It's hot... yes.
Those of you who don't live in Melbourne were probably unaware that last week, we experienced the worst heat wave in our recorded history.
Three consecutive days above 43C -- that's basically 110F.
As one ex-soldier who had been stationed in Iraq pointed out -- 45C is not so bad in the wider scheme of things. Iraq has temperatures getting past 60C (140F). Up until today, I didn't even realise people could survive in that kind of heat.
Regardless, this was a natural disaster (if only minor). In a flood it's not about how much water there is so much as where that water is. Australia is a warm place, but Melbourne's infrastructure wasn't quite designed to handle this kind of abuse. Train tracks became twisted, power transformers died, and in one case -- exploded. Fuses -- each serving a dozen or so houses -- blew by the hundreds as power demands across the network reached an all-time record because everyone had turned on their air conditioners. Blackouts affected over 500,000 households. Hundreds of train services were cancelled, and entire train lines were shut down for hours, many without any kind of replacement service. A string of bushfires spread through the outskirts of Melbourne, claiming 20 houses so far, and one fire almost cut Melbourne off from 75% of its power supply.
It's one of those situations that isn't so bad in short bursts. The first day was hot, but the ambient sense of heat built up over time. Personally, I have no air conditioning and no fan, so there was nothing I could do to hide from the weather once it had managed to seep through closed doors and windows. My thermal hair straightener certainly didn't help -- not that it was particularly effective with my sweat and the heat to ruin my hair again. Just walking to the station managed to heat my hair like it was metal in the sun so that it burnt to touch it.
The worst part, for me, was the job interview I had 2:30pm on Thursday. I was wearing black pants, a white t-shirt and business shirt and a tie. I was worried about being really presentable, so the undershirt was to give a layer of protection from sweat and smells. I wanted to wear my jacket too, but figured I wasn't suicidal. At just before 2:30pm, I was headed there shortly before the peak of the day, so all in all, it was a very unpleasant trip to and from the interview.
Then there is the story of my friend, who's been living in a metal shed. This is something I didn't approve of ordinarily, but he certainly felt the sting of it over the past few days. Interesting trivia -- he had candles in there, until the heat melted them. Judging from the melting point of wax, this puts the shed's interior at temperatures at or beyond the extremes of Iraq. That is, assuming they don't have sheds in Iraq.
We had a cool change at the end of Friday. With temperatures now only reaching around 35C (95F), I am beginning to wonder if I should put on a jumper.
Three consecutive days above 43C -- that's basically 110F.
As one ex-soldier who had been stationed in Iraq pointed out -- 45C is not so bad in the wider scheme of things. Iraq has temperatures getting past 60C (140F). Up until today, I didn't even realise people could survive in that kind of heat.
Regardless, this was a natural disaster (if only minor). In a flood it's not about how much water there is so much as where that water is. Australia is a warm place, but Melbourne's infrastructure wasn't quite designed to handle this kind of abuse. Train tracks became twisted, power transformers died, and in one case -- exploded. Fuses -- each serving a dozen or so houses -- blew by the hundreds as power demands across the network reached an all-time record because everyone had turned on their air conditioners. Blackouts affected over 500,000 households. Hundreds of train services were cancelled, and entire train lines were shut down for hours, many without any kind of replacement service. A string of bushfires spread through the outskirts of Melbourne, claiming 20 houses so far, and one fire almost cut Melbourne off from 75% of its power supply.
It's one of those situations that isn't so bad in short bursts. The first day was hot, but the ambient sense of heat built up over time. Personally, I have no air conditioning and no fan, so there was nothing I could do to hide from the weather once it had managed to seep through closed doors and windows. My thermal hair straightener certainly didn't help -- not that it was particularly effective with my sweat and the heat to ruin my hair again. Just walking to the station managed to heat my hair like it was metal in the sun so that it burnt to touch it.
The worst part, for me, was the job interview I had 2:30pm on Thursday. I was wearing black pants, a white t-shirt and business shirt and a tie. I was worried about being really presentable, so the undershirt was to give a layer of protection from sweat and smells. I wanted to wear my jacket too, but figured I wasn't suicidal. At just before 2:30pm, I was headed there shortly before the peak of the day, so all in all, it was a very unpleasant trip to and from the interview.
Then there is the story of my friend, who's been living in a metal shed. This is something I didn't approve of ordinarily, but he certainly felt the sting of it over the past few days. Interesting trivia -- he had candles in there, until the heat melted them. Judging from the melting point of wax, this puts the shed's interior at temperatures at or beyond the extremes of Iraq. That is, assuming they don't have sheds in Iraq.
We had a cool change at the end of Friday. With temperatures now only reaching around 35C (95F), I am beginning to wonder if I should put on a jumper.