All I got to add is that my station said 90° and 100% humidity here mid morning today when I looked. It was rough in that ditch swinging a sledge, pick and grubbing hoe to bust out some rocks. It kicked my sorry ass I don't mind telling you. And then there was the mud... Breaks long and often.

Them grandkids better damn well enjoy this pool were putting in!

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Interesting that the asphalt is melting at that temperature. If that happened here, most of the roads in the country would be impassible. Are there different types of road tar?

That was my first thought also. What kind of asphalt do they make there that can't take a 90 degree day or two?

The article didn't say the asphalt was melting, it said the tar was melting. It also makes reference to "gritters", which I found amusing.

Obviously there are different types of road surfaces. This is my observation of their evolution, by observing the progression from primitive rural to modern subdivision in front of my childhood home.

First you got your cow path, followed by the dirt road. The dirt road is first improved to chip and tar, where a gravel base is installed, topped with hot tar and finally covered with a layer of gravel chips. The chip and tar roads are periodically renewed by applying another layer of chips and tar. In the next step up, a road will be covered with asphalt, or Macadam.

The tar in a chip and tar road will melt in temperatures around 90F, and bubbles may form. This may require a new layer of chips, applied in Merry Old by the “gritters”, no doubt.

Some motorcyclists know that asphalt also melts in high temperatures, right under the metal kickstand.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
89?

Hell, that's "I'd better go mow the lawn before it gets hot" weather.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

I wish it were that cool here. Last few days of humidity here have been pretty bad. I deal with the heat and humidity better than most but these past few days were an ass kicker.

If it's only 89, I'm going to mow the lawn. In fact, I mowed 2 this past weekend at that temperature.

I can't imagine the metal/steel on the bridge having an issue but again, I know nothing about it-age, types of metal,etc.. I know it is a different way of life but there is no way I could live without my ceiling fan, regardless of how hot or cool it is. If the highest temp was 90 where I live, I would be ecstatic.

quote:

Originally posted by deepocean:

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
Let's just have a reality check for a moment before you start taking the piss out of the Brits [again].

tac, I'm sure you realize this has been something of a sport here since at least the 1760's. Probably earlier.

That right there is pretty darn funny.

Heck we are about to have one of our biggest holidays in which celebrate giving the Crown the finger.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
I can't imagine the metal/steel on the bridge having an issue but again, I know nothing about it-age, types of metal,etc.. I know it is a different way of life but there is no way I could live without my ceiling fan, regardless of how hot or cool it is. If the highest temp was 90 where I live, I would be ecstatic.

I think the issue with the bridge is lack of expansion joints, or expansion joints with insufficient range.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Interesting that the asphalt is melting at that temperature. If that happened here, most of the roads in the country would be impassible. Are there different types of road tar?

They use that cheap low-temperature tar.

Some of you need to put yourselves in their shoes for just a moment. Just imagine if all the air conditioners suddenly disappeared in Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc...

They obviously need to get some better road tar though.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Some of you need to put yourselves in their shoes for just a moment. Just imagine if all the air conditioners suddenly disappeared in Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc...

Indeed.

I recall being in N. Carolina on business, years ago, and seeing people wearing down jackets in 50°F weather. I was in shirt sleeves

Or watch what happens when Atlanta gets a couple tenths of an inch of snow

My daughter lives in a upper story flat in London with no AC, which is common. So I have been sending her pics of the thermostat that says 70 deg and reinforcing how wonderful these modern technologies are. For a child that grew up in the edge of the desert she sure isn’t very heat tolerant anymore.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Valpo Fz,

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Some of you need to put yourselves in their shoes for just a moment. Just imagine if all the air conditioners suddenly disappeared in Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc...

Imagining is easy for someone who grew up without air conditioning; one of my most memorable childhood experiences was getting old enough to warrant having a fan in my bedroom.

I can only snigger when someone who has never been without A/C sneers at those who never needed it before but are now literally feeling the heat. There’s a huge difference between running between air conditioned safe spaces or even doing something like mowing the lawn for a few hours and having no way to get cool to work in an office or while trying to sleep for days or weeks. I’ve seen the wailing and gnashing of teeth here when someone’s A/C goes down for a few hours.

Of course, I appreciate A/C myself. The only complaint I have about it is that it’s generally agreed it was what made it possible for politicians and bureaucrats from around the country to be able to live and work in Washington, DC, year round.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
And none of them have AC either.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
What the hell?

Have you ever been there? It's cool usually even in the summer, 89 to them is probably like 110 to us.

I traveled to the UK with my church choir in 1989 and they had a heat wave while we were there--hottest it had been in a very long time. Not sure what the temperatures were, but they had to be up around 90°F. It was HOT!

flashguy

I lived in Europe for 3 years, in Houston for nearly 30. Never saw an AC in a house over there. I get it, 89 in Houston means a break from the heat, but without AC it would still be pretty damned miserable.

When I first moved back from Europe, I came back to July in Texas. After 3 years of never having a single high over 80, summer here was pretty fricking miserable.

I'll never understand why people in modern countries don't have air conditioning.

A window AC unit cost $100. The electricity to run the thing is less than $15 a month. I'll eat out less if I need to come up with the money.

I can't sleep (at all) if the temp is above 75 degrees in my house.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
Some of you need to put yourselves in their shoes for just a moment. Just imagine if all the air conditioners suddenly disappeared in Florida, Texas, Arizona, etc...

They obviously need to get some better road tar though.

I grew up in the valley in So. Cal. and during the summers, 90s-100s with smog. We had no AC; the house was an old house built in 1908 and we couldn't afford AC.

This is why Texas heat is really not a big deal to me. Been there, done that. But we have AC now, of course, I can afford it

If they aren't careful they might get "Swamp Ass".

If you aren't familiar, take a look at this helpful PSA. https://thatsinappropriate.com/swamp-ass/

South Florida boy here, made money for college in my teens roofing.

I honestly enjoy it when it’s 95+ degrees out with humidity, it feels wonderful - like a warm blanket that envelops you.

We can all make snide remarks about weather if you live in extreme climes... it’s funny to see people from the Midwest at Disney during the summer because they are so clearly out of their natural element.

Much the same could be said for me when I lived in Chicago for a couple years. I remember my happiest day there was when the thermostat hit 99 degrees.

Now, for sleeping I don’t really need AC, but I do need a ceiling fan - just habit, I guess.

air humidity is way higher over here in Europe.

It rarely gets over 30 - 32° over here in Switzerland, but with the air humidity, it's not so pleasant.

When I was in Arizona a couple years back, 30° with the low humidity more felt like a nice 20 to 25° Celsius.

And no, buildings here rarely have AC. My apartment complex sure doesn't have any. I don't care, you get used to it.

quote:

Originally posted by Kampfhamster:
air humidity is way higher over here in Europe.

It rarely gets over 30 - 32° over here in Switzerland, but with the air humidity, it's not so pleasant.

When I was in Arizona a couple years back, 30° with the low humidity more felt like a nice 20 to 25° Celsius.

And no, buildings here rarely have AC. My apartment complex sure doesn't have any. I don't care, you get used to it.

Arizona is dry heat, low humidity.

Try anywhere on the East Coast of the US, particularly from South Carolina to Louisiana... I guarantee the air humidity is higher than anywhere over in Europe