Friday 30 July 2021

Meltdown

 We are suffering through a killer heatwave.  Not since 1987 have temperatures been so high and for such a long period.  Back in 1987 very few had aircondition and over 1,300 people died.  


Such high temepratures are, apparently, rare for Greece and happen about every 15 years.  The heat today is worse than I can remember.  It's a real inferno out there.  

We will be having temps in the 40s for at least another week and this on an island surrounded by water.  We are normally quite a few degrees cooler than say the nearby cities of Athens and Nafplio.

We went shopping very early in the morning, got essentials and then retreated back up the mountain.   There is a breeze out there but it's a searing hot wind.

11am we retreated into our inner sanctum and turned on the airconditioning. Cross your fingers there are no power cuts because of overuse on the power grid.
 We'll go swimming around 5 and stay there till it's dark.  

Last night was hot but not unbearably so.  Nightime temperatures are also getting higher so we are not expecting to be any cooler tonight.  K tried sleeping outside and he said it was quite comfortable and he needed a sheet.  I prefer to be inside away from stray cats, mosquitoes, flying insects and howling dogs, with a fan to keep me cool.

Fire risk is very high especially with the winds and I am very aware of any odd cloud on the horizon or anything that may smell vaguely like smoke.

Meanwhile Greece has just won it's first gold, mens rowing, single scull.  Some much needed excitement in these harrowed times.  I've just heard the Greek National Anthem for the umpteenth time.  
Zito Hellas.  Well done Greece

29 comments:

  1. Blimey that is hot! The hottest weather I have experienced was 36 degrees in Krakow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 36 is becoming normal. This is not. Nightime temperatures are usually a little lower. Its not being able to sleep that gets you most.

      Delete
  2. Congrats on the Gold Medal, and you have my sympathy/empathy about the searing heat! We experience the same here in Southern California, usually in August, September and October. So far, it's been amazingly mild here judging by normal standards. But still too hot for me to go out walking in the sun during the day. I hope things cool down a bit for you soon, and that the dreaded fires do not occur, there or here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sara. We all sympathised with Canada last month when their temperatures soared but now we have to live it ourselves.
      You have a much longer run of heat. Ours is usually July and August but June was really hot this year and who knows what September will be like.
      Good for you keeping on walking. Ive given up for now but do swim across our bay when we go down.
      Oh boy, we do not want fires. Yours rage for months. No no no
      Keep cool

      Delete
  3. I hope it cools down for you soon. That is way too hot. Congrats on the Gold. NZ did well for medals yesterday as I expect you know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NZ was winning one medal after another. Awesome. I have the tv on now and hear it while Im cooking or roaming around. 'New Zealand' seemed to be popping up all the time and Id rush to watch. WE/YOU do very very well in sports. Well done

      Delete
  4. That is insanely hot. I shall not complain now about our cool, wet weather here today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wish we could do a swap. A few days here and there of rain would be so refreshing.

      Delete
  5. I don't envy you being in the middle of Summer, we couldn't live without air conditioning and never ending cold ice drinks. No doubt when it hits us here I will be feeling the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We use the aircon as little as possible but we do have a unit in every room. We use it when have to just to survive. Yesterday it was on most of the day but we managed to sleep ok with just a fan

      Delete
  6. I don’t do well in the extreme heat
    Thanks god for air con. Stay hydrated and hopefully you get some relief soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Roll on September! That's all I can say. This is too much

      Delete
  7. Wow and we thought it might be a little airier on the islands. Piraeus it like a pizza oven and we don't have air con. We haven't really needed it the last two summers. This summer it is doors closed, shutters down, wet towels all over the floor. It has got so bad i might go to the office in the weekend just to sit in an air con space. Without double vaccine yet i cant even go indoors at cafes (or the office if my colleagues are there). I hope you stay safe from fire.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We've had heatwaves one after the other this year but this is the worst. I dont do well in heat but just have to learn to live with it. We get up early to do any jobs, stay at the beach as long as possible and pray for a breeze in the evening.
      You are much worse off though. K used to complain that I kept the shutters closed but now he realises why. Keep that sun out!!!
      You seem to have found a few tricks to keep cool-er. This time you need every trick in the book. There seems to be no end of it at the moment.

      Delete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unbearably hot ,hopefully such high temperatures won't last too long .Fingers crossed for no wildfires.Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This heat wave starts here today and will last all week. The air conditioner has been on since eight o'clock in the morning. Too bad there is no sea here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The sea doesn't help much at the moment. Its hot getting down there, the sea is too warm and we need shade and lots of cold water. And there are too many people down there just now. So much to complain about just now.

      Delete
  11. I had heard that really high temps were heading your way - Crete seems a wee bit cooler but not much from friends reports and I know there has been a huge fire in the Ierepetra area. I remember a few years ago when a large fire started up on the mountains near our village of Pano Elounda and we were watching and hoping that we wouldn't need to evacuate - thank goodness the fire crews got a hold on it though it was still smoking in the morning ! Hope that it cools down for you soon as it really wears you out doesn't it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I dont want to do anything. No energy until the aircon kicks in. I hope its the last big heatwave of the summer

      Delete
  12. Sorry to hear about such a long stretch of terrible heat. We had nearly two weeks of uncharacteristic heat, and it was awful. Our evaporative cooler ran nearly non-stop...they are inexpensive compared to refridgerated air, but can't cool the air more than 10-15 degrees. And if it's humid, the effectiveness goes to nada. Think cool thoughts!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank goodness there's not much humidity. That would finish me off. It seems to go on and on but by next weekende hopefully we will be enjoying cooler weather

      Delete
  13. I hope you get some relief from the heat soon.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Horrible. It never gets that high here, up to about 38 C occasionally, but I do remember going to Kos when it was 40 C; they said one elderly lady in the village had died.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Horrible all right. The heat is unbearable

      Delete
  15. That heat sounds just awful. I love warm weather but can't cope in extreme heat. I too wouldn't sleep outside though. Thankfully we have airconditioning at home and we use it all summer. Well done on the Gold medal :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoever invented air-conditioning deserves sainthood!

      Delete