Seattle Reaches Its Hottest Temperature Ever Recorded
A day when candles and people shared the same posture.
The leaves on my Kiwi vines were as dry as Doritos
Yesterday a record toppled; Seattle’s temperature reached 103 degrees – the hottest daytime temperature ever recorded in the Emerald City (this year a moniker better suited for October thru June). The rest of the nation may say what’s the big deal, but you really need to put this record in context to what’s normal.
The Pacific Northwest’s weather is one of gentle fluctuations. In the winter, the night and day temperatures vary by less than ten degrees, usually between 38 and 48 degrees. In the summers 80 is a rarity and we’ve seen summers where the Puget Sound region never experienced a day temperature over 90 degrees. In most summers, I won’t even pick a ripe tomato until early September.
So I thought I’d share some photos of just how hot it was.
It was so hot…high ceilings, open windows and doors and an infantry of fans could not keep this old house from becoming an oven. (Residential air conditioners are as rare as weak coffee and cheap parking in Seattle.)
It was so hot…my sun-loving pumpkin vines succumbed to the vapors.
It was so hot…Scotch broom seed pods cracked open like popcorn popping. The entire pasture was crackling with mini-explosions, producing sounds eerily similar to when kids pop bubble wrap.
It was so hot… neither man nor beast could work, play or sleep comfortably, but some were willing to exhaust all avenues for relief (Boz and myself included, though I’ll spare you any photos of me in the kiddie pool).
What I was blogging about a year ago: Love Set Sail for Vashon (Anna & Ryan’s Wedding)
yer back!
Oh, Tom! That pumpkin vine says it all. (I’m sure all you human citizens feel the same way. Get Boz to scooch over and stay in that kid pool as long as it takes.) The weather is all anybody’s talking about — because nowhere is it what it is supposed to be. Wish I could send you some cool temperatures and wet relief. But please don’t send the heat our way. We don’t have air conditioners here in Maine either.
Tom: I stumbled into your blog (as I do with most that I read–usually a link from some other blog) and really enjoyed reading it. I loved all the garden and recipe stories. I wish they were longer–you’re a good writer.
However, I had an OMG moment when I read your “About” section and saw the photo of your house. About 4 or 5 years ago (I’m 99% certain) we looked at that very house to buy. Instead we ended up in a beautiful spot outside of Port Townsend, WA and love it. I’m so glad that house found a great owner. All the best to you!
Tom that is a hoot! Yes, indeed it was for sale five years ago. And I’ve been plugging away ever since. Pleased to say the foundation’s been fixed, the front porch rebuilt, the roof and gutters replaced, and the list will and does go on. I’ve planted an orchard and big vegetable garden and feel very at home and happy here. Glad to hear you landed is such a stunning locale as Port Townsend. Yep, between Vashon and P.T. , I’d say we’re both pretty lucky. Thanks for the visit and kind words.
Okay, and here’s the funny part: I remember the reason we decided against buying your home was that while it was wonderful it needed work. And after my partner and I spent so many years restoring an old Spanish home in So California we didn’t want to do that again. So we bought a newer home outside of Port Townsend, but then came to miss the character of an older home. So, for the last four years we have probably spent way more money on “restoring” this house to make it look old than we would have spent fixing up the house you have. Go figure, huh?
Great story (and irony) Tom, this is the second house I’ve rennovated and let me tell you, schedules and to-do lists this time around are much more fluid and easily ignored.
The scotch broom was popping, OMG that is crazy? Just crazy.
Yep, I’ve never heard or seen such a thing in all my years here. The field was a live with cracklin’ and poppin’ …let me know if I can send you any seeds to Oregon. 😉
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