Heat

[dodge man]

It’s been brutal here, very high dew points with it hitting 80 during the day with temps in the low 90’s. This is farm country with a lot of corn. There is a thing called corn sweat. The corn puts out a lot of moisture making for high dew points. Yesterday depending on which weather station you looked at the heat index was 110 to 115. Right now at 12:30 pm it’s 87 out with a heat index of 103.

 

[rontaki]

It’s been brutal here, very high dew points with it hitting 80 during the day with temps in the low 90’s. This is farm country with a lot of corn. There is a thing called corn sweat. The corn puts out a lot of moisture making for high dew points. Yesterday depending on which weather station you looked at the heat index was 110 to 115. Right now at 12:30 pm it’s 87 out with a heat index of 103.

Ethanol Über Alles

 

[rontaki]

Climate not needing heat or cooling is one of the top reasons we call Oakland home…

I can do colder no problem but not a fan of ice… several family friends up in years don’t even leave the house in snow and ice country because we all know people with non recoverable slip and falls.

That same climate was one reason I wanted out of the Bay Area. Knowing it was a sunny warm day elsewhere while shivering in the cold fog was not my idea of a good time.
Of course, climate change is, well, changing that. Eventually, even Bay Area houses will need AC to be comfortable. But the crowded-rats syndrome will persist.

 

[dodge man]

Yeah that’s it ethanol is the problem, they never grew corn around here before.

 

[ultrarunner]

That same climate was one reason I wanted out of the Bay Area. Knowing it was a sunny warm day elsewhere while shivering in the cold fog was not my idea of a good time.
Of course, climate change is, well, changing that. Eventually, even Bay Area houses will need AC to be comfortable. But the crowded-rats syndrome will persist.

SF has Carl the fog and yes it can be much cooler on the SF peninsula and Golden Gate

Oakland is far enough away to have its own climate

Through the tunnel 5 minutes from Oakland to Orinda and it may be 20 warmer in summer or 20 degrees colder in winter.

Safe to say just about every home through the tunnel has A/C

Locally it’s called the Bay Area micro climates

I think Mark Twain said the coldest winter he experienced is summer in SF

 

[rontaki]

Yeah that’s it ethanol is the problem, they never grew corn around here before.

SF has Carl the fog and yes it can be much cooler on the SF peninsula and Golden Gate

Oakland is far enough away to have its own climate

Through the tunnel 5 minutes to Orinda and it may be 20 warmer in summer or 20 degrees colder in winter.

Locally it’s called the Bay Area micro climates

I think Mark Twain said the coldest winter he experienced is summer in SF

I lived in Richmond/El Sobrante and summers are rather foggy or overcast. Concord and Walnut Creek seemed to be hot at the time. Orinda is nice, but expensive. Someone's while driving to Albany or Berzerkeley, I'd watch the massive clouds of fog roll on from the bay. The Albany Bulb and Point Isabel are great hiking/dog walking places, just bundle up or have a good sweater handy.

 

[rontaki]

Yeah that’s it ethanol is the problem, they never grew corn around here before.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be a crank about that, it's just that I'm more than irritated about being forced to have ethanol in the gas I use in my small motors. I know there are some advantages in terms of octane rating and cleaner burning, but those do not outweigh the disadvantages to small engines.
Not the fault of corn farmers or folks nearby, in fact, good for them! The real money is being made by people who probably never have dirt under their fingernails. California takes it to a painful extreme.

 

[dodge man]

I burn a lot of ethanol but not in small engines. I agree it’s crap for them. It’s kind of funny but I waste gas going to get gas, pure gas that is.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Heat index was over 121* just before I snapped this pic. Dew point was over 81*.

 

[dodge man]

It always sounds a little silly to say it but it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. You walk out the door and it’s like a slap in the face.

 

[EddieWalker]

I was outside Saturday working a fence and managed to last all day, but it was so hot I became a zombie. Sunday it was worse, and I gave up around 2pm. It was a challenge just to breath!!!! Thankfully I have a cab tractor, and I was able to mow the rest of the day. Local news said it was 100F with a heat index of 111.

 

[John0829]

It’s kind of funny but I waste gas going to get gas, pure gas that is.

I find a large serving of navy beans will get me pure gas

 

[rontaki]

I find a large serving of navy beans will get me pure gas

If you can get that gas to run small engines, let e know how and I'll eat navy beans and any others that produce has. Why do I think such gas would be far more corrosive than ethanol-poisoned gas?

 

[Oaktree]

All in all, it's been a pretty nice summer here after a rather hot, humid late June/early July. We've had some days where it got in the upper 80s, but for the most part the humidity has been low (well, not desert-country low, but under 60%). Rare to go this long without humidity building, not complaining mind you!
Nice cool evenings, usually below 60...was 42 this morning.

 

[ponytug]

If you can get that gas to run small engines, let e know how and I'll eat navy beans and any others that produce has. Why do I think such gas would be far more corrosive than ethanol-poisoned gas?

I worked on a remote ranch for a bit that used a methane digester (biogas) to run stoves, lights, and yes, small engines to run the dairy. There are lots of ways to slice it.

A relative worked with one group that ran the digester gas straight into Chevy big blocks into generators, and junked the engines annually because of the sulfur and water corrosion internally. Their cost/benefit analysis was that it wasn't worth the effort to remove the water, CO2, and hydrogen sulfide from the raw gas.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

I was outside Saturday working a fence and managed to last all day, but it was so hot I became a zombie. Sunday it was worse, and I gave up around 2pm. It was a challenge just to breath!!!! Thankfully I have a cab tractor, and I was able to mow the rest of the day. Local news said it was 100F with a heat index of 111.

Any issues with Valley Fever or similar infections?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/valley-fever/symptoms-causes/syc-20378761

 

[thclimer]

Any issues with Valley Fever or similar infections?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/valley-fever/symptoms-causes/syc-20378761

That sounds like something nasty, interestingly the article didn't indicate where the fungi are in US. Is it pretty wide spread?

 

[Locoweed]

Actually, it did.

Causes​

Valley fever is caused by a person inhaling spores of certain fungi. The fungi that cause valley fever — Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii — live in the soil in parts of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, California, Texas and Washington. It's named after the San Joaquin Valley in California. The fungi can also often be found in northern Mexico and Central and South America.

 

[EddieWalker]

Any issues with Valley Fever or similar infections?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/valley-fever/symptoms-causes/syc-20378761

Never heard of it. I asked my wife, who has been an RN for 30 years, and she's never heard of it either.

I'm guessing that it's not something that we get in this part of Texas.

 

[ponytug]

Never heard of it. I asked my wife, who has been an RN for 30 years, and she's never heard of it either.

I'm guessing that it's not something that we get in this part of Texas.

Yes, you are "lucky" to have the rain and humidity; Valley Fever is a disease that is more common where the soil dries out and then dust is generated via tillage, wind, or animal movements, etc. So think areas like western Texas. But a friend came down with it after opening a single bale of hay that had mold inside on a few flakes that basically gassed her as she separated the flakes.

It isn't a a common disease, and often gets diagnosed after a long time, when cures / return to full health are difficult to achieve, and significant irreversible organ damage has already occurred.

As a general rule internal fungal infections in humans are extremely difficult to treat successfully, in part because much of the fungal biology/enzymology are so biochemically similar to humans, in contrast to bacteria. There aren't many effective, low side effect anti-fungal drugs, despite lots of effort by lots of folks.

All the best,

Peter