The Friday Five hope you are all safe, warm (but not too warm), and comfortable...

[magnetic_pole]

Thinking of those facing down Florence and Mangkhut tonight.

1. Have you ever experienced a hurricane firsthand? No, luckily.

2. Have you ever experienced outside heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius)? Often when I was young; I grew up on the edge of the high desert. But 100F / 38C and dry is ten times better than 80F / 27C and muggy. My worst moment was just arriving in Hong Kong, passing out for a moment in the heat, and falling at the end of an escalator. I was a sweaty, dizzy mess with a skinned knee and a sprained ankle. Not my best moment.

3. When and where was the coldest temperature you have ever experienced? Objectively? Probably in January in northern New England, where the temperatures sometimes fell to close to 0F / -17C. Subjectively: the weekend I found myself in St. Andrews, Scotland, in mid March with insufficient clothing and/or backbone. I actually had to turn around and get back on the train and head to London, I was that miserable and unprepared. (These were the days before this California girl had discovered wool. That was a bit of a revelation.)

4. Is your household prepared for a possible power outage of two to seven days? No.

5. Do you have a go bag? No. Hm. I'm starting to think there may be a lesson here.

Textbox below (you can link back to thefridayfive), or just stop by and leave a comment: When and where were you your hottest and coldest, flist?

<b>1. Have you ever experienced a hurricane firsthand?</b><b>2. Have you ever experienced outside heat over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celcius)?</b> <b>3. When and where was the coldest temperature you have ever experienced?</b> <b>4. Is your household prepared for a possible power outage of two to seven days?</b> <b>5. Do you have a go bag?</b>

***

And on a completely different and much happier note: a very happy birthday to the incorrigible lash_larue! I spotted this months ago and thought of you....





Hope you've all had a great week, flist!

Comments

[out_there]

Hottest, would probably be Dubai with a very dry 44C day, while we had a tour around the market. Surprisingly, due to the combination of fantastic airconditioning everywhere you go (you step in and feel the chill, as opposed to Italy, which says it has airconditioning but that just means it's not quite as hot as outside) and shade and dry air, it didn't feel that hot. Felt like 33C - 35C, so hot but not hideous.

Usually we get a few hot days here over summer, but hitting 40C-42C is a rarity and doesn't even happen every summer.

Coldest... hmmm. Under 16 y.o., I grew up in Canberra. It's the nation's capital, but it's also in a valley and near the Snowy Mountains (which, true to their name, are cold and snowy). Overnight cold once hit -8C -- and the nature of those days is that it stays pretty cold in the morning, but will get up to 13C and sunny for a few hours at midday -- but my memories of winter are occasionally hiding my head under the covers in the middle of the night (cold nose) and wrapping up with scarves / beanies / gloves, trying to hide skin from the freezing air while waiting for the school bus.

Given that I get asthma from the cold -- which I don't ski or do any holidays that involve cold -- there's no way I'd ever consider moving back there.

[magnetic_pole]

Wow! I would love to go to Dubai for so many reasons, but I've always been wary of the heat. As you say, though, a new city (with lots of air conditioning and overhangs) and very low humidity would make it much more bearable. Interesting!

-8C / 18F is pretty cold, yikes! But that cold-at-night-gradually-warming-during-th-day pattern is familiar and very comforting. Staying too cold or too warm 'round the clock is always a bit panic-inducing for me.

Are you warm enough where you live that the asthma doesn't bother you? M.

[out_there]

Yes, actually. The only time I've had asthma in Victoria has been while running (exercise brings it on as well) during early morning bootcamp (6am in winter, which is before sunrise and usually around 5-8C (we get occasional colder nights, might even get down to 0C but they're not common). I have a puffer but I rarely use it here.

As for Dubai, it's very modern and there is air-conditioning everywhere. Like, all shops, hotels, etc, but also at the bus stops. It's really easy to take a breather in the cool. (And it's muggy at night from the creek. It was an interesting combination in August.)

[magnetic_pole]

I hadn't realized Canberra's weather was so extreme! (I just looked it up, actually, and there's much more variation than I'd expected. You folks get these beautiful advertisements here, making it seem like the entire country has perfect weather all the time. Good PR.) Glad the asthma's not a regular problem.

So interesting about Dubai! My curiosity is piqued. M.

[out_there]

Canberra is quite extreme and unrelenting. Winter is months of cold, summer is a good three weeks straight of over 30C.

Whereas Melbourne and Geelong (in Victoria) have a reputation for bad / unreliable weather, but I prefer it. Weather is very changeable but the advantage is that you get a few days of cold snaps and then it's milder, or a few days of heat and then a break. (Apparently, we're a temperate zone, caught between weather fronts from the desert and from the antarctic below us -- but it basically means there's always a break in the weather if you wait.) Downside is taht you can have beautiful spring days on Thursday and Fridays, and the weather can shift back to wet and cold for the weekend.

Tourism, though, is usally focused on Sydney -- which is a few degrees warmer than us, but humid so the air feels warmer -- and Brisbane / Gold Coast / Sunshine Coast area (a big tourism area that spreads an hour's drive above and below Brisbane) which is far more tropical -- 22C and sunshine in winter, 35C and sunshine in summer (but also muggier). And if you go further north there's Cairns, which is tropical -- felt like FLorida, honestly -- but wonderful to visit in winter (27C) and apparently hideous in summer (90% humidity and over 35C -- eurgh).

You folks get these beautiful advertisements here, making it seem like the entire country has perfect weather all the time. Good PR.

I think it's also a size thing. Tourism concentrates on a few specific areas, but most people forget how big Australia is as a country. I mean, the US excluding Hawaii and Alaska is 8M sq km -- Australia is 7.7M sq km. You wouldn't expect the same temperatures in Washington and New Orleans, and that's about the distance from Brisbane to Melbourne.

Okay, when I talk this much about hte weather, we can see I relaly don't want to start Monday morning.

[lash_larue]

Thanks, Maggie! That kitty looks like one of our dearly departed friends.

Hottest? Here at random times over the last few years. Around 105F and downright swamplike humidity.

Coldest was an island in New England back in the early 80's, going out early to tend to the animals and break the ice out of their watering places. -15f to 20f and 35+ mph wind. The bay froze over and only icebreakers could navigate. That was cold.

L

[magnetic_pole]

-15f to 20f and 35+ mph wind. The bay froze over and only icebreakers could navigate. That was cold

As my mother used to say (because I sound more and more like her), holy cow.

How do you deal with the humidity in your part of the world? Do you have AC? Does staying indoors help? (Here it definitely does, but we rarely get that hot when it's also humid.)

Hope you had a great day yesterday and have a wonderful year ahead of you! M.

[lash_larue]

It was fun though. I was a hell of a lot tougher then, and you can nearly always add more clothes.

We installed the most advanced heat pump system currently in existence. The old one was not doing the job and was a completely mismatched bunch of obsolete garbage. We did a ton of other stuff as well, and it was damned pricy to do it. However, our peak electric bill dropped from 500 bucks a month to under 200. The house is quite comfortable now. (To us, anyway. TRS and Lord S might have another opinion.)

Our electric coop is very good about outages, but I would like to get a backup system. Just now that's not practical at all, though. We can handle it in winter by burning wood, but there is only so much you can do by opening doors and windows. The basement apartment is always relatively cool, fortunately. We can go there at need, and fortunately have not had to move the upstairs cats down there. That would be problematic.

Thank you for the birthday wishes!

L

[therealsnape]

No, the house was perfectly comfortable - as you know, in th middle of an Alabama summer we asked to tone down the cooling at night. Fantastic system.

Also, I now realise I managed to miss your birthday. Well, damn. It was in my diary, but I was teaching on location, which is absolutely no excuse. I hope you had a grand day.

[magnetic_pole]

Ah, heat pumps! The drop from $500 to under $200 is amazing. Have we had this conversation, L? We've got one now that keeps the apartment at the perfect temperature and doesn't cost that much. It's almost too good to be true.

Sounds like TRS and Lord S found it perfect, too. Amazing heat pumps.

Funny how the cats don't seem to need relief from the heat as much as humans do. I'm not sure why it seems like they would, except perhaps the dogs I know best don't handle the heat very well.

Hope you're cool and comfy tonight in this late summer heat! M.

[ayebydan]

Minus 17C was temp in my town in our coldest winter in 2010/11. You know..by the time you are that point I don't think it registers how cold you are? It just like COLD AS BALLS AHA GET TO WHERE I AM GOING FAST PLEASE.

Hottest was 43C in Seville one year. I thought I had been hottest in Barcelona with 41 and swore never again. Yeah well 6 years later Spain got a heatwave while we were on a daytrip. Fun.

[magnetic_pole]

Ha! Did you see Minervas_eule had the same story about hot-as-an-oven Seville? As someone who's always wanted to go to Spain and particularly to Barcelona and Andalusia, I'm making a mental note of your comments here. I might need to visit at a cool time of year.

Yikes! Minus 17C sounds MISERABLE. The one time I was outdoors for any length of time in temps resembling -17C, I honestly thought my eyeballs were going to freeze. I was speed walking with my eyes closed hoping nothing came between me and my destination. Let's hope that never happens again to either of us! M.

[ayebydan]

I just went and read it! So weird. Last two weeks in July, first two in August are your danger weeks but June/early July is lovely. Once you get July you might see 30C but not in the oppressive way. Barcelona is on the sea of course so yeah stick to those months and you should just get stunning beauty and a nice heat.

We were not prepared for it. At all. It had NEVER been that cold here since records began. I am surprised our pipes didn't give up but I think the only reason they didn't was because we constantly had the heating on to keep them warm-ish. I just feel so glad the death toll was so low given the number of people trapped in cars overnight on the motorway(highway) when it got snowed in during those temps. Talk about your car heating, battery and fuel paying its dues.

[magnetic_pole]

I just feel so glad the death toll was so low given the number of people trapped in cars overnight on the motorway(highway) when it got snowed in during those temps. Talk about your car heating, battery and fuel paying its dues.

Wow. Yes. Those temps are dangerous for all sorts of odd reasons if you're in an area that doesn't regularly experience them.

I looked up Seville just now after reading your comments and am realizing I definitely need a late spring/early summer trip, just in case. Ah, the wisdom of the flist! M.

[ayebydan]

The people were really lucky in that our motorways all back onto towns, with gaps between of course, but they are not surrounded by wilderness. So people voluntarily took down their own back fences and took out food and drinks and blankets to those they could. Or they took people into their homes. It was a real heart moment.

Yeah, don't get caught in the heat there. BUT it is a truly wonderful city fulllll of history. The Jewish quarter is a beautiful experience. You can do yours that do all the main sites and take you through a walking tour of the old Jewish quarters and Muslin areas and show how closely packed they were for defense and such. So cool.

[jesse_the_k]

The cat package is excellent (and I'm a dog person).

I've become someone who is happiest indoors. I'm sad about that, and it may not be sustainable.

[magnetic_pole]

Isn't that (double) cat photo funny? I always wonder if those kinds of photos were planned or not.

I'm sorry you can't spend as much time outdoors as you'd like. is it the heat where you live now or other constraints? M.

[minervas_eule]

NC did get a hurrican, while we lived there, but we were in the middle of the state and not at the coast.

Sevilla 2 years ago was the hottest, I experienced (43°C) - I fled to Cadiz at the coast for some sea-breeze to make it bearable to be outside, because I did not want to spend my vacation in the apartment or the pool....

The coldest I made do with was while skiing in the Alps in January (never did that again) - I hate it when my fingers almost freeze off in the mittens and my cheeks under the scarf...

[magnetic_pole]

The coldest I made do with was while skiing in the Alps in January (never did that again)

I can imagine! I always see photos of people seeing there and wonder how they do it. I would love to go one day...in summer. :)

Seville in 43C heat sounds so frustrating! You wouldn't be able to do anything--at those temps you just need to stay indoors/out of the sun and rest.

I had to look up Cadiz because I wasn't sure where it was in relation to Seville, and I had no idea it had been founded by the Phoenicians. M.

[ayebydan]

Solidarity on Seville heat. Same tempt in same place is worst I've been in. The city is so cramped and close and suffocating. X__X Luckily I was on a daytrip from Benelmadena on the CdS.

[secretsolitaire]

Kitty! *pets*

I visited St. Andrews in January, if I recall correctly, and Jesus, was that wind frigid. Cut right through every layer.

Your Hong Kong anecdote sounds like a pretty bad start to a trip!

[magnetic_pole]

and Jesus, was that wind frigid. Cut right through every layer.

Yes! This was back before I fully understood layering, and while I had a decent coat for the seasons, I didn't have the proper kind of clothing underneath. The wind felt like knives. It was so lovely there, and we just couldn't stay. January...I can't even imagine how much colder it must have been for you!

No worries, the escalator incident was ridiculous and momentarily painful but all fine very quickly! As I said to Semi below, I just blacked out for moment at precisely the wrong time and got spit off a high-speed elevator, skinning and bruising my knees. Ironically, it was the very first day on a three week trip after an overnight flight. *sigh* Teaches me not to push myself. As you know, the rest of the trip was lovely. :) M.

[lash_larue]

Oops. I missed a couple.

Hurricane - Three that I was actually in the path of. For two of them, I was on The Outer Banks in NC. This was long ago and they were minor. We actually sat out on top of the dunes to watch. It was spectacular. There was a pretty big one when we were on that island up north. That one had me worried because they were predicting torrential rains and a huge storm surge. We put plywood over the most vulnerable windows and taped "X's" on the others, and sevured the boats as best we could.

The rain never appeared, nor did the surge. The winds passed 100 mph on occasion, though. My brother and I went down to the dock to check on the boats during the less violent times, and wound up lying on the foredeck of the big one just watching the storm. It was bouncy, but the way the wind whipped foam from the waves and the clouds raced across the sky was riveting and beautiful beyond description. Mother Nature's violent artistry at its finest.

The lack of rain and surge spared the boats and buildings severe damage, but without the rain, the salt spray in the wind killed almost every leaf on every tree.

Go bag - Not as such. How we are situated makes an emergency evacuation very unlikely, and we couldn't abandon the cats in any event. There is equipment ready to hand for most serious situations likely to arise. Frankly, I'm just too old and beat up to run from much of anything, :)

L

[magnetic_pole]

I should have known you'd been in a hurricane, L!

The 100 mph hour winds sound genuinely frightening and awe-inspiring at the same time. It think it's the same reason I love looking at the ocean (being up for less excitement than you, generally). There's something deeply affecting about being reminding of your own irrelevance in the universe.

As I was saying to Semi below, I was more prepared for a small emergency--a fire in the apartment building, a gas leak--a few years ago, when all my work files were on my hard drive and on CDs I got lazy when I started to put thing on Dropbox. But I do have a couple things--personal and financial things--that I'd want and need if I had to leave for a while, and I should be more aware of that.

At the very least, I should have a flashlight with working batteries! Going to rectify that this weekend. M.

[semielliptical]

Actually passing out in the heat - yikes! That is scary.

I don't have a go bag either. But the natural disasters around here are not the kinds one would usually evacuate for (tornadoes, snow storms).

[magnetic_pole]

It was just a momentary moment of blackout (which sometimes I get), but it happened at just the moment I needed to step off a high-speed escalator. Terrible timing. I hit the ground hard, fell on both knees and a wrist, and got stared at by what felt like hundred of people who manage not to fall on these escalators everyday. Not my best moment, but no harm done. :)

You have some seriously frightening natural disasters in your part of the world! But yes, they're the hunkering-down rather than evacuating sort. Although I do worry about the small disasters--a fire, a gas leak--that might take us away from home for a few days or longer. I should think about that and get a few things ready. Off to read your replies shortly! M.

[kelly_chambliss]

As someone who is really laid low by heat, I sympathize with your Hong Kong story! Ouch. How did you manage with a sprained ankle in a foreign country?

[magnetic_pole]

Oh, K, I remember you being lightheaded in the deep, humid heat of NYC's summer. It's hard to take, especially without air conditioning

All was well after my tumble in Hong Kong, though--I iced things and walked slowly and honestly had a good excuse to take it easy where I might otherwise have been running around too much in my sheer excitement. And there was a lot of air conditioning in the places we stayed and visited, which makes all the difference. M.

[therealsnape]

I'm so relieved to hear you weren't in Florence's direct path. Over here, you hear East Coast and Boston, and we were both worried.

The Hong Kong experience sounds awful, poor you. I'm glad I live in a very moderate climate.

[magnetic_pole]

We wound up getting a LOT of rain as the tail end of the storm moved through here--enough to put September up on the all-time wettest list and prompt the local weather wags to compare our sogginess unfavorably to London's.

I do worry that the media moves through with the storm and leaves the long-term problems behind as less frightening and immediate and newsworthy.

Hong Kong was fine! Just a skinned ego and aching pride. :) You *are* very lucky in your climate, though.

The Markthal went over well in class today! M.