h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Only 98 yesterday. It seems the more the forecasters predict a scorchio the further the temperature gets from it.

Result

The radar wasn't lying on Friday, Over an inch of rain in places, however yesterday (Saturday) was back to mostly dry with only a few spots mid afternoon which didn't even cause my coat to come out, around 20C 68F but feeling a bit cool in the breeze, fortunately I spent most of the afternoon in pubs, so it didn't matter to me.
Today seems to be mostly showers and back down to 14C 55F, however it is supposed to warm up a bit tonight with the high of 17C 63F only occurring around 20:00.

New Port Richey, Florida

Almost 8 inches of rain yesterday, and Friday was almost as bad.
Fish are swimming in the flooded streets, deep enough for canoes and kayaks, Well over the floor of my golf cart.

Had a man come out last Monday to give me an estimate for a new roof. Apparently his treading about on the old one was enough to open two cracks' I now have a ceiling panel to replace in the living room and a door header for the bath destroyed.

More is expected all week long. At least I got my roof patched.

F S

Like tomorrow, it seems that scorchio never comes. According to the forecast five days ago we should have had a couple already, over the weekend (including a 101). Two or three days ago it was going to be Tuesday and Wednesday. Now it's Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

98 yesterday by the way.

And now all the scorchios have disappeared Friday and Saturday are going to be *cooler* than the rest of the week, at 97F

And just to mess with us all here in Austin, I'm hearing on the radio we did actually make scorchio this afternoon.

We reached scorchio at 3.15pm yesterday, with a heat index of 105. It didn't feel like it. As a matter of fact, I've been thinking during these past few weeks that I think I must have finally become completely acclimatised to Austin's summer heat now because it doesn't feel, well, hot (certainly not uncomfortable or distressing) any more. Okay, I know we didn't have a scorchio until yesterday, but there really isn't much in it between 98 and 100, unless it's your mind making you think there is.

And all of a sudden the seven-day forecast is full of scorchios Talk about shutting the stable door

I'm really not looking forward to opening this envelope that's on the table. It's the leccy bill

Okay, not as bad as I was expecting. Do we have anything that looks like a smiley?

Next month's bill though...

Cool old Guy not even checking the lists
" could be

Though it resembles a heavy smoker as well. "

I did consider that one but came to the same conclusion

Smoking... or farting.

We were at 99 20 minutes ago so there's every chance we made scorchio again today. More later.

No chance of Scorchio in London at the moment.
It will be Friday before we rise once more to the dizzy heights of 20C / 68F .
Other than that reasonably pleasant in the Sun but cloudy with the risk of a shower or two later.

Yesterday was indeed scorchio number two for the year, and plenty more are forecast. With a possibility of a little rain on Friday and Saturday.

100-degree temperatures and high humidity. Oh joy.

I think we barely missed scorchio yesterday. I do know it's now just too hot for at work bike rides. I walked back in after a 25 minute 5 mile ride with visible sweat soaking through my shirt. (there's not a puddle smiley, too bad.)

Well the shower has arrived down here in South West London, it's P'ing down, and looking at the radar it's going to last about 30 minutes, with another one about an hour behind.
Mind you I'm glad I'm not down the road at Hampton Court, they are under the interestingly coloured bits of the radar.
Also I did the "Gardening"* earlier so this saves me watering


* So long as you accept that gardening is limited to pulling out a few weeds and cutting a bit of grass

We have the hat-trick. Scorchio plus one yesterday.

We also hit scorchio yesterday and maybe the day before that as well.

Our chance for much needed rain jumps up a bit tomorrow to 40%, then it drops again. Our lawn is brittle and dying, so normal for the end of July. Maybe just a bit more so.

I don't remember such a persistent high level zone over Texas, especially during hurricane season.

Speaking of lawns...

Shortly before I get off the bus each morning I go past a gulley/storm drain each morning. It's not one of those wide concrete gulleys that often make up such drains - the only concrete is at the bottom, and banks are vegetation... at least they were until a few days ago. Beautiful tall grasses and sedges. Green, verdant, no doubt a haven for some wildlife at this hot time of the year.

Gone. All mown.

I don't get it. I don't get this mania for cutting any patch of grass and/or vegetation, no matter how small, or even for having grass in the first place in this climate.

Our average annual rainfall is a little over 30" a year. If I stretch my memory back to the sixth form and A level geog., rainfall has to be less than 10" a year yo officially be a desert, so we're well above that, but the heat at this time of the year and the fact that so much of our rainfall comes in a couple of months means that it's really not the best kind of place for Centre Court-type lawns.

And all those grasses that were cut down around the storm drain weren't - they were growing quite happily, so they were obviously some kind of local wild plant. And they were green and pleasant to look at.

Now all that's there is a brown stubble

And they didn't even bother to take away the clippings, which, given that these grasses were anything from four to eight feet tall, are numerous. And just lying there.