasn't too uncommon to see the thermometer break triple digits in the summer. Chico and Redding especially offered up 110 degree days a few times a year. But since starting school at Berkeley in 1995, I've had 11 years to get used to a much more temperate climate in the Bay Area, one that makes you feel that 55 is chilly, and 85 is absurdly warm.Our condo tends to exacerbate that problem. On the fourth and top floor of our complex, with high ceilings, our home easily traps the heat, and the sun's movement through the sky parallels our glass windows, cooking everything inside. Just yesterday, after coming home from the office, our stand-alone air conditioner reported the inside heat was a blistering 87, making us just that much more sluggish. Our beagle, though cute, pants all day with her pink tongue hanging out. And when possible, she lays directly in front of the fan (where she is now).
After a night of hoping everything would cool off, we were already at 79 indoors by 10 this morning, and it should continue to rise, regardless of our efforts, and will stay hot for days afterwards, if weather forecasts are to be believed. The Chronicle reports "no relief is in sight", while wire services show that California utilized a record amount of electricity, without fear of rolling blackouts, thanks to an avoidance of manipulation, commonly seen in the time of Enron.
We're not moving, and maybe someday we'll have a better solution to staying cool inside, but the next few weeks should be steamy.
Previous posts on this topic: 2006 Is Hottest Year on Record in the US, The Climate Crisis
Listening to ''Dido'', by DJ Tiesto (Play Count: 6)