How is the weather?

[Kalevala]

By not moving  , drinking water, keeping feet and hands cold ...waiting for the first thunder claps....

We'll survive, I hope...but the future is bleak, a combination of drought, torrential rain & mudslides, inundations etc.

In France:
Earlier this week, the two departments (savoie and Haute - Savoie) experienced several record temperatures, notably on Wednesday, June 25, with a peak of 38.8°C in Challes-les-Eaux (Savoie). This early heatwave accelerates the melting of glaciers and permafrost (ground whose temperature remains below 0°C for more than two consecutive years).

"The current exceptional heatwave in the Alps is not only a disaster for the cryosphere (permafrost and glaciers), but also for the biodiversity of high-altitude lakes, whose water temperatures are reaching unacceptably high levels."

Please get at least one window a/c.  There are also things which are a combo of a heater a/c--the name of which is escaping me at the moment...hvac, I believe...which I believe are supposed to be energy efficient.

It's about as hot here as it is in London (tennis junkie) at the moment.

And, yes, I've been reading about the various changes in climate including in the Alps [parts of which I visited many years ago...hard to fathom the changes].

Stay cool,

K

[71 dB]

After the not-so-warm June, July 2025 started in Helsinki with a sunny +24°C day. It was a little too windy, but at least the temperature was good.

[pjme]

Stay cool,

K

Thanks for the advice  & inspiration.
We'll ghet (heavy?) rain here by ca 17 hrs! Near the border of France and Germany the the storms may get really nasty.
From tomorrow on : ca 25°C max;

[Harry]

Well now, the warmest day so far in my part of the Netherlands, 44 degrees Celsius, a light breeze of hot sirocco winds, really very hot, one cannot stay longer as 15 minutes outside. All my aircos are presently running. Heavy rains are promised, but if it will happen, they are not sure....Meanwhile I'll take a cool blond beer!

[JBS]

Well now, the warmest day so far in my part of the Netherlands, 44 degrees Celsius, a light breeze of hot sirocco winds, really very hot, one cannot stay longer as 15 minutes outside. All my aircos are presently running. Heavy rains are promised, but if it will happen, they are not sure....Meanwhile I'll take a cool blond beer!

Stay safe! That's Death Valley temperature.
By contrast, here in Florida it's about 32 degrees Celsius and overcast with 55% humidity. Relatively balmy.

[Karl Henning]

Yep, no question about that. I've found that local stores are sold out - but the place I'm moving into is owned by a family that also owns a hardware store, and they are ordering two small window A/C units for me.

Very good!

[Karl Henning]

It's blessedly cooler today (in the 70's).  Ahhhh!

K

We've got humid 80's. Which, thankfully, is not humid 90's.

[Karl Henning]

It is terribly hot on the Dutch-Belgian border : ca 35 °C / 95° F.
Tomorrow it will rise to ca 38°C, possibly more than 40 °C / 104 ° F.

Probably this extremely hot air - which originated in North Africa - will move to the Balkans from Thursday on. The meteorological institutes predict severe thunderstorms.

Prends soin de toi, mon cher!

[Kalevala]

Yes, I think our climate is a little warmer than yours. In any case, I already have two window fans, but they're pretty useless when the temperature is 35ºC, as it was twice this week.

Perhaps encouraging your landlord to get an hvac?

K

[krummholz]

Perhaps encouraging your landlord to get an hvac?

K

The last few days have been an educational experience - and NOT in a good way. It's becoming clear that the family that owns the building (and about a dozen other rental properties in town) is, to put it bluntly, little more than a bunch of slumlords in terms of the overall upkeep of their properties. They did invest a lot of money in renovating the place I just moved into - but it was all spent on aesthetics, not on functionality. Cupboard and closet space are at a premium here - unlike in the unit I saw while this place was under construction, and which I was assured was identical to the one that would be mine.

Worst of all, the brand new refrigerator is on its last legs. You read correctly. The first thing I discovered here was that the lower section of the fridge was struggling to achieve temperatures below 50ºF, even at the coldest setting, and the top of the door was quite hot to the touch. Strangely, the upper section was getting adequate cooling. Electricians were called and quickly diagnosed the problem: a suicidal mouse had crawled up into the compressor fan motor to chew the wiring, burning out the fan. With a box fan behind the fridge, it is now working okay but is not reliable - after a 20 minute power outage last night as the last line of storms moved through, the compressor took over 3 hours to turn back on.

Oh yes, my landlady had assured me before I signed the lease that no tenants had reported any problem with rodents, one of my main initial concerns about the place given its low income housing appearance from the outside. This time, it appears that the book could be accurately judged by its cover. Thumbs down.

Unfortunately, I signed a year lease under the promise that I will have the option to move into one of their properties closer to work, and located in a much better neighborhood, as soon as an expected vacancy opens up. I'm not holding my breath, as their promises aren't worth the air they breathe to utter them.

I'm a little torn since they've been bending over backwards trying to fix the issues I've found, but the dishonest salesmanship and the obvious cutting of corners that they've been doing up to now can't be easily forgiven.

In case it isn't obvious, there is NO way they would spring for any kind of central air system or HVAC. I wouldn't even waste my time suggesting it.

[krummholz]

And oh yes, the window A/C units got delayed. Further evidence of their dishonesty: they ordered 5000 BTU units, for $200, which they claimed would be capable of cooling the entire flat. Given that the place is MUCH larger than 250 sq. ft., that was a flat-out lie. One of those units would be barely adequate to cool a bedroom - A/C units of that size are rated for a small room only. You can buy 5000 BTU units locally for as low as $135, so there is obviously a considerable markup there - in case I didn't say this before, the family also owns a hardware store and the order was placed through the store.

Thanks to the delay I did my research and realised that I had been lied to. (I had never looked into window A/C before.) Yesterday I drove to the Home Depot in Williston, VT and bought an 8000 BTU window unit for the main part of the flat. If it proves necessary, I'll go and buy a 5000 BTU unit for my bedroom.

To their credit, the family offered to install whatever I buy, which of course I will take them up on as the unit is too heavy for me to do it safely. They are supposed to come down tomorrow to put it in. None too soon, as we are forecast to get back up into the low to mid 30s C by Sunday.

[pjme]

Prends soin de toi, mon cher!

Mais comme toujours, cher Karl.
Since yesterday the temperatures are back to a summery normal and next week should even be quite unsteady with rain and more wind.

Peter

[Kalevala]

The last few days have been an educational experience - and NOT in a good way. It's becoming clear that the family that owns the building (and about a dozen other rental properties in town) is, to put it bluntly, little more than a bunch of slumlords in terms of the overall upkeep of their properties. They did invest a lot of money in renovating the place I just moved into - but it was all spent on aesthetics, not on functionality. Cupboard and closet space are at a premium here - unlike in the unit I saw while this place was under construction, and which I was assured was identical to the one that would be mine.

Worst of all, the brand new refrigerator is on its last legs. You read correctly. The first thing I discovered here was that the lower section of the fridge was struggling to achieve temperatures below 50ºF, even at the coldest setting, and the top of the door was quite hot to the touch. Strangely, the upper section was getting adequate cooling. Electricians were called and quickly diagnosed the problem: a suicidal mouse had crawled up into the compressor fan motor to chew the wiring, burning out the fan. With a box fan behind the fridge, it is now working okay but is not reliable - after a 20 minute power outage last night as the last line of storms moved through, the compressor took over 3 hours to turn back on.

Oh yes, my landlady had assured me before I signed the lease that no tenants had reported any problem with rodents, one of my main initial concerns about the place given its low income housing appearance from the outside. This time, it appears that the book could be accurately judged by its cover. Thumbs down.

Unfortunately, I signed a year lease under the promise that I will have the option to move into one of their properties closer to work, and located in a much better neighborhood, as soon as an expected vacancy opens up. I'm not holding my breath, as their promises aren't worth the air they breathe to utter them.

I'm a little torn since they've been bending over backwards trying to fix the issues I've found, but the dishonest salesmanship and the obvious cutting of corners that they've been doing up to now can't be easily forgiven.

In case it isn't obvious, there is NO way they would spring for any kind of central air system or HVAC. I wouldn't even waste my time suggesting it.

Oh, God!  I'm so sorry!

Why did/do you need a box fan after the electricians came?  Couldn't they fix the issue?  Mice are a PITA.  I have an old house and need to set MTs.  Mice can come in the smallest of spaces...hard to keep them out.

Hope that you manage to stay cool and that things work out better there.  🙏

K

[krummholz]

Oh, God!  I'm so sorry!

Why did/do you need a box fan after the electricians came?  Couldn't they fix the issue?  Mice are a PITA.  I have an old house and need to set MTs.  Mice can come in the smallest of spaces...hard to keep them out.

Hope that you manage to stay cool and that things work out better there.  🙏

K

Thanks, K. They said they would need to replace the fan motor, and it would be cheaper just to replace the whole fridge. It actually keeps food nice and cold now with the fan to keep to compressor motor itself cool. But there is no guarantee how long it will last. Initial estimate for delivery of the new fridge was July 31. I pushed back, landlady tried to arrange a pickup or delivery by July 8. Shaka, when the walls fell. Her last text to me was "Total shit storm". For some reason they will only deal with Lowe's. I could have picked up a replacement yesterday at Home Depot where I bought the window A/C unit - they had plenty of well-branded (GE, Frigidaire, etc.) and comparably sized refrigerators in stock. Maybe Lowe's is a little cheaper.

To their credit, they delivered a smaller, old fridge to the flat as a loaner or backup - I insisted it be a backup because I was still hoping to bring all of the food from the freezer in my old place, which wouldn't fit in the small fridge, or at least, not without risking blocking airflow. The incident with the power outage last night convinced me that would be unwise, but I have the backup fridge running just in case the ailing one gives up the ghost suddenly.

You as well, K, stay cool if possible! I believe you're in upstate New York, somewhere in the 'Dacks? Sunday is forecast to be a scorcher across the Northeast - it's getting to where A/C is de rigueur even in the northern states.