How do you guys cope ??

[Silly Moustache]

A week ago we were experiencing over 40C (104F) an al;l time record for the UK.
Today, Saturday was another high with storms anticipated Tuesday but only 25%.

The RH is p0uzzlnig - it has gone from 61% to 23% n my house within a few hours.

The cased guitars are sitting pretty (I checked today) but the ones on stands have Music Nomad humidifiers in the sound holes.

I have good hygrometers in every area where I keep guitars, and MN hygrometers in the cases but with continued high temps and pressure why would RH vary so much ??

[catndahats]

Andy, not really off topic regarding drinkin'....
Guinness is way too heavy for me, but my oldest son loves it. He drinks it year round.

So, regarding how do we cope in the heat...we switch to lighter beers in the Summer. My favorites are produced locally by the Shiner Brewery seasonally.
*Strawberry Blonde in the Spring / early Summer.
*Prickly Pear (yeah, real cactus)
*Ruby Redbird (ruby red grapefruit) all summer.
We switch to heavier versions in the cooler months

The "best" way is almost frozen--- I know, heresy! But when it's hot outside, an icy cold beer really helps.

So, the real answer to coping is choosing the right drink for the right season (all said somewhat tongue in cheek)
Repeat as needed!

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Slightly off topic but it is NOT a good time to do long journeys.

Car accidents are at an all time high here, probably because people are hot and tired.

I was somewhat disturbed to learn yesterday that my daughter-in-law was driving her mother, father and sister from the south coast to Newcastle on-Tyne. (in an elderly Mini) According to google maps that's a journey of about 7 hours -on a good day (there are no longer any good days on British roads, especially where we live - it can take me 15-20 minutes to get into the queue to get on to the gridlocked main east west road, and the local Sainsburys (about two miles). The ride home takes longer!

My daughter-in-law is someone I respect enormously!
She was crippled in a car crash many years ago which shortened her spine by about 4-5 inches and crushed her hip and her legs which are now almost all metal (I've seen the external bolts!

In the midst of many hip and leg issues and constant severe pain she is also in the middle of the menopause.

But, apart from her using a stick you would never know. She is a real cockney sparrow; bright, funny, perky and smart! She runs her own online business and makes my stepson happier than I've ever known him.

She got there safely.

But then, she drinks Guinness!

[Paoli]

I´ve been living in Barcelona Spain for the last 15 years and I never saw anything like we are getting this year,usually you get some really hot days then cools for a few days and so on,Now it´s been a month an a half since the the maximun temperature went below 30 celsius,more likely from 33 to 37,and in the night the minumum doesnñt go below 24.I spend all day and night glued to my fan and I can´t get any recording done,bummer

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

....The RH is p0uzzlnig - it has gone from 61% to 23% n my house within a few hours.

The cased guitars are sitting pretty (I checked today) but the ones on stands have Music Nomad humidifiers in the sound holes.

I have good hygrometers in every area where I keep guitars, and MN hygrometers in the cases but with continued high temps and pressure why would RH vary so much ??

You don't have air conditioning do you? I think most folks over there don't unless they live in a newer or new-ish remodeled place. When air is cooled it is able to hold less moisture, so absent other factors the RH will go up when the temperature drops even though the amount of moisture in the air is unchanged. In reality, an air conditioner typically lowers relative humidity because moisture from the air condenses on the coils, which lowers the actual moisture content of the air.

But conversely, when air temperature rises, it's able to hold more moisture so if no additional moisture is added to the air, the relative humidity drops. This could be happening at your place if the inside temperature is rising.

I usually experience relative humidity in the 50% to 60% range in my music room this time of year, but when the weather is changing and the wind is blowing the relative humidity drops to 40-something percent and my room humidifiers kick on. That's been happening the past couple weeks even though the temperature is high. My basement stays nice and cool at 70 F.

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

with continued high temps and pressure why would RH vary so much ??

I have no explanation either, but another mystery: the RH upstairs has been oscillating between 33% and 35% since a week, which humidity below and outside (at eye level) are at normal values (low 40s - low 50s). I open up upstairs as soon and long as temperatures outside are below those inside, and use fans in the (trap) windows to pull in air from outside. The only explanation that would make sense is that outside humidity drops if you go a bit higher - because further away from vegetation that traps humidity?

Originally Posted by catndahats

But when it's hot outside, an icy cold beer really helps.

Momentarily, but you feel hotter after a few because of vasodilating effects of the alcohol. For rehydration it's probably better to drink something that isn't icy cold - or even hot tea, as I understand they do/did traditionally in north Africa.

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by j38guitar

Is it very humid? Because 85-100 F is not very hot for us in California...

It's what you're used to that matters.

My relatives in Florida put on down vests when the temps plunge into the mid 60s.

[tinnitus]

It's all about planning and scheduling.

We've been doing a lot of amateur landscaping for a few weeks. Stuff we've been putting off for months/years until "someday," but with 50-60 guests coming to a backyard wedding reception on Labor Day weekend, we've got our work cut out for us. Deadlines can be good!

Daytime temps for over a month have been 90-107(F) and 65 overnight, so we jump up and knock out everything we can before noon - 2pm at the latest. Sunscreen and wide-brim hats are the norm, working around to the shady side of the yard as the sun goes by. Then showers and AC in the house or errands in vehicles for the rest of the day once it gets too hot.

Fingers are crossed, hoping for a cool afternoon when our company shows up.

[Wardo]

I like it when it’s 95 in the shade and the air is like soup.

[FLRon]

Where I live in SW Florida, the heat cranks up in May and the oppressive heat coincides with the rainy season which begins in June and lasts until November or early December.

We have had record heat several days already. The “feels like” heat index is at or below 110 F most days. Having a pool has been a blessing for sure. I have learned to get outdoor work done before 10:00 am, but I do have to wait for the sun to dry the grass before I can mow it. My mower hates wet grass so I am forced to mow in the heat, which usually takes a couple hours total. Taking several breaks is the only way I can manage it.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by catndahats

Andy, not really off topic regarding drinkin'....
Guinness is way too heavy for me, but my oldest son loves it. He drinks it year round.

So, regarding how do we cope in the heat...we switch to lighter beers in the Summer. My favorites are produced locally by the Shiner Brewery seasonally.
*Strawberry Blonde in the Spring / early Summer.
*Prickly Pear (yeah, real cactus)
*Ruby Redbird (ruby red grapefruit) all summer.
We switch to heavier versions in the cooler months

The "best" way is almost frozen--- I know, heresy! But when it's hot outside, an icy cold beer really helps.

So, the real answer to coping is choosing the right drink for the right season (all said somewhat tongue in cheek)
Repeat as needed!

Hi, I'm not a lager drinker under normal circumstances but in the hottest months - July and August we do buy some. Our preference for some time has been Stella Artois, but this year we are drinking an Italian brew called Peroni.

We have recently been to a pub for the SECOND time since March 2020, and both times and I would never drink lager in a pub, as they will have real ale/bitter,which is far tastier and thirst quenching.

Since my cancer treatment, I cannot drink alcohol like I used to as I find I can feel the effect too quickly so I could not drink more than a pint and drive home, whereas I have been known to drink three pints in an evening in the past.

We aren't drinking much alcohol during the day at present, but we do share a bottle of Chilean sauvignon with our evening meal most evenings.

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by tinnitus

Then showers and AC in the house or errands in vehicles for the rest of the day once it gets too hot.

Fingers are crossed, hoping for a cool afternoon when our company shows up.

Hah, do you have contingencies for if it's all but cool, and your company wants to attend the event from your showers, AC'ed inside ... or as a proper drive-in wedding from inside their AC'ed vehicles?

Or just sombreros for everyone (I'm guessing that'd be the most couleur locale kind of wide-brimmed hat for your area (I find Stetsons sub-optimal for protecting face & neck)?

Originally Posted by FLRon

I do have to wait for the sun to dry the grass before I can mow it. My mower hates wet grass so I am forced to mow in the heat, which usually takes a couple hours total. Taking several breaks is the only way I can manage it.

That sounds like the kind of luxury problem you shouldn't be having... how come you even still have (that much!) grass that requires mowing, let alone wet grass? But the solution is simple: mow at the end of the day, timing it so you terminate when there's still just enough light. I'm pretty certain it'd be better for the grass too not to cut under a scorching sun...

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I could not drink more than a pint and drive home

In the past people here could drink a whole lot more and drive ...

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

You don't have air conditioning do you? I think most folks over there don't unless they live in a newer or new-ish remodeled place.

I once heard an amusing comment about the English and the weather: they're always talking about it because they don't actually have any!

The comment suggests that persistent conversational observations about the weather among English people - "Bit chilly for the time of year, isn't it?" etc. - reflect a hypersensitivity to small, barely perceptible variations in the absence of anything genuinely significant. Certainly, England has not traditionally been known for extremes of weather, which was one reason why it was pleasant to live there. Barring the (very) occasional anomaly, there were no devastating hurricanes, no raging wildfires, no destructive flooding, no Scandinavian freezes or Death Valley heatwaves.

This will make things tough at the moment since the country is not built or prepared for extremes.

[computo99]

I’m in Arizona. We wrote the book on stifling heat! However, we also have world class A/C and ceiling fans! So much so, that when I travel out of state in the summer to places that don’t always have A/C, we’re always warmer outside of Arizona. This is one of the first summers where I haven’t done ANY outside yard work. I’ll wait till October, our weather October through May is beautiful. Summer is almost over!

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by computo99

I’m in Arizona. We wrote the book on stifling heat! However, we also have world class A/C and ceiling fans! So much so, that when I travel out of state in the summer to places that don’t always have A/C, we’re always warmer outside of Arizona. This is one of the first summers where I haven’t done ANY outside yard work. I’ll wait till October, our weather October through May is beautiful. Summer is almost over!

This reminds me of Helsinki, Finland, back in the early 80s. In winter, the temperature outside could be as low as -25C, but through appropriate clothing and crack central heating, I can't remember ever feeling cold.