Preparing for the Unexpected. Pt 1
Relief! Wow. It wasn’t the longest spell of hot weather I have experienced, but it counts among the most unexpected.
I’ve lived in Melbourne (Australia) for nearly a quarter of a century, and one of the things I’ve come to love about Melbourne is its weather.
(All right you Sydneysiders, stop laughing.)
For those of you who don’t know, people who live in Sydney like to knock Melbourne about its weather. I was born and bred in and around Sydney, so I’ve had plenty of opportunity to hear the retorts……..
“If you don’t like the weather in Melbourne, wait five minutes”.
“Melbourne doesn’t have weather, just samples”.
“Melbourne has been declared an experimental weather station”.
And so on. I never entered into the banter, but by the time I moved to Melbourne, I was well and truly conditioned to believe I was in for a cold, wet time.
As a result, our first winter here was a complete surprise. Warm, sunny days. Nights cool enough to enjoy a cosy fire, but not so cold that your nose got chilled if you stuck it out from under the blankets.
Our first summer also provided its share of surprises. The day finally came when the forecast was for 35 degrees centigrade (95F). I remembered some of the heat of Sydney - 35 degrees was really quite unpleasant. It usually meant I wouldn’t get a lot done as my energy would seep away as the day progressed.
I woke the next day, preparing myself for the heat challenge ahead of me. Instead, I loved the heat. The house remained cool. I had energy all day. Even the direct sun was easier to bear.
As the years in Melbourne passed, I did gain an appreciation for the jokes about Melbourne’s weather. It was true. Not every winter was as pleasant as that first one. Many a day delivered a variety of weather, and a few even gave us a taste of 3 or 4 Melbourne style seasons.
But what the Sydneysiders don’t appreciate is that over all, Melbourne’s weather is far more livable than Sydney’s.
I can already hear the objections…. ! However, having lived for years in both cities, I think I’m in a pretty good place to make a judgment.
There’s one thing that stands out to me above all else that makes Melbourne’s weather more livable. Humidity. Melbourne just has less of that stuff that makes a hot day feel hotter.
Several years ago I got to experience this first hand. I flew from Melbourne to Sydney around midday. I left Melbourne when it was a very pleasant 32 degrees. An hour and a half later, I stepped out of Sydney airport to an energy sapping 28.
When it comes to winter, we may have to rug up more than the Sydneysiders. On two days in the last 25 years, we’ve even had a dusting of snow in our suburb – something Sydney has never had. But I’ve come to expect that an extra cold spell in Melbourne, like an extra hot one, will only ever last 1 – 3 days. Then its back to more pleasant conditions.
Until now.
It began to get hot six days ago. The next day I heard the disappointing news that we could expect 6-8 days in the high 30’s and low 40’s. Well, we had four days in a row hitting 43 – 45 degrees centigrade.
That’s113 degrees fahrenheit, and in my book, that’s hot.
You see, because we don’t generally have long hot spells, we Melbournians aren’t geared for them. Most of us don’t have air conditioners.
Our railway lines have been buckling. Our electricity supply failed many of us as the demand exceeded the ability to supply. There have been heat related deaths particularly among the elderly, and tragically, family trauma as the unremitting heat took its toll and tempers and emotions flared.
Then yesterday, relief came. In a short space of time, the temperature dropped from 45 to 35 and it felt soooo good. Over the next few days we can expect temperatures in the mid to high 30’s. But after 45, that’s something to rejoice about.
It all got me thinking.
But I’ll leave that for another post.