Some cool air just moved through the living room! It felt good. Today is going to be another scorcher, though. This morning, at 6:15, it's 23ºC outdoors, according to our thermometer, and it's 26ºC in the house. Those temperatures translate to 73.5ºF outside and 79.9ºF inside. We'd be happy with heat like that in mid-afternoon, but we're not so thrilled with it before sunrise. Happy July!
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| Maybe it's time to open up a fire hydrant |
Officially, a canicule, or a dog-days heat wave, is declared when there are three nights in a row with low temperatures of or above 20ºC, and three days when the temperature is at or above 33ºC — lows around 70ºF and highs of about 90ºF for three days in a row. In other words, that's cause for alarm and an emergency is declared. The hot air is flowing up from the Sahara Desert.
Most people don't have air-conditioning. There just aren't enough hot days to justify having it installed. The houses here are mostly heated by radiators — not forced air. Some people have portable, roll-around AC units to cool a room or two in their houses. Most don't. We don't.
So we just have to suffer through the extreme heat. Late yesterday afternoon it was 33ºC (90ºF) up in our loft room. Luckily, there isn't much humidity. Still, it was like an oven. As we used to say when we'd go to the desert in Southern California or Nevada back in the 1990s, what they put on your tombstone is: "It was a dry heat..."
Callie out by a catalpa tree yesterday afternoon — notice the parched grass.
Today's predicted afternoon high in Orléans, about halfway between here and Paris, is 40ºC — 104ºF. In Paris, it's supposed to hit 39ºC, or about 102ºF. We might hit 100 here in Saint-Aignan, but I hope not.
Freshly painted radiators drying on the front terrace yesterday — we won't be needing those today.
When I got up at 6:15, I looked out a loft window and I saw a big white van out in the vineyard. That's one of the La Renaudie vineyard crew. He's putting in the support wires for a new plot of vines. He's starting his day at 6 a.m. so that he won't have to be out there working in the heat of the afternoon.
Catalpa flowers baking in the afternoon sun...
Our 80-something neighbors across the road had all their shutters closed when I took Callie out for a short walk at 6:30 yesterday evening. Closing the shutters is supposed to protect your interior from the heat of the sun, but I'm not sure I like that idea much. I don't like being in the dark, and I want some air moving through. Not that there's really a breeze this morning.
...and plums at risk of becoming prunes on the tree
This kind of weather is supposed to last until at least the weekend. In 2003, which was our first summer here in Saint-Aignan, the heat wave lasted for a couple of months. It's was especially hot in the first part of August, and thousands of people died of heat-related causes, including dehydration and heat stroke. Wish us luck.
"Closing the shutters is supposed to protect your interior from the heat of the sun"....
ReplyDeleteonly glossy white shutters have any benefit....
and it is more effective to close shutters against the sun on the south side of a property....
just to stop the greenhouse effect.
Far better though are pull out shades to stop that... you don't get as claustrophobic as in the dark... and you don't need to heat the house by using the lights!
We peaked at 38.5 Centipedes in direct sun... 33 and 34.4 on the two in the "ombre"...
but we had a constant wind down the valley, which helped....
but can be dangerous because you don't think it is as hot as it is.
Our bedroom, North West facing and without any shutters...
gets the Summer evening sun full on!!
We hit 34 in there... going by the underfloor controller's thermo....
but, we do have a mobile air-conditioner... bought it last year because of the heat... and last night I did use it...
pumping the heat straight out up the gain for the yet to be installed "hotte"...
two hours got us down to 28... appreciably different, but still too warm for comfort....
so a pair of cold waterbottles were bought into play...
I really love those Catalpa blossoms...
in weather like this, I'd love a Bermuda shirt in that pattern....
a tent of a Bermuda shirt... XXXXL would be perfect...
it would need stiffners across the shoulders 'cos mine ain't that wide...
but the air would circulate "someting loverly"....
Keep your cool, keep hydrated, and sit in a paddling pool in the shade...
with a bottle of rosé on ice and a good book!
Tim
Bon courage et bonne chance! We had several weeks of August-like heat here, but now our weather is normal for July. I hope there will not be another canicule this summer. I was in France in 2003 and remember the parched grass and gardens.
ReplyDeleteThe catalpa blooms are lovely as are the plums.
Bonne Chance Ken
ReplyDeleteAt least here, it is around 18C during the night and early morning and becomes muggy and hot around 11 AM .
It is Canada day here and it has been raining on and off for nearly a week. Fireworks may go fizzzzzz
Oh, dear, Ken :( I know you don't mind heat, to some degree (no pun intended), but sleeping in a hot room, and not having any relief in the morning and at night, is no fun.
ReplyDeleteThose temps in Paris and Orléans are just scary. I just remember reading and teaching about the canicule in 2003, and about how many older folks perished.... frightening.
It's 35.1 on the front terrace, and 34.6 upstairs in the loft. Translation: 95 and 94 in ºF. But there is a breeze, and the humidity isn't terrible.
DeleteWe kept our shutters closed on the worst summer days in Buenos Aires. It did help a bit, like sitting in the shade on a hot day, you at least don't have the sun beating down on you .. I didn't have a/c in the kitchen but it was in the living room and bedroom. Or else I would have slept in a tub of water. I don't deal with days and nights of high temperatures. it is so beautiful where you are, it is a small "annoyance" to be toasted for a few days in the sun though :)
ReplyDeleteSorry you're suffering in the heat. We're hot in our little house (sans AC), too. But most of the time, it's tolerable. So we endure the extremes and get creative. I suppose you and Walt could sleep a level (or two) down and be cooler at night. I like fans, too; even if they're just moving around hot air, it feels better to me than the heavy, still, hot air. Take care and be well. Thinking of you.
ReplyDelete