Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hottest day ever recorded in history

Last night felt like a night in Hong Kong... humid, smoggy, tropical. The air was so thick, you felt like you could swim in it. It actually felt like the warm tropical Carribbean. Soooooo weird to feel that in Vancouver. You basically never feel that kind of humidity and heat combo in Vancouver, ever.

Worth noting is that with exception to shopping malls, hotels, and office buildings, 99% of us that live here do NOT have air conditioning in our homes, so it's forcing everyone outside to the beach, to the local parks, to the swimming pools, to movie theatres, etc. We're completely obsessed with the heat at the moment, it's all anyone can talk about! Sorry Toronto! Sorry Montreal! But it looks like we stole your muggy, smoggy summer!

Yesterday, it turns out, was the hottest day ever recorded in Vancouver's 123 year history, at 33.7 degrees Celsius. But the reality is that the official Vancouver temperate is always taken at the airport, which is actually out by the water on Richmond's Sea Island. But Sea Island is often cooler than Vancouver, so 33.7 degrees was likely at the lower end of the spectrum, I'm sure.

On my way home from work, my bus overheated and broke down on Broadway and Granville. Escaping that tin can sauna, I wandered over to the Mac's convenience store based on the recommendation of my colleague, and filled a monster cup full of cream soda slurpee. I then walked across the Granville Street Bridge. I found the experience strangely satisfying. And it was 4:22pm when I looked across to the big Molson electronic billboard blinking a perpetual 4:22! 33C! 91F!

No comments: