Heatwave

[Abe]

It’s why I’m looking for land within the “new” temperate zone.

I've been wanting to keep this future in mind as I think about moving as well. Is there a resource you've looked at with future-predicteed zones identified?  My instinct to just look north seems too simplistic since while, e.g., Vancouver and surrounds are very nice, they seem almost as high a risk for wildfires and associated harms as where I live now.

I work with a bunch of scientists who are collectively concerned, and sometimes discuss where to establish a homestead. There are some variables I don’t fully understand, and some that are unpredictable, but overall the Pro Publica map has been approved by scientists friends.

Like you said, just ‘moving north’ isn’t the final solution. The northward migration of the temperate zone is going to cause a lot of collateral damage w.r.t. crops, etc. But I think the map is a good first pass guide on where to potentially start looking.

@sui generis

The temperature map for this week is a good example - upper Midwest is being pummeled.

@Just Joe - our panels do shade about 50% of our roof - hard to know how much difference it makes but am sure it’s not zero!

[StarBright]

It’s why I’m looking for land within the “new” temperate zone.

I've been wanting to keep this future in mind as I think about moving as well. Is there a resource you've looked at with future-predicteed zones identified?  My instinct to just look north seems too simplistic since while, e.g., Vancouver and surrounds are very nice, they seem almost as high a risk for wildfires and associated harms as where I live now.

I work with a bunch of scientists who are collectively concerned, and sometimes discuss where to establish a homestead. There are some variables I don’t fully understand, and some that are unpredictable, but overall the Pro Publica map has been approved by scientists friends.

Like you said, just ‘moving north’ isn’t the final solution. The northward migration of the temperate zone is going to cause a lot of collateral damage w.r.t. crops, etc. But I think the map is a good first pass guide on where to potentially start looking.

@sui generis

We used the pro publica article (or maps that looked a lot like it) when we were discussing pros/cons of choosing between some jobs! We have young children and one of our factors was wanting to choose somewhere we could be stable-ish for 30+ years. Climate wasn't the only factor in our decision list but it was actively discussed.

We ended up in the Great Lakes region instead of Texas or southern CA.

[AccidentialMustache]

While generally supportive of the shift to EVs, I do worry about all these summer hot days featuring requests from utilities to customers to use less power, and then adding millions of EVs to the roads (eventually). Hoping our regional utilities are building up their respective grids as EVs become more common. Feeling like a portion of the driving public won't be strategic with their recharge times. Just me, me, me...

Time-of-use pricing will have EVs charging whenever the grid power surplus/deficit wants them to charge. Incentives are wonderful that way. Pretty much all the "non-compliance" EVs (eg, tesla and the current-gen crop bolt/id 4/mme/polestar 2/ioniq 5/ev6) can program the car with when to charge so there's no special equipment or letting your power company tell your car when to charge stuff going on.

[monarda]

I work with a bunch of scientists who are collectively concerned, and sometimes discuss where to establish a homestead. There are some variables I don’t fully understand, and some that are unpredictable, but overall the Pro Publica map has been approved by scientists friends.

Like you said, just ‘moving north’ isn’t the final solution. The northward migration of the temperate zone is going to cause a lot of collateral damage w.r.t. crops, etc. But I think the map is a good first pass guide on where to potentially start looking.

Thanks for sharing the Pro Publica map. Happy to be living in upper midwest. Just two miserable (>90F, with >100F heat index) days this week...

[simonsez]

It's dang hot and humid here in South Carolina too.  But I knew that it would be when I moved here. Nonetheless, this recent heatwave has me thinking un-mustachian thoughts like getting a cabin up in the mountains or jetting away to Iceland.  I'm not gonna do that, but I can daydream about cooler temps.

My un-mustachian thoughts as I sit here in a radiating brick oven of a house are thinking about building a house the way I want it from the foundation up with HVAC efficiency and protection from the outdoor elements as a MAJOR point of emphasis.

I plan to stay in this house for several more years and will make HVAC/insulation improvements, but it's fun to dream about the "next house" and how it might be engineered.

[getsorted]

I work with a bunch of scientists who are collectively concerned, and sometimes discuss where to establish a homestead. There are some variables I don’t fully understand, and some that are unpredictable, but overall the Pro Publica map has been approved by scientists friends.

Like you said, just ‘moving north’ isn’t the final solution. The northward migration of the temperate zone is going to cause a lot of collateral damage w.r.t. crops, etc. But I think the map is a good first pass guide on where to potentially start looking.

Thanks for sharing the Pro Publica map. Happy to be living in upper midwest. Just two miserable (>90F, with >100F heat index) days this week...

I'm in the lower Midwest, just inside the habitable zone. Definitely has me thinking!

[JGS1980]

I’m glad this sparked a lot of discussion!

@Dicey - save me a spot in NorCal! We’ll be climate refugees soon enough. It’s only the work that keeps us here (and some friends - most of whom are also from California…) if you’re interested there are often solar co-ops that functionally do the same as home solar (except no battery backup unless you install one at home). Houston has one that’s turning an old dump into the largest solar farm within a major city to date (100MW).

Ministry for the Future’s opening scene is probably not too far from now, but probably not as dramatic. It’ll be a death by thousand cuts in South Asia and other high risk places.

Look through climate.gov (newly revamped since Trump admin tried to gut it) for ideas on where to move in the future.

I think a house built partly into a hill in NorCal is my ideal - the large thermal stabilizer provided by the ground, some good insulation and south-facing windows will work out well. Moisture build-up can be an issue though.


For now, our solar panels do continue to power through - provided 88% of the power we needed on the hottest day yet this year (102F)

FWIW, about 35% of Texas’ power was provided by wind + solar (wind really picked up toward sunset, like most summers). We consume about 150% per capita compared to California. Yet it seems that it’s within reach if even this diehard fossil fuel state can be convinced to ramp up renewables. Money talks! This techno-optimism is tempered by the realism of the US political deadlock and the pragmatic steps needed to acclimate to some level of discomfort.

This reminded of some climate related dystopian reading for you weather interested folks. Please enjoy this in the air conditioning:

1. Parable of the Sower -Octavia Butler ->predicted climate change related southern California migration to northern California/Oregon. Written in the 80's.

2. The Ministry of the Future -Kim Stanley Robinson ->what do you do when climate change is obvious and ongoing and people STILL don't want to change? Drastic situations lead to drastic measures. Published in 2020.

JGS

[Sibley]

This reminded of some climate related dystopian reading for you weather interested folks. Please enjoy this in the air conditioning:

1. Parable of the Sower -Octavia Butler ->predicted climate change related southern California migration to northern California/Oregon. Written in the 80's.

2. The Ministry of the Future -Kim Stanley Robinson ->what do you do when climate change is obvious and ongoing and people STILL don't want to change? Drastic situations lead to drastic measures. Published in 2020.

JGS

If I remember the book correctly, Parable of the Sower also included mention of massive sea walls around NYC and travelling in caravans from LA to NY because it wasn't safe to travel alone due to violent. Though that may well have been a different book.

As for the 2nd book, I haven't read it, but I'm guessing people die.

[iris lily]

Here in Northwest Indiana, my outdoor thermostat had triple digits the other day, but so far we have managed to not turn on the A/C. There are a lot of factors going in our favor for that feat:

1) Big house with three levels. We don't spend much time on the top level this time of year.
2) Lots of shade from mature trees.
3) Use fans in the top level exhaust out the heat as soon as the outdoor temp becomes reasonable.
4) Less than 1/5th of a mile to lake Michigan so we spend the hot parts of the day at the beach and play in the 62 degree water.

I bought a condo in a 100 year old building that does not have central air conditioning. I had been looking at that building for quite a while and was concerned about being at the top of the 10 story building for the purpose of staying cool. Well also,  I don’t like elevators.

I ended up buying a condo on the second floor
.
 So I’ve been spending this week sleeping there for the first time since we bought it nearly 2 years ago and the small air conditioner I have is keeping it comfortable. No problem. Granted I did not stay there last week when the temps were in the 90s with very high humidity, but this week with low 90 temps and very low humidity things are fine.

[GuitarStv]

Here in Northwest Indiana, my outdoor thermostat had triple digits the other day, but so far we have managed to not turn on the A/C. There are a lot of factors going in our favor for that feat:

1) Big house with three levels. We don't spend much time on the top level this time of year.
2) Lots of shade from mature trees.
3) Use fans in the top level exhaust out the heat as soon as the outdoor temp becomes reasonable.
4) Less than 1/5th of a mile to lake Michigan so we spend the hot parts of the day at the beach and play in the 62 degree water.

I bought a condo in a 100 year old building that does not have central air conditioning. I had been looking at that building for quite a while and was concerned about being at the top of the 10 story building for the purpose of staying cool. Well also,  I don’t like elevators.

I ended up buying a condo on the second floor
.
 So I’ve been spending this week sleeping there for the first time since we bought it nearly 2 years ago and the small air conditioner I have is keeping it comfortable. No problem. Granted I did not stay there last week when the temps were in the 90s with very high humidity, but this week with low 90 temps and very low humidity things are fine.

Heat is supposed to rise . . . but when I go on long bike rides, it's always colder at the top of a large hill than down in the bottom of a valley.  I'm guessing this is because there's better wind/airflow?.  If you had a lot of windows and were able to open them, I'd expect that it would be cooler higher up (where the breezes would be better) than lower down in a city where all the air flow is being blocked by other buildings.

[Glenstache]

Here in Northwest Indiana, my outdoor thermostat had triple digits the other day, but so far we have managed to not turn on the A/C. There are a lot of factors going in our favor for that feat:

1) Big house with three levels. We don't spend much time on the top level this time of year.
2) Lots of shade from mature trees.
3) Use fans in the top level exhaust out the heat as soon as the outdoor temp becomes reasonable.
4) Less than 1/5th of a mile to lake Michigan so we spend the hot parts of the day at the beach and play in the 62 degree water.

I bought a condo in a 100 year old building that does not have central air conditioning. I had been looking at that building for quite a while and was concerned about being at the top of the 10 story building for the purpose of staying cool. Well also,  I don’t like elevators.

I ended up buying a condo on the second floor
.
 So I’ve been spending this week sleeping there for the first time since we bought it nearly 2 years ago and the small air conditioner I have is keeping it comfortable. No problem. Granted I did not stay there last week when the temps were in the 90s with very high humidity, but this week with low 90 temps and very low humidity things are fine.

Heat is supposed to rise . . . but when I go on long bike rides, it's always colder at the top of a large hill than down in the bottom of a valley.  I'm guessing this is because there's better wind/airflow?.  If you had a lot of windows and were able to open them, I'd expect that it would be cooler higher up (where the breezes would be better) than lower down in a city where all the air flow is being blocked by other buildings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapse_rate#:~:text=The%20lapse%20rate%20is%20the,%C2%B0F%20per%201%2C000%20ft

[HPstache]

Still comfortable AF in northwest WA

[Glenstache]

Still comfortable AF in northwest WA

Wait until Sunday.

[alsoknownasDean]

It's funny, I've lived on the coast all my life (in California) but visited places that were not coastal and humid growing up, so I always associate coastal places with being more dry and being away from the coast as being where humidity is more likely to dwell.    I don't know if the Mediterranean climates are an exception to a humid/coastal rule or if there really isn't any correlation between humidity levels and coasts.

My guess is that it depends on where the winds bringing the heat come from.

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

[Abe]

Funny how quickly we've adapted to our new situation: I saw it was "only" 100F today and got pretty excited!