Cooling Down in Qatar
I quilt. I quilt for hours. In my quilting room, I stream National Public Radio from KUOW in Seattle, and when they say the temperature is 49°F and there are high winds expected, I almost feel cold.
So when I say it is cooling down in Qatar, it is a little tongue-in-cheek. I’m the Alaska girl, remember? We went sleeveless if it got up to 65°F; 70°+ was a heatwave.
Now that it is “cooling down”, the temperatures at night are just under 70°F.
I’m still running the A/C; looking forward to the days when I can turn it off. But, compared to the searing heat of summer, this is heaven. 🙂
Shifting Weather Patterns
Last week, we had our first days under 100°F/38°C.
Last night, AdventureMan shivered and moved close to me.
“I’m cold” he said pitifully, putting his cold feet up against me.
It’s OK. I’m used to it. He is often cold, and I radiate heat. We pile the covers up on him and I sleep with just a sheet. I can’t sleep if I am too hot.
“There’s another quilt out on the loveseat” I tell him, referring to a piece of furniture about twenty steps away.
“Will you go get it for me?” he asked, his voice quavering.
We’ve been married a long time. I’m on to his tricks.
“No,” I laughed, “If you want another blanket, you have to go get it.”
“I don’t want to leave the bed,” he complained, and snuggled closely to me to absorb my heat.
This morning, at 0700, it is not even 80°F. Wooo HOOOOOO! There is still some humidity, but the afternoons are balmy, and there are evenings you can sit outside and drink coffee. Wooo HOOOO, my favorite season – Outside Season!
Seattle Rain
After several gorgeous days at the beach, Mom and I planned to leave the beach at 9:30, but found ourselves ready early, and it’s a good thing. We got on the road and got home before the big Labor Day weekend traffic got started in a big way. We got caught in a little going through Tacoma and Seattle, but you can get caught in traffic in those places any time, and it wasn’t grid-lock, just a little slowing down and bunching up.
Now, it is seriously raining. It doesn’t rain continuously, it will lighten up and then all at once, the skies will just open and the rains pour down. I still have my window open – the rain makes such wonderful sounds. You can hear it hitting the leaves of the large-leafed trees, you can hear it gurgle through the down spouts, you can hear light, tinkling drips hit an empty big can . . . it is a symphony of soft sounds.
Sunday morning in Seattle is like Friday morning in Q8 and Qatar – QUIET.
It’s no accident that Seattle is home to so many great coffee vendors – and is so full of coffee shops. The perfect activity for a rainy Sunday in Seattle is coffee and this:
A new mall! I think I am back in Kuwait!
Reflection of Sunrise
As the sun came up this morning, the mists were gone, the air was clear and clean and it was like the world was all washed clean.
I loved the pinkness of the waves rolling in:
Misty Afternoon, Beach, Log and Seagulls
One of the best things about being at the beach is being at the beach – just being there, just feeling the sand between your toes, grabbing a beach book (mine was Philippa Gregory’s The Other Queen) and listening to the steady rolling roar of the waves hitting the beach . . .
As I strolled down to my favorite log yesterday, it was weirdly magical – the sun was shining bright, and there was this huge MIST rolling along the beach. It wasn’t cold, it was just magical and weird. I took a few shots of mist and beach and log:
Maybe this is what’s left from the seagull’s fish yesterday?
So I crawled up on the log and was reading my book and I hear a sound . . . and out of the corner of my eye, I could see a seagull land, like 5 feet away. I didn’t want to move too much and scare him, so I took this photo:
Yes, I had to hold the camera upside down, but then, slowly, slowly, I turned right side up, as more and more seagulls landed, groomed, and went to sleep. I guess I must have found the beach hot spot:
I quietly slid off the log to head back to the cabin, telling them not to worry, I meant them no harm. They didn’t flicker a feather:
Not even a shiver
This was the temperature this morning when I went to pick up my Mom:
I think AdventureMan would be wearing his long johns and a fleece vest, but to me, it feels great. 🙂
In late August, early September in Seattle, the day often starts off cold and grey and foggy, but by noon, all the clouds and fog burn away and it is a glorious, warm beautiful day.
Here’s the WeatherUnderground Webcam photo for Seattle today:
Is that gorgeous or what?
Red Sky Sunrise in Seattle
One of the things I don’t mind about jet lag is that it has me awake early in the morning, early enough to catch the sunrise. This morning’s sunrise was spectacular – but this is Friday – and “red sky at morning, sailor take warning . . . ”
Rain is expected tomorrow – Saturday. Why is it that we can have lovely weeks, and then rain on the weekend, LOL! In Seattle, this is the last weekend before school starts.
Temperatures Coming Down
I gasped when I saw the temperature this morning on Weather Underground:
Not even 90°F! A cool 86°F! Wooo HOOO, the temperatures are seriously coming down.
Here is the expected high in Doha today – you cannot imagine, this is a seriously LOW temperature after a blistering summer:
I’m not exactly breaking out the snowsuits, but lower temperatures will make the upcoming month of Ramadan more comfortable for those who are fasting.
Qatar Sizzles: Record High
I’m not saying my temperature gauge is correct. It’s made by Sharper Image, and the little measuring thing is in the shade on my windowsill. But while the Qatari weather station measured a high of 50°C (122°F), mine shows 62°C (144°F). Two of our air conditioning units stopped functioning yesterday. I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like for those who have to work outdoors. The air conditioning men don’t come until after sunset, because they have to go on the roofs, and they can’t touch anything without getting burned until after the sun goes down.
Qatar sizzles in record high temperature
Web posted at: 8/11/2009 2:38:39
Source ::: THE PENINSULA
The temperature outdoors as recorded by instruments in many cars in Doha yesterday. QASSIM RAHMATULLAH
DOHA: The mercury touched a record high for the season during the past two days in Qatar, with the temperature reaching 48 degrees Celsius on Sunday and yesterday. The thermometers in vehicles posted the temperature still higher, at 50 degrees Celsius.
The country has been experiencing a steady increase in temperature for the past few days. The maximum temperature had been hovering around 45 degrees Celsius for the past couple of weeks before it shot up to 48 degrees on Sunday. The minimum temperature has also gone up substantially, reaching 35 degrees Celsius yesterday.
Labourers working outdoors and families alike complained that the dry and extremely hot weather had been unbearable during the last two days. Doctors have advised people to take precautions against the weather.
The labourers who used to spend their day break in the shade in open areas have been missing from the Corniche these days. Many of them are spending the time inside nearby air-conditioned shopping malls. “The heat wave was so intense that we could not stand it”, an Asian worker said.
Compared to the same period last year, the maximum temperature is high this time. The country recorded a maximum temperature of 40 degrees and 43 degrees Celsius on August 9 and 10, 2008, respectively, against the 48 degrees Celsius recorded this year. The minimum temperature is also higher this year.
The daily weather chart issued by the meteorological department yesterday forecast a maximum temperature of 46 degrees Celsius today. The minimum temperature is expected to be 34 degrees Celsius.
The Met department forecast hot conditions with dust blowing during the daytime today and moderate temperatures at night. North-westerly winds may blow at a speed of 15-20 knots, reaching 25 knots at mid-day and 15-25 knots offshore.
According to some weather portals, the temperature of Qatar’s territorial waters touched a high of 34 degrees Celsius these past days. Last year, when Qatar’s maximum temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius, the temperature of the sea water stood at 37 degrees Celsius.
Experts point out that any increase in the temperature of sea water above 35 degrees Celsius is “abnormal.”
The year 2006 also saw the temperature of Qatar’s territorial waters cross the 35 degrees mark (36.5 degrees Celsius), and massive quantities of fish and invertebrates, including endangered species of turtle, had washed up on Qatar’s shores.
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