Was it hot enough for you?
Pacific Northwest had it a lot worse
The Front Page
Morning Update
Friday, July 2, 2021
By Ken Tingley
We love the climate here in Glens Falls.
Even when it is 90-degree hot like it was earlier this week, it usually cools off in the evening. By mid-August we are usually feeling a cool fall chill at night. In my house, we generally turn on the air conditioning once or twice a year, and even then, it is just for a few days. We just like the fresh air and the sounds from outside.
This past week was brutally hot by our standards, so we gave in and turned on the air conditioning. But yesterday, my wife turned it off and opened all the windows.
Compared with the Pacific Northwest, we had it easy.
We vacationed in the Pacific Northwest about 25 years ago. We flew into Seattle, drove around taking photos of majestic Mount Rainer on the distant horizon, stayed at the coolest inn on the Olympic Peninsula and ended up on Vancouver Island, where culturally, it felt like we had landed in Europe.
Because my wife has such an aversion to heat, we chose the northwest for this vacation because of its temperate summer weather. You guessed it, we landed in the middle of a historic heat wave with the temperature topping 90 each day and the realization that the hotels and restaurants did not have air conditioning.
“Because we don’t need it,” we were told at least once every day.
But that vacation weather pales compared to this week’s temperatures in Vancouver and British Columbia where it topped 121 degrees. For three straight days earlier this week, the province set new temperature record. Only once have I ever experienced temperatures that hot and it was in Phoenix, Arizona in June. We coped by staying in the air conditioning at the hotel and venturing out to the pool - which was over 90 degrees - only after the sun had gone down.
But I’m guessing that many place still don’t have air conditioning in the Pacific Northwest.
I fear that this is the future for our children because of climate changes.
It will be gradual, but then more commonplace to the point where you will not be sure if you can have a suitable vacation during the summer. Because of drought, we will see the prices for fresh fruit and vegetables soar.
When we get talking about the future with my 25-year-old son, I’m often taken aback by what I sometimes consider a pessimistic outlook. He fears for the future and the type of life he will have. He is sure things are not getting better. This is common viewpoint among his peers.
The Pacific Northwest heat wave has caused more than 130 sudden death incidents this week. This is an extreme weather occurrence. It is rare, but I suspect there will be other extremes around the world and more people will die. And our children will want to stay closer to home where they feel safer. They are worried. And I’m worried for them.
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