Turtle Posted January 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Adelaide is experiencing a heat wave. I don't think I've experienced it this hot before - temperatures in the 40s with overnight 'lows' in the 30s. It all began on Tuesday with Wednesday peaking at 45oC, and the forcast for the next week (at least until next Thursday) is around 40oC. [ATTACH]2578[/ATTACH] There have been endless power failures around the state, with some suburbs without power for 8 hours. Air conditioners aren't working properly and there is no cold water coming out of the taps. I've already had enough of not sleeping and sweating most of the time! Train lines have even buckled:[ATTACH]2577[/ATTACH] Fingers crossed for some relief next weekend... Lordy!!! I was off checking my bookmarked temp converter while Michael was posting his. :eek2: Lordy! So you have no water, or it's just that it's not cool/cold? Not the kind of work you want to do in that kinda heat, but a deep dug hole has a constant and cool temp. The ol' fashioned "root cellar" idea and 12 feet is a good depth. Water lines here typiclly run only 2 feet deep for the smaller feed lines to homes & businesses so I can imagine in 40C/104F temp that's not good enough to keep water cool. Good time to have your own well I guess. :hihi: :eek2: I have a question about those [attach] codes. ??? I haven't seen 'em before & where are the files actually? I was going to ask about to but realized it's prolly 'superscript'. I see there is a sub2. Live & learn I guess. :hihi: Crossing all the fingers I can find now. :hyper: :singer: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monomer Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 So you have no water, or it's just that it's not cool/cold? We've got water, but it's very hot, even out of the cold water tap. Showers haven't been too pleasant lately. I get home after a hot bus ride home from work (no air conditioning on the buses; they're equipped with it, but it doesn't work properly) and I gotta have a warm shower. Drip-drying in front of the fan does the trick though :hihi: The air conditioning isn't working at my place of employment: 29oC in the office and slightly less in the lab so we're not doing much work! One of my colleagues made a frozen coke yesterday by putting a mug of coke in the -80o freezer. It was a great idea to keep cool, but I'm not sure he realised what we store in those freezers. (Faecal samples, blood samples and various tissues from rats... mmmm...) Not the kind of work you want to do in that kinda heat, but a deep dug hole has a constant and cool temp. The ol' fashioned "root cellar" idea and 12 feet is a good depth. Water lines here typiclly run only 2 feet deep for the smaller feed lines to homes & businesses so I can imagine in 40C/104F temp that's not good enough to keep water cool. Good time to have your own well I guess. I don't even know if we're allowed to dig a well, but it sure would be nice to have some cold water. :hihi: :eek2: I have a question about those [attach] codes. ??? I haven't seen 'em before & where are the files actually? They can be found here:Adelaide Forecastand here:Adelaide Now | AdelaideNow Home Page | AdelaideNow (in the gallery link under the main story on the left-hand side.) I was going to ask about to but realized it's prolly 'superscript'. I see there is a sub2. Live & learn I guess. :eek2:Ahh Turtle, you crazy monkey! Yeah, is superscript, and when I'm typing degrees I just have to have that 'o' as superscript. Crossing all the fingers I can find now. :hyper: :singer: You're a dear! I'm looking forward to the 22oC nights because hopefully the windows can be opened and the house aired out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 I have a question about those [attach] codes. ??? I haven't seen 'em before & where are the files actually? Ditto. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted January 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 We've got water, but it's very hot, even out of the cold water tap. Showers haven't been too pleasant lately. I get home after a hot bus ride home from work (no air conditioning on the buses; they're equipped with it, but it doesn't work properly) and I gotta have a warm shower. Drip-drying in front of the fan does the trick though :)...You're a dear! I'm looking forward to the 22oC nights because hopefully the windows can be opened and the house aired out. I used to live in a trailer that had a "swamp cooler" on top. As long as the humidity isn't too high, they work like a charm. :confused: Basically works like wet you in the fan, but it is a fibrous mat that is fanned and perpetually rewetted. Here's an article: >> Evaporative cooler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Current Weather at my location: Vancouver USA11:21 pm PDTdense fogtemperature: 33oF ( .5oC)barometer: 30.54 " & fallinghumidity: 92% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 I used to live in a trailer that had a "swamp cooler" on top. As long as the humidity isn't too high, they work like a charm. :confused: Basically works like wet you in the fan, but it is a fibrous mat that is fanned and perpetually rewetted. Here's an article: >> Evaporative cooler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaWe have a similar thing used here for 200 years.We call them bush friges or cooling cupboards or coolgardie safes, but they would not cope with 45CPermaculture discussion forum • View topic - Alternative refrigeration - Coolgardie Safe ?Aussie Pride Almost no houses in Oz have cellars. It is always a source of fascination to see them in films like the Nutty Professor/Flubber etcI think the Aussie equivalent is the Blokes "Shed" or garage type structure out the back that is female free.The further north you go in Oz the higher the houses get off the ground.The old, pre-air conditioning, "Queenslander" home is about 10 feet above the ground. Very nice they are too- becoming popular with restorers.Of course when it did rain in Oz any cellar would just become a swimming pool.This does not happen in USA? The fires are starting but, so fa,r not, tooo badVic blaze destroys homes as town runs out of waterVic blaze destroys homes as town runs out of water - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) No relief from heatwave chaosMelbourne blackout causes chaos Posted 51 minutes agoUpdated 16 minutes agoBuildings were evacuated due to the massive power failure. There is chaos in Melbourne tonight, with major power outages causing severe disruption in parts of the city and CBD. Buildings have been evacuated and the Fire Service has been called to Melbourne blackout causes chaos - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)Other reports at that ABC websiteTag: Weather - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)No relief from heatwave chaos - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) PSMaybe I spoke too soon:-Victoria bushfires out of controlhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2009/01/30/2477993.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted January 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 I used to live in a trailer that had a "swamp cooler" on top. As long as the humidity isn't too high, they work like a charm. ;) Basically works like wet you in the fan, but it is a fibrous mat that is fanned and perpetually rewetted. Here's an article: >> Evaporative cooler - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia We have a similar thing used here for 200 years.We call them bush friges or cooling cupboards or coolgardie safes, but they would not cope with 45CPermaculture discussion forum • View topic - Alternative refrigeration - Coolgardie Safe ? I have to disagree with you on these evaporative coolers no working at 45o C. :confused: It is only when humidity is high that they don't work effectively. You can rig up a small version on your own. If you have a house fan already, simply hang a loose fabric so the bottom is in a tray of water and arrange it close behind the fan. The air draws through the wet towel and is cooled by the evaporation and then blown into the room. Almost no houses in Oz have cellars. It is always a source of fascination to see them in films like the Nutty Professor/Flubber etcI think the Aussie equivalent is the Blokes "Shed" or garage type structure out the back that is female free.The further north you go in Oz the higher the houses get off the ground.The old, pre-air conditioning, "Queenslander" home is about 10 feet above the ground. Very nice they are too- becoming popular with restorers.Of course when it did rain in Oz any cellar would just become a swimming pool.This does not happen in USA? You downunderlings!! :) Not all homes in the US have basements, and yes some that do can flood. We use sump-pumps when necessary. >> Sump pump - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Not all areas have soil suitable for a basement, and many folks choose not to build them because of the added expense. Anyway, I was suggesting a root-cellar, which does not have to connect to or be under the house. Root Cellars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrotex Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hello, you assortment of weather watching peoples. :confused:I haven't had time to read through the whole thread, but does anybody keep a watch out for Halos (around Sun or Moon), Light pillars, Rainbows (single, double and even triple), Sun showers, Sun dogs, Sun arcs, Luminescent clouds, Mammalian clouds, Spectral inversions, Auroras and other strange meteorological phenomena? I have seen most all of these over my lifetime. Some of them are awesome and difficult to understand. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about. PS: I have never seen Ball lightning, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Yes, Pyro, we have discussed some of those in this thread (and I think the "Clouds" thread as well?). Wild stuff! I haven't had the pleasure of seeing a sundog or halo myself, yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted January 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hello, you assortment of weather watching peoples. :)I haven't had time to read through the whole thread, but does anybody keep a watch out for Halos (around Sun or Moon), Light pillars, Rainbows (single, double and even triple), Sun showers, Sun dogs, Sun arcs, Luminescent clouds, Mammalian clouds, Spectral inversions, Auroras and other strange meteorological phenomena? I have seen most all of these over my lifetime. Some of them are awesome and difficult to understand. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about. PS: I have never seen Ball lightning, though. Hello yursef! I keep watch, but with my current camera I can't seem to find settings that record the subtler effects that I am seeing. :( Whenever I'm over at the coast at sunset, I cross my fingers & hope I'll see a green flash. :eek2: On the halos, I posted a Moon halo photo over in the Skywatchers thread last week. Here it is again. To the naked eye it was much more dramatic & nuanced. :confused: ;) Spaceweather.com, SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids, regularly publishes pieces on these effects and refer to Les Cowley for the expert explanations. >> Atmospheric Optics PS No ball lightning for this ol' reptile either. :( :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrotex Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Every time I see the sun in the evening, say about 1 or 2 fists* above the horizon, and there are thin or sparse clouds near the sun, I always look about 2 fists to either side of the sun, and horizontal with it. At least twice a year here in Houston, TX, I see a sundog. Sometimes, they come in pairs, one on either side. But you know, if you don't have the habit of looking in the right places, you prolly never see them. *Excellent way of measuring size in the sky. Hold your arm out straight in front of you. Make a fist. From your eyeball, the height of your fist (little finger on bottom, index finger on top) is about 9 degrees. That means it is about 10 fists from horizon to zenith.The Moon subtends an arc of only half a degree as you see it. Surprisingly, this means that 1 fist = approximately 18 Full Moons!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Every time I see the sun in the evening, say about 1 or 2 fists* above the horizon, and there are thin or sparse clouds near the sun, I always look about 2 fists to either side of the sun, and horizontal with it. At least twice a year here in Houston, TX, I see a sundog. Sometimes, they come in pairs, one on either side. But you know, if you don't have the habit of looking in the right places, you prolly never see them. *Excellent way of measuring size in the sky. Hold your arm out straight in front of you. Make a fist. From your eyeball, the height of your fist (little finger on bottom, index finger on top) is about 9 degrees. That means it is about 10 fists from horizon to zenith.The Moon subtends an arc of only half a degree as you see it. Surprisingly, this means that 1 fist = approximately 18 Full Moons!!!! The fist method is great indeed. Iirc, my fist is about 8 degrees. In astronomy class, we were asked to compute it so that we could all estimate degrees in the sky when we were star watching as a group. I also use it a lot while hiking to judge how much sunlight is left. One fist equals approximately one hour. Just stack them down to the horizon to see how many hours of daylight are left. :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Hello, you assortment of weather watching peoples. :evil:I haven't had time to read through the whole thread, but does anybody keep a watch out for Halos (around Sun or Moon), Light pillars, Rainbows (single, double and even triple), Sun showers, Sun dogs, Sun arcs, Luminescent clouds, Mammalian clouds, Spectral inversions, Auroras and other strange meteorological phenomena? I have seen most all of these over my lifetime. Some of them are awesome and difficult to understand. Here's a sample of what I'm talking about. PS: I have never seen Ball lightning, though.All I have seen are moon halos. (Rainbows of course-never a tripple though.)Auroras occasionally are seen in Tasmania. My daughter was amazed when she first saw them when she moved there and excitedly asked others to look!. . . look! . . look!The Taswegians didn't bother to watch-too ordinary an occurrence. Inbred lot! I have seen on film the results of where ball lightening has been. I don't think I want to see it. There was a Yank TV show on recently where the guy was recording ligtening ABOVE clouds. He found pillars of lightening ripping up into the stratosphere a mile wide and ? (extremely) high. So turtle not all Yanks have cellars. I am devastated! No wonder house prices are falling! What do you do in a ROOT cellar? The latest on the Victorian firesHeatwave, bushfires to continue in sweltering Victoria - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)Awful for the people who have lost there homes but we have seen far worse.With these weather conditions, IMHO, we have been very lucky so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted January 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 So turtle not all Yanks have cellars. I am devastated! No wonder house prices are falling! What do you do in a ROOT cellar? :D Root cellars are for storing root crops and other veggies. I'm just an old-fashioned Yank putting forward an old-fashioned idea. I doubt many Yanks these days know about them either so you got something in common with that lot. :) Sometimes I honestly don't know why I even keep 'em around. (Yanks; not root crops) :eek2: As the temperature is considerably lower in a root cellar than at the surface, I figured you hot Ozzies could put jugs of water in to cool down for later use. Or coil a charged hose down there to cool and then enjoy a couple minutes of cooling spray. :evil: :) Current weather: dark :moon: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moontanman Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Root cellars, i am familiar with them for sure, in the mountains they are dug under a house or into a hill side so canned foods and root crops can be stored during hot weather. In the mountains, Appalachians, where I was born it is in the low 60's to 50's under ground all year long, so food canned in jars will not freeze up and bust in the winter or get too hot in the summer. Food canned in jars will often freeze and bust if stored indoors where I lived! some people also used pack a couple tons of ice into a root cellar to keep thing much cooler in the summer before refrigeration. Basements are very useful but not all places are suitable for them. where ever it's possible they are still built in many areas. Even here on the cost someone will occasionally find a piece of ground were a basement can be built. Turtle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essay Posted January 31, 2009 Report Share Posted January 31, 2009 Every time I see the sun in the evening, say about 1 or 2 fists* above the horizon, and there are thin or sparse clouds near the sun, I always look about 2 fists to either side of the sun, and horizontal with it. At least twice a year here in Houston, TX, I see a sundog. Sometimes, they come in pairs, one on either side. But you know, if you don't have the habit of looking in the right places, you prolly never see them.Yes to all that stuff, and like you ...not ball lightening (but I have a friend who has stories). I especially enjoy the little rainbow colored edges that the high thin clouds get when the sun is a few fists away from them. Just yesterday, about 2:30, I was enjoying the vision. It's almost a sundog phenom. by position; but a rainbow phenom. by effect.I think if the clouds were thinner, then you'd get the sundogs. ~ :hihi: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaelangelica Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Its bloody crazy here. Army being called in to floods up northTag: Floods - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and fires down southTag: Bushfire - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)This weather is unprecedented. Australia's worst bushfire disaster 17 minutes ago The death toll from horrific bushfires across Victoria this weekend has reached 76, surpassing the number of people who perished in the 1983 Ash Wednesday blazes.Tag: Bushfire - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Australian Red Cross is taking on-line donations. Not that many have much money these days.Australian Red CrossThey are also asking for people to donate blood as many burn victims need it(All blood in Australia is donated) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monomer Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I've been so pre-occupied with SA's heatwave that I hadn't realised how bad it was in the east. More people killed in the Victorian bushfires than during Ash Wednesday! It's awful to read about that and the floods in Qld. I wonder if Jay-qu is affected. And the queenslander hypographers. How's NSW doing Michaelangelica? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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