How is the weather out there?

[Sw33t Summ3r Ch1ld]

It’s sunny and warm out. Inside is cold and I’m wearing a cardigan sweater.

[Zorral]

That Canadian wildfire smoke -- here we are again, holy cow -- over 20 states badly affected.

How are you all doing with it?

In the meantime, friends who went down to New Orleans for art business yesterday are godswallopped by the heat, and my Austin friends aren't going outside in the daytime for the same reasons.  So they have the heat and we have the smoke.  Though right here it wasn't as bad as we had it when we were the most polluted city on the globe in history.  Alas, though, other US cities have that title today, including Chicago and Minneapolis.  

[Zorral]

This morning our AQI reading was on the border of the Yellow/Moderate zone.  By 6 PM today we're in the Red Zone -- particle pollutant/ Red/Unhealthy zone.  Gonna be worse tomorrow too, as it's to be much hotter (and humid -- always humid).

[ThinkerX]

36 minutes ago, Zorral said:

This morning our AQI reading was on the border of the Yellow/Moderate zone.  By 6 PM today we're in the Red Zone -- particle pollutant/ Red/Unhealthy zone.  Gonna be worse tomorrow too, as it's to be much hotter (and humid -- always humid).

I have endured the smoke of several nearby forest fires the past few years - a couple where the flames were literally within a few yards of roads in active use. What you want in this situation is rain. Several days worth.

[Zorral]

4 minutes ago, ThinkerX said:

What you want in this situation is rain. Several days worth.

Which we had been getting -- until today.  Not lots, but you know, thunder showers every couple of hours.  Made a huge difference.

Of course with all the thunderstorms all around, the airports canceled, delayed, postponed flights all up and down the Mid-Atlantic coast.  When we had the worst polluted city on the planet in the history of the world, for nearly three days the airports just closed.

Travel is iffy as heck these days.

[ThinkerX]

4 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Which we had been getting -- until today.  Not lots, but you know, thunder showers every couple of hours.  Made a huge difference.

Of course with all the thunderstorms all around, the airports canceled, delayed, postponed flights all up and down the Mid-Atlantic coast.  When we had the worst polluted city on the planet in the history of the world, for nearly three days the airports just closed.

Travel is iffy as heck these days.

Strongly suggest you change out the air filters on your vehicles ASAP. Otherwise, there is a greatly increased possibility of severe engine damage - of the sort that easily hits the four digit range.

[KingintheNorth4]

The storm from earlier has flushed out most of the smoke here in the Chicago area (though the moderate drought is still an issue).

[Zorral]

2 hours ago, ThinkerX said:

Strongly suggest you change out the air filters on your vehicles ASAP. Otherwise, there is a greatly increased possibility of severe engine damage - of the sort that easily hits the four digit range.

Thanx.  But we don't have a car.  We live in a world of public transportation.  But the pollution from the smoke is extra bad down on the subway platforms.  So ... you know, I put on my ventilator mask, walk the 2 - 3 blox to supermarket, wine store, library, etc.  But sticking very close to home, with our adored air purifier and a/c unit.  Sigh.  I hate not being able to just go out and walk in the gardens and parks and talk to my friends on the foney-fone.

[ThinkerX]

Zorral's stomping grounds are now Number 2 - for worst metro air quality on the planet.

Can they reach the (un)coveted number one spot?

Four North American cities now near worst air quality in the world (msn.com)

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, ThinkerX said:

Zorral's stomping grounds are now Number 2 - for worst metro air quality on the planet.

On June 6th and 7th we were number one for the most polluted place on the planet in history.

We are not close today.  We only hit 150 + yesterday and today.  Unlike, alas, for poor Chicago as number 1 this week, with several very close chasers. Nevertheless, Partner and I stayed in the wonderfully filtered Library (he gets the privilege too, since, um, related to moi.  Picked up salad materials and wine for dinner walking home in our masks. We left the air purifier on all day. We ARE GODDAMNED PRIVILEGED.  As long as the grid holds up and supplies keep flowing. So fragile.  So very very very fragile.

OTOH, my bro, who is northwest of Chicago, yesterday was at 168, and today, they were way down in yellow/moderate today.  Yet he, with his age, allergies, and asthma spent all day outside yesterday working on his trees, his lawn.  He doesn't get it, and he's an engineer/technician. 

I was having communications with another University Librarian north of him yesterday, and she and her staff and families couldn't see anything!

Edited July 1, 2023 by Zorral

[Fragile Bird]

1 hour ago, ThinkerX said:

Zorral's stomping grounds are now Number 2 - for worst metro air quality on the planet.

Can they reach the (un)coveted number one spot?

Four North American cities now near worst air quality in the world (msn.com)

Yah, yesterday was pretty bad here in Toronto. Not as bad today, but…between Ontario and Quebec, more hectares of forest have burned down in Canada, breaking the record set 20 years ago for the full year. And it’s only the end of June, these aren’t even the worst fire months.

[LongRider]

9:46am and its 93 degrees Fahrenheit with forecast high of 108.  Clear skies though.  

[Zorral]

27 minutes ago, LongRider said:

9:46am and its 93 degrees Fahrenheit with forecast high of 108.  Clear skies though.  

Thank goodness for the clear air with such temperatures, as high temps add yet another layer to baking and stewing of toxic pollutants.

[LongRider]

47 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Thank goodness for the clear air with such temperatures, as high temps add yet another layer to baking and stewing of toxic pollutants.

Indeed.  It’s also fire season, and can only hope this region gets through it without any fires.   I hope.   

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, LongRider said:

I hope.

And we all hope with you!

[Theda Baratheon]

Been hot, dry and sunny in my little corner of the UK for weeks and weeks but this weekend we have had a bit of grey and mizzle which I’m a bit thankful for. Always like a little break from it and my garden desperately needed some rain. 

[Zorral]

Hot, but the AQI has sunk back into the Yellow zone.  Hopefully the predicted thunderstorm for 4 PM materializes to help wash out the insane aphids sexing, or trying to, all over the place (evidently pushed into it earlier due to the fires ... ????) and getting into people's mouths, and all that particulate from the wildfire smoke.

 

[ThinkerX]

Sign of the times...

Not going to bother with a link.

Was looking at a fairly standard blurb on the 'heat dome' over Texas and parts of the rest of the south. Said blurb included a simple capsule description of what heat domes were and how they came about.

The comment section was flooded with conservatives calling the article 'fake news.' This for a weather update.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I like to meditate outside on my deck in the mornings. I knew a really bad storm was coming in, but whatever. 10-15 minutes in I felt a few drops on me. Five minutes later I had to run inside because monsoon started. I do enjoy sitting there with the door open though watching the heavy rain. 

[Zorral]

We too are having rain off-and-on, as well as off-and-on thundershowers.  We woke to it, along with AQI down in the Green Good zone, for the first time since early June.

A quiet July 4th here, as tomorrow at the crack of dawn Partner has a minor procedure yet it calls for general anesthesia and thus hospital.  So no eating or drinking of anything after 8 PM tonight.  So, corn on the cob -- first of of the summer, rice, red beans (w/o the quarter lb. of butter for every lb. of beans, as mandated by the New Orleans ladies who taught cooking red beans!) and sausage, a big raspberry and blackberry and greens salad, and ice cream for dinner. But the apartment is smelling very nice, the streets are filled with happy people.  So all is good.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Zorral