Hot! Hot! Hot!
Two days ago, the temperature reached 104 deg F (40 deg C [doesn’t it seem better in Celsius? 
), the “official” high in Livermore. and yesterday the temperature reached 109 deg F (42.8 deg C). Today the forecast is for 106 deg F (41.1 deg C), but we shall see….
(Update July 10, 2008: Yesterday’s high temperature in Livermore was 105 deg F [40.6 deg C]. Let’s see what it goes up to today! The air quality is still as bad as anyone can remember, as the result of smoke from wildfires combined with weather conditions. Afternoon update: The winds are picking up a little and the color blue is starting to appear in the smoky sky. There is supposed to be a cooling trend as we move toward the weekend.)
(Update July 11, 2008: The high temperature in Livermore was on “only” 101 deg F (38.3 deg C) yesterday, with a high of 97 deg F (36.1 deg C) forecast for today, so it looks like we are through the worst of it. The sky is once again a “smoky gray” with filtered sunlight passing through. I should mention that 100 deg F in Livermore, CA is NOT the same as 100 deg F somewhere in the Mid-West, in terms of comfort, because it is dry here and the humidity of places in the Mid-West adds to the discomfort. Those folks actually have a “Temperature-Humidity Index” [THI], which, like “wind-chill factor” is somthing that I have not had to think about much in the last 20 years.)
The air quality in the Bay Area has been bad (for us) with the government declaring “spare the air” days (take public transportation rather than driving, or telecommute) and posting an “excessive heat warning” for people and animals and a “red flag warning” for fire hazards. The “ground-level ozone” has been high, and there is a high particulate (from all of the fires) count in the air. Also, we are being asked to voluntarily conserve electricity during the hours of 3-6 PM today, and areas served by East Bay Municipal Utilities District (EBMUD) are being asked to conserve water, or folks will be fined.
One of the things that I notice about living in California, as compared with some of the other states in which I lived, is that the government TELLS us these things!
Another big difference is the way that people are treated. “Cooling centers” have been set up for the elderly and anyone else who has no way to escape the heat. Homeless shelters are allowing the homeless to remain in the shelters during the day. Normally, the homeless are allowed to sleep there and are turned out early in the morning.
Fortunately, the dry, hot winds are not forecasted to be strong, which is about the only good thing in the forecast for firefighters. Again, the current map for fires in California is here. It looks like firefighters are making great progress. Thank you, firefighters and support staff!
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
You can view higher-resolution photos (*generally* 7-30 megabytes, compressed) at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. Apparel and other gifts decorated with some of our most popular photos can be ordered from the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Store on CafePress®. Both Shutterfly™ and CafePress® ship to most international locations worldwide!
