We've barely had 20 degrees in the Hebrides, but we had a thunderstorm last night where 93,000 lighting strikes recorded at Oban/Connel Airport. Some areas still without power and quite a few routers got fried. Nobody can remember a storm of that length and intensity in these parts - it was sheet rather than fork lightning, so you were just getting these continual flashes lighting up the sky, with only the occasional thunder clap.
i cannot wait for this heatwave to end it's been horrible. just the heat and the humidity. has been up to 38c yesterday and still bloody hot now.
I certainly chose a bad week to be welding - it’s not the welding itself so much as the fricking PPE. Quilted nomex jacket and big leather gauntlets. Fun.
It's been grim in Newbury. Thankfully someone seems to have turned the oven off now
The oven has gone off in Manchester now - quite pleasant outside at 9:30pm.
We had a thunderstorm earlier. Thought "ooh, great!" It caned it down for about 40 seconds and now it's even more humid.
It's been grim in Newbury. Thankfully someone seems to have turned the oven off now
I often stay in the central Newbury travel lodge…… so I know what you mean 😂
Another disappointing thunderstorm comprising a couple of bangs this evening.
Cracking weather in East Lothian today, blowing a gale in the sunshine but 23° that all kept the haar in the North sea
Probably one of the best summer days you get in Scotland, no midges, humidity normal and it's going to be a cracking sunset or maybe not it's very dark and cloudy looking north west over Fife
Continuing our motorcycle tour, we rode from the Western Italian coast near Portofino to a village near Greve in Chianti today. What should have been a 2½ hour trip took 6 due to more 40°C+ heat. I couldn't bear to ride more than 30 minutes without a break.
The air is so hot, even at motorway speeds it heats you up rather than offering any cooling effect. We have been drenching ourselves with water from head to foot and relying on evaporative cooling. It works for a short while, but after 20 minutes you are bone dry again and back in the blast furnace. Yesterday I actually felt a bit unwell towards the end of the day due to the heat and was worried I had mild heat stroke. I recovered after a long cold shower and gallons of fluids, but a bit worrying.
Thankfully we are now in one place for a week, with a pool, fridge full of beer* and nowhere particular we have to be. Hopefully by the time we head back in a week or so, temps might have dropped a little.
*I'm aware of the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Other beverages, including lots of water will be consumed.
Glad we're done in the SE, at least for now
We have been drenching ourselves with water from head to foot and relying on evaporative cooling. It works for a short while, but after 20 minutes you are bone dry again and back in the blast furnace.
Our old dog (13 but very sprightly in general) has really struggled in the last 2 heatwaves, more than we remember. Off her food which then causes a bit of digestive discomfort, not done a proper shit for about 3 days although a bit better this am - TMI, sorry. And just lies around looking like she's at death's door until a visitor arrives at the door when she's up and wagging same as normal. I think the major issue is she's just a bit of a drama queen (Cockapoo, can be known for it)
Anyway - any experience of these evaporative cooling vests for dogs. They're made of the same high surface area synthetic fibre as gym towels, etc so the dog's internal energy goes towards evaporating the water in the towel, same as sweating is supposed to work for us. I've read both good and bad, that if very humid the evaporation doesn't work great and then they start to act as insulators instead once you've warmed the water up, so you need to remove them once the vest is no longer cold; similarly if the evap cooling does work then once the vest is dry it needs rewetting or removing. Anyone got/used one?
We've kind of managed a bit by putting her in the paddling pool every couple of hours and wetting her fur around her legs and belly where the skin is more visible and then leaving her to dry off but we can't leave her soaking over tiled and wood flooring, a cockapoo's fleece holds more than you'd think and I've gone a over t several times in the past when she's been out in the rain and then floods the floors
