How are you prepping for the big heatwave coming in this weekend?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I’m sure all you Southerners and Western Desert Dwellers are going to laugh and point at us Northerners (hey, we laugh and point at you when you panic about snow , so it’s only fair :wink: ) but bear in mind that many of us are simply not used to brutal heat… I’m sure as heck not…

So, I figure this thread could serve two purposes;

1; fellow Northerners, tell us how are you prepped/preparing for this brutal heatwave?
2; Southerners/Desert Dwellers, what’s the best way TO prepare for, and keep cool in this brutal heat?

Thankfully, my place has central air conditioning, and ceiling fans, so i’ll keep the fans in counterclockwise mode, keep the AC just cool enough to keep me comfortable without running up the power bill, and make sure to have plenty of water in the fridge, I’ve prepped a big, tasty pasta salad that’s kept in the fridge, and i’ll try to get Cooper to the dog groomer before the heat wave to trim him back a bit as he’s getting a little too fluffy for conditions right now

Mom is a few towns over, near the seacoast, and her air temps will be a bit lower, but only by a few degrees, she has no AC, but the house (250+ year old Colonial) has good insulation and generally stays comfortable with the use of my old big industrial style floor fans (20" high velocity fans), I’ve told her that she’s more than welcome to crash here if the heat gets too much for her at her place

I may end up picking up a new high velocity fan tomorrow for my place, just in case something happens, better to be prepared…

perhaps I should also think about getting an inexpensive grill for outdoor cooking… no, strike that, it’d mean standing out in the horrible humid outdoor blast furnace, pass

so, what are the best ways to beat this oncoming heat?

2

Get a haircut and/or shave your head. However, DO NOT shave your balls.

Do not salt your food, except for watermelon.

Swamp fans are bullshit unless you live in the desert.

Sitting by a river or stream is always nice.

3

I live in Las Vegas. I moved here from Florida. I have decades of experience living in both hot & humid and hot and dry conditions.

In dry places, keep air moving. If all you can do is have open windows, open them. If you have fans, keep them on the lowest setting you find tolerable (because the fan itself creates heat). “Evaporative cooling” is your friend. Do not discount the effectiveness of a wet bandana, handkerchief, towel or pillowcase spread out on and draped over your head. I lived for a month one summer here in Las Vegas with no AC and I survived reasonably comfortably this way.

In humid places, keep air moving.

In both places, drink plenty of water but don’t overdo it. Water toxicity is a real thing.

4

Pfffft. Sitting outside and enjoying the glorious heat.
I’ve put up with 5 months of shit weather. Heat is magnificent.

5

This.

I’m gonna not whine about it and enjoy the fact that it’s not 33 degrees and raining.

6

Meh, the advantage of cold weather is you can always ADD another layer to keep warm, with hot weather, there’s only so much you can remove before you’re peeling off your own skin in order to stay cool

7

Tell you what, I’ll put on shorts and a T-shirt and stay outside for 8 hours now, and then in the winter, when it’s 5 degrees outside, you can put on whatever you want and stay outside for 8 hours. Deal?

8

I try to have all errands done by noon. Then it’s inside with the door shut and the a.c. on. If your town has a fan drive for seniors and low income families, consider donating. If you know any older people who don’t have ac, check on them. If you’ve got kids who usually play outside all summer, consider an afternoon movie inside during the hottest part of the day. Not sweating is very bad. Review the signs of heat stroke.

Prickly heat is no fun either. Calamine lotion will help.

9

Don’t wait until your house is uncomfortable to turn on the A/C. It’s easier for your A/C to maintain a temperature than it is to cool down a hot house. Also, check the filters to see if they need to be replaced.

Don’t be a hero - heat exhaustion can sneak up on a person pretty quickly. One minute you’re sweaty but otherwise fine, the next minute you’re dizzy and nauseous. Pay close attention to how you’re feeling and spend the money to crank the A/C if you need to. It’s just a few days.

10

I’m buying lots of light beer, and a bunch of bags of ice to dump in the kiddie pool to keep the husky cool. The one thing I’m worried about is the power going out. Not so much for the fans and A/C stopping, but it gets boring sitting around the house with no TV, internet, etc.

Seriously, I live in Vermont. How is it going to get up to a “feels like temp” of 115 degrees? That’s INSANE. And add to that thunderstorms from the remnants of a hurricane. It almost makes me miss the winter temps of 30 below zero with raging winds.

11

I’d like to see a reputable cite for this. We have different electricity rates here in Ontario for time-of-use. I wait until 7:00 PM to turn on the A/C, and then at bedtime (if it’s cool enough) open the windows and turn the A/C off.

12

It’s gonna be tough to cope. I just looked up the forecast and it’s going to be a sweltering 80F this week in Seattle. The high today was 68F with rain. (It is true that a Seattleite will piss and moan about how hot it is anytime over 80F. :wink: )

Those of you that are in the heatwave, well, hang tough.

13

Las Vegas is staying fairly mild in the coming week; the forecast calls for low 40s as the high all week, which means it may feel cooler here than it does in Vermont.

ETA: That’s celsius; unlike most Americans, I prefer the metric system.

14

I grabbed the cat and dog and left the city for our cabin in the mountains. I’ll work from there for the rest of the week.

15

Serious answer here (at least from my POV): What heat wave?

Formerly from Phoenix, moved to Texas and all I see in the forecast are 2 digit numbers. Call me if it’s gonna break 115, otherwise I’m just yawning.

Got ribs brining for the smoker, and beer in the fridge. I won’t be on the boat for a few days, but only cause it’s in the shop. Nothing’s different for me. Nothing’s out of the ordinary for TX.

16

We have plans to be on the Allegheny River pontooning and drinking beer. The dogs, my gf, and friends that will be with us are likely to be swimming, but as the captain I remain on board.

17

Personally I am not above freezing a few 2 liter soda bottles of water, and holding one like a baby when I get too hot.:cool:

18

You. Sir, have gone too far! I will instead try to keep my hair wet and drink lots of beer. (OK, water, too.)

19

I didn’t do my push-mowing last weekend, and I can’t avoid it now. So I’ll get out there early, pace myself, and carry a wet towel. Maybe I’ll pack some ice in my bra, too…

Beyond that, I have no plans to be outside for any appreciable amount of time. We shall see how that goes.

20

Make sure your pets are cool.

Cover you steering wheel/put up one of those windshield screens if your car isn’t i n the shade.

Don’t cook or bake.