Psst...Hey, You!
Yes, you up in the Northwest. Yes, I'm talking to you, state of Washington.
Hot up there, isn't it?
Yeah, global warming is a bummer, huh?
No, I'm not gloating...I'm commiserating. Because the ugly heat you've been experiencing has been a part of our summer weather for my entire life. It hasn't always been the level of heat that you're having right now, but we've had enough of it that I feel qualified to give y'all up there some advice on how to survive your present round of dashboard-egg-frying weather. So here goes....
No A/C? Try Fans And Frozen Shirts.
No, this is not a prank. It's how I survived over fifteen years in housing with no aircon whatsoever.
The trick is to use more than one fan. You put one in a window on the east side of your house, the other in a westward window (both facing inward). Turn the west one on in the morning, which will draw in the cooler air on the shaded side of the house; as the sun shifts to the west, turn the west fan off and the east fan on, to get the cooling air from the east. If you can't be at home all day, buy a couple of cheap plug-in timers, set them for the appropriate times, and plug the timers into the outlets and the fans into the timers.
And at night, open all your windows and use both fans.
Along with this, you can wet a few t-shirts or tank tops, wring them out until they're damp, fold them up, and put them into the freezer. Take them out after a couple of hours and put them on. Aaah. As they warm up and melt, you can sit in front of one of your fans and feel better all over again!
Granted, it will still be warm. But it will be better than the crazy heat outside.
Use Your Natural Resources.
There are two things you folks have in abundance, depending on which direction you face.
Turn to the west, and you have the ocean. Turn to the east, and you have forests.
So...pick one and go there.
I know that sounds simplistic, but hear me out.
One mature tree absorbs 48 (or more) pounds of CO2 per year. This produces a cooling effect. The tree's leaf canopy also absorbs sunlight, which heats the air just above the canopy...but underneath, the shaded area is like being under a dark parasol. Plus, the tree "breathes out" water vapor along with oxygen; this is called "transpiration," and that plus the "parasol effect" is why you feel much cooler stepping from direct sunlight to the shade of a tree.
A forest multiplies these benefits. So spending a day or two out there is a good way to cool off.
And one of your boundaries is all seaside! Breezes blowing off the water will be cooler, and the water (despite global warming) will still be cool enough to be enjoyable.
Just don't forget your sunscreen.
Get A Taste For The Night Life.
The nights may be even shorter than ours up at your latitude, but nighttime is the right time!
It may still be muggy, and it may still be warm...but once the sun has gone down, it will still be cooler than high noon for getting work done, running errands, or eating meals. And if you socialize outside with friends, you won't need sunscreen!
Lastly...Cool Off On The Inside.
Cold drinks have been a staple of life in the Midwestern summers since forever. I haven't any evidence, but I bet if you could talk to the Osage, Chickasaw, Sac, Fox, Illini, and all the other First Nations tribes that once lived in this region, they could have told you where they found fresh, cold water to drink on a hot day.
All we latecomers have really done since then is add ice and flavoring.
So while you're finding ways to stay cool on the outside, don't forget to cool off your insides, too.
Plain water is always good, as well as being non-fattening. But if you have to be out in the heat and you're sweating like a pig...
(This, by the way, is a faulty saying. Pigs don't sweat. That's why they wallow in mud--to stay cool.)
...then you may need something with more substance. There are energy drinks that have fewer sugars and more actual electrolytes (essential salts), so read your labels before you buy.
Iced coffees and teas are nice-tasting, but don't forget that they are diuretics--in other words, they make you pee more, and thus lose water. And no matter how cold that brewski or that cocktail is, any alcohol will dehydrate you. So go easy on the alcoholic or caffeinated stuff.
Hang In There....
I'll end with one thing:
As bad as it feels right now, and however tired you may be of triple-digit heat...it won't last forever. Nothing ever does, especially when it comes to weather.
(Yeah, okay, it nearly always rains in Forks, but you get what I'm saying.)
Your heat wave will break. And eventually, it will be fall and winter again, and you'll probably have a cold snap that will freeze your collective cojones and make you wish...
What's that? That it would warm up again?
Final, final tip from the Midwest:
Be Careful What You Wish For!
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