7 February 2009

Weather to suck - official

| johnboy
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[First filed: February 06, 2009 @ 09:13]

ACTEW have long ago given up on publishing water use figures, and you don’t want to know what I’m wearing as I type in this still warm early morning.

The Bureau of Meteorology is warning that there’s no relief until Sunday.

Now the ACT Emergency Services Agency is making dire warnings [word doc] about the weekend weather.

    “The ACT Ambulance Service has urged the community to take appropriate precautions this weekend to avoid heat stress including:
    — Avoid dehydration. Drink plenty of cool fluids, preferably water. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink;
    — Avoid drinking alcohol, tea and coffee because this will cause dehydration; and
    — Wear light coloured, loose fitting clothing where possible.

    “This is particularly important for people attending any outdoor events like the 2009 National Multicultural Festival Food and Dance Spectacular in Civic tomorrow,” Mr Cutrupi said.

There’s also a chance the first fire bans of the summer will be declared.

If in doubt there’s a fact sheet on heat stress online.

UPDATED: The fire ban has been declared for the weekend. This also means the following picnic spots have been closed:

    • Googong Foreshores;
    • Molonglo Gorge Kowen;
    • Selected roads within Namadgi National Park including Old Mill Road, Warks Road, Mt Franklin Road at Piccadilly Circus, and the Corin Dam Road beyond Smokers Gap; and
    • Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve (the Visitor Centre will remain open).

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tylersmayhem9:00 am 10 Feb 09

Well there you go – thanks for some new information. I’ll store that away for another time Cheers kieran! 🙂

I thought ours was broken too… as far as I know it has only happened the once here, and it all drained down the driveway. But since then I’ve been using hot water for washing to get some turnover in the tank.

Ummm @ Sepi #42 and TM #43.

the reason the hot water is boiling over is because it is reaching the thermostat temperature and then the only way to release the pressure is to release the hot water (which should drain into the gutter, and at my place it is connected to a water tank, so no water loss)and then refill the tank with cold water and start the heating process again.

Lowering the temperature only speeds up the system reaching the temperature, so exacerbates the effect. (although ours is set at 55c).

It is not unusual, ours blows its top just about every day the temp reachs 30. Mind you, the first time it happened I thought the system was blowing up and rang solar hart…

tylersmayhem5:40 pm 09 Feb 09

TM – I have no idea… it has never boiled out before tho. I don’t think you can stop solar systems from heating the water? I have being doing hot washing of an afternoon to try to use up some of the hot water to stop it happening again

Hmmm, there is usually a thermo somewhere, to make sure the hot water isn’t hot enough to scold little ones – I’m pretty sure it;s a legal requirement. All I’m suggesting is looking into it, and if it is about say, 55 or 60, then turn it down to around this range. Lower the risk of scolding, and also the boiling over you’re having. 😉 Job done!

TM – I have no idea… it has never boiled out before tho. I don’t think you can stop solar systems from heating the water? I have being doing hot washing of an afternoon to try to use up some of the hot water to stop it happening again.

Gungahlin Al1:27 pm 09 Feb 09

Wear light coloured, loose fitting clothing where possible.

Yeah I found dry-sorb gym gym a good option…and multiple cool showers.

tylersmayhem12:54 pm 09 Feb 09

Our solar hot water system boiled over! So all that water went down the drain.

As a matter of interest Sepi, how hot is your water heater thermo set at usually?

– Wear light coloured, loose fitting clothing where possible.

Does anyone know how many Goths or Emos collapsed from heatstroke over the weekend?

Our solar hot water system boiled over! So all that water went down the drain.

I think all bets are off on water usage during a serious heatwave like this.

tylersmayhem10:59 am 09 Feb 09

I wonder how much of the extra water usage is people having 2 showers a day when it’s hot?

Try 3 or 4 bloody quick cold showers a day on Saturday & Sunday. Cripes!

The next advice will be … pour a cold bath …

Nope – uses too much water.

a bath of all the cold beer we can’t drink, mebbe? gotta be good for the hair, or something…

multi-c was pretty good – russian beer was overpriced and under-tasty, zeirholz have a tent and was ok but i still prefer wig and pen’s rumpole pale ale, but the south african sausages were divine!

weather has also played havoc with the matildas’ game – now rescheduled for 6.30pm, so the italians tell me fro their stall… dunno if that will mean half the crowd won’t know, will turn up and of course not wait 2 1/2 hrs – i wouldn’t! (unless they offered shade and free beer, but we can’t drink alcohol, apparently) so make the final turnour much less than it might have been, 40+ degrees notwithstanding…

still, will be at least one there… ; )

this weather does, though, suck.

fuck, i’m off to work in a minute, and we dont have airconditioning.

i win.

but avoid drinking alchohol, tea and coffee??
i’m screwed then!!

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy8:12 am 07 Feb 09

I’ll vote for hanging out at Fiona’s place.

Seconded!

Woody Mann-Caruso7:48 am 07 Feb 09

Wow, it’s Canberra and it’s mid summer and it’s hot. I certainly didnt expect that.

You expected an extended number of days with maximum temps well above above the 30 year mean?

Days above the mean in January – 24 out of 31.
Mean number of days > 35oC in January – 2.6. Number this year – 6.
Number of days above the 9th decile temp – 8. Expected – 3.

Mean number of days >40oC in February – 0.0.
Forecast today – 40oC for Canberra, 41oC for Tuggeranong.
Highest February temp 1971 – 2000 – 38.7oC

Fiona said :

Fiona said :

Kramer said :

VYV8 – I’ll second the vote for jocks (well, boxers in my case – the boys need to breathe in this hot weather!) and cold beer!

I’ll stick with a nice chilled wine 🙂

Okay, so it was a chilled rose while in shorts and a sports bra hehe

I’ll vote for hanging out at Fiona’s place.

Fiona said :

Kramer said :

VYV8 – I’ll second the vote for jocks (well, boxers in my case – the boys need to breathe in this hot weather!) and cold beer!

I’ll stick with a nice chilled wine 🙂

Okay, so it was a chilled rose while in shorts and a sports bra hehe

captainwhorebags said :

Ah the good old days, when cooling off involved plonking a sprinkler in the middle of the lawn and sitting under it in a deck chair with a beer.

I don’t see why you couldn’t do this now – for a short period. Say 5 min’s. You’d use less water than you would in the shower. And if there’s a few of you you’re saving even more!

I just wouldn’t do it on the front lawn – the perception probably isn’t the best.

I wonder how much of the extra water usage is people having 2 showers a day when it’s hot?

captainwhorebags7:35 pm 06 Feb 09

I think our pre-restrictions daily water use in summer was over 300ML, so 200 is still pretty good for this weather.

Ah the good old days, when cooling off involved plonking a sprinkler in the middle of the lawn and sitting under it in a deck chair with a beer.

Instant Mash7:15 pm 06 Feb 09

Find a store with a large freezer, and bribe the owner to let you camp in it. I believe that is the go…

Johnboy, what is your obsession with water use? It’s really dry and hot and we need the water. Even so, I think most of the community are doing a great job keeping their water use down while still keeping parts of their gardens alive and within at least the spirit of the restrictions.

Are you hanging out for some ACTEW or ActewAGL advertising?

*next*

Tip for young players:

DO NOT park your car nest to the lake for 8 hours then hop in it with gay abandon and start driving. So hot, so dry…

Skidbladnir said :

So, there’s a Multicultural Spicy-Meat-Onna-Stick-Followed-By-Beer Thingy on Saturday, and their official advice is “Avoid drinking alcohol”?

Ratbastards.

ROFLMAO!

Well found Reprobate.

They had been posting them on the front page at the start of the year, back when we were coming in under target.

Water use figures are available daily at http://www.actewagl.com.au/water/facts/dailyConsumption.aspx

Out of interest, yesterday was 190.9Ml, down from Sunday 1/2/09 at – gulp – 204.3Ml. The figures for today and tomorrow ain’t going to be pretty either…

tylersmayhem said :

Avoid drinking alcohol, tea and coffee because this will cause dehydration

Dressed all in black. Already two x coffee and two x Pale Ales, and the day is still young. Epic fail — is that what you young people call it?

Heat schmeat. There will be lots of shade and lots of cold frosty beer and champagne at the Multicultural Frolic tomorrow. Swoosh — just do it.

I still suspect Gungahlin Al’s giardia was not spicy food related, and he should give the Multicultural Festival a second chance.

Spicy Meat Onna Stick is good for the soul.

Gungahlin Al1:19 pm 06 Feb 09

I think the point is that it’s so dang humid up north.

Precisely Tylers. Good old 100% humidity. Drains you.

Kramer said :

VYV8 – I’ll second the vote for jocks (well, boxers in my case – the boys need to breathe in this hot weather!) and cold beer!

I’ll stick with a nice chilled wine 🙂

VYV8 – I’ll second the vote for jocks (well, boxers in my case – the boys need to breathe in this hot weather!) and cold beer!

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy12:38 pm 06 Feb 09

Avoid alcohol?? When I got home yesterday it was stinking hot, and the first big gulp of that icy cold beer while standing in my jocks in front of the fridge, was, well…

OK, I’m going home now.

tylersmayhem12:30 pm 06 Feb 09

if you are changing clothes 3 times before lunch! When its hot & dry like this I barely get damp from sweat as it evaporates straight away.

I think the point is that it’s so dang humid up north. I hate when I’m visiting up there that I have an icey cold shower – then within minutes of getting out, I’m sweating all over the place becuase of the humidity. It’s the pits I tell ya. As for dry heat – once it’s over about 35, it makes no real difference to me. My garden would disagree with m though 😉

Gungahlin Al – you must sweat a lot (or maybe have a bladder/bowel problem?!) if you are changing clothes 3 times before lunch! When its hot & dry like this I barely get damp from sweat as it evaporates straight away.

Gungahlin Al said :

Multicultural Food Festival? That was a once-only event for me. A night in hospital on a drip after Giardia poisoning will do that to you…

Weak Queensland stomachs unused to real food…

Gungahlin Al12:15 pm 06 Feb 09

Wow, it’s Canberra and it’s mid summer and it’s hot. I certainly didnt expect that.

Ha! My thoughts exactly Thumper. This Qlder reckons it ain’t hot unless you’ve had to change your clothes 3 times before lunch.

Multicultural Food Festival? That was a once-only event for me. A night in hospital on a drip after Giardia poisoning will do that to you…

tylersmayhem11:52 am 06 Feb 09

Nope – uses too much water.

Well not is you use it also for drinking water and sewage disposal over the weekend!

tylersmayhem said :

The next advice will be … pour a cold bath …

Nope – uses too much water.

The cat did it11:19 am 06 Feb 09

In the interests of health and safety, perhaps they should ban vigorous folk dancing at the festival.

tylersmayhem11:15 am 06 Feb 09

The next advice will be “avoid life”, and pour a cold bath and remain in there for the duration of the weekend.

That beer is going to be sooooo good this afternoon…and throughout the weekend 🙂

So, there’s a Multicultural Spicy-Meat-Onna-Stick-Followed-By-Beer Thingy on Saturday, and their official advice is “Avoid drinking alcohol”?

Ratbastards.

tylersmayhem10:53 am 06 Feb 09

Avoid drinking alcohol, tea and coffee because this will cause dehydration

WTF – now what am I going to do on the weekend?! Drink plenty of water then I guess!

It does carry on till 11pm, evening might be the go.

Multicultural festival tomorrow looks to be very very sticky…

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