Today's Weather

We are back up to 31C. 

I should have got up sooner and got the Furry Fluffmeisterin out when it was cooler.   She hides under the decking on our patio.  She's made herself a kind of burrow there to nestle into.  It's where she's most comfortable.

We've had the airco on most of the day too.  Right now, we're on ceiling fans as we cruise on down to 17h.   It's been really bright and UV laden.   Blinds are down to try and block out the worst of it.  At this time of day, the sun drops behind the trees and the other houses and blocks us off a bit from the sun's rays.

I thought we were going to Balaton on Sunday but I messed it up and it's in a week which is better as it would be horribly hot there.  Wrote the dates down wrong. I begin to think I am losing track of time as I get older.  One day seems much the same as another.  I think possibly this is what retired people experience - it's all a blur.   

HU (DW):

Video about Lake Velence's disappearance:

Hungary's third-largest lake is running dry

Water levels in Hungary's Lake Velence have dropped to a record low. Businesses are struggling, boats cannot sail and beaches are closing. Is climate change to blame? Or decades of poor water management?

It's looking quite bad in Velence.   I suppose, next one will be Balaton.

Rainwater harvesting an novel air-conditioning:

Harvesting rainwater from rooftops could cut the number of heatwave days and reduce air con reliance

“Harvesting rainwater from roofs and using it strategically for cooling could provide a practical way to reduce both energy demand and urban temperatures.” Rooftop rainwater could be a secret weapon in tackling extreme heat, following Europe’s blistering summer.

This system collects water from rainfall and sprays it back on a roof to cool a building down.

Meanwhile:

30C, 3.2 UV, 1015 hPA pressure, humidity 31%, 2.7 m/s from WSW, sunset 20.07h.

Upshot is that it's hot, darn hot and the UV blistering.  Stay inside.  In darkness. And only come out in September. Reverse hedgehog (hibernation).

My dad has just folked out £14,000 to have the whole house painted and to the his patio relayed with proper slabs,as they were doing just a good job, he got them to continue down the side of the house and the front.

Before they had cheap small slabs., and on different levels. Anyway he is on a water meter and they have used gallons of water. He does worry about money, but he's not poor. He doesn't pay anything for electricity.

So now is going to buy  4 new water buts to collect the rain. He already has 2 at the rear of his workshop.

The work was very needed to be done, the house had been painted in 20 years, so had been battered by a few storms.

My dad has just folked out £14,000 to have the whole house painted and to the his patio relayed with proper slabs,as they were doing just a good job, he got them to continue down the side of the house and the front. Before they had cheap small slabs., and on different levels. Anyway he is on a water meter and they have used gallons of water. He does worry about money, but he's not poor. He doesn't pay anything for electricity. So now is going to buy 4 new water buts to collect the rain. He already has 2 at the rear of his workshop.The work was very needed to be done, the house had been painted in 20 years, so had been battered by a few storms. - @SimCityAT

Looks very nicely done.  And cool looking shed/garage.  Wish we had a garden that size.

@fluffy2560

The whole area is just under an acre including front, back and the property. There was just a woden shed before, so got rid of that a built a proper stone shed with electricity. Stores the garden tools and has a wood lathe in it. Not sure he does anything with it anymore.

Its a bloody killer mowing the lawn with a petrol push mower. Thank gawd he has a gardner to it.

@fluffy2560
The whole area is just under an acre including front, back and the property. There was just a woden shed before, so got rid of that a built a proper stone shed with electricity. Stores the garden tools and has a wood lathe in it. Not sure he does anything with it anymore.
Its a bloody killer mowing the lawn with a petrol push mower. Thank gawd he has a gardener to it. - @SimCityAT

Bit pricey but a sit on lawnmower could work.  Gardener works well too. 

My shed is of a similar look but perhaps 50% bigger than that. I really would like a much larger shed.  We have so much junk. I'd really like a clear out but I don't seem to have any ability to declutter.

I could see a large garden being way too much in one's 80s. 

Right at the bottom, he has his veg, and green house, and fruit trees all over the place, so pretty self suffiant, as he will freeze where possible. He is quite lucky that he shares out stuff for things that he hasn't grown. Everyone grows their own stuff, a lot are retired farmers in the area.

Right at the bottom, he has his veg, and green house, and fruit trees all over the place, so pretty self sufficient, as he will freeze where possible. He is quite lucky that he shares out stuff for things that he hasn't grown. Everyone grows their own stuff, a lot are retired farmers in the area. - @SimCityAT

I know it's hard work dealing with "farming".  Even small amounts of trees and plots need constant tending.

It's really good however to have one's own fresh veg etc.   Nothing like home grown.

It's just blazing out there.  It's like 30C by 09.00h.

Showing 33.3C on my roof, UV is 4.9 (massive), humidity 32%, wind 2.9 m/s from WNW. Sunset 20.06h.

I went out to get the rubbish bins and it was just uncomfortable. I felt like I could actually feel the photons impacting my skin.  That or I was getting burnt.  The wind is helpful but it's not cooling.  I was filling in some holes in a wall yesterday and the plaster has gone off completely in just a hour or so and it's rock solid this morning after being zapped by the sun.  I will have to wait for the sun to go down before I think about painting the newly plastered wall.

And worse thing, dog walking delayed (again).  Her poor feet would burn on any concrete or asphalt.  She's always panting so she must be really hot.  She has access to plenty of fresh cooled water.

I am considering putting the airco on. I've got blinds down, fans on and it's only a tiny bit cooler by 1 or 2 degrees than direct sunlight.

It was to hot this morning for me to do anything, I try and get out early but it didn't happen. I will have to see later as my Bio bing got emptied this morning and I have plenty of racked up pins to fill it.

Its saing 30°C now but feels much hotter, we have no breeze.

Tuffy Flowers shed news:

I installed my mistakenly delivered electricity meter in my shed today.  I can see the pop up pool pump is drawing about 0.5A at 230V.  That's around 115W.   Nifty meter. Shame it was the wrong one (no WiFi for remote monitoring).  If this goes well, doesn't destroy itself, I might install one in the main house but this time, I'll try and get the right one.

This web site rotates my pictures so one has to turn one's head.  Very odd.

Cooler today at 27C (wow, great) which means dog walking is a serious consideration. I am ready to head to the forest.

Stats: UV  is 4.0 (high), wind 3.2 m/s NW, pressure 1012 hPa (sunny, high pressure), sunset 20.04h.

Eclipse starts at 19.22h, lasts 30m and will be 55% from Budapest.   We plan to go to an open area at 19h to see the moon pass in front of the sun.   Obviously we will not be looking directly, but through a pinhole "camera" on to a sheet of paper.   I have a welding helmet and I wonder if that would be enough.  The pinhole is the safest bet.   There no pain receptors in your eye so damage could be caused and one wouldn't even know.

Yesterday in Baden they had to put out a fire, probably from a cigarette?

Wierden (NL); Currently 24C, with a forecast high of 33C.  Looking forward to heading back to North Yorkshire at the weekend.

Wierden (NL); Currently 24C, with a forecast high of 33C. Looking forward to heading back to North Yorkshire at the weekend. - @Cynic

Here in the burbs of Budapest, it's 27C in the sunshine, UV 3.3, wind 2.1 m/s from N, sunset 20.03h. Cooler than of late.  Last night was only 19C.  Bit of relief from the brutality of the day time sun.

I was disappointed with the eclipse.  It almost coincided with sunset so we did not see anything much different as the sun was almost below the horizon anyway by the time the moon was fully in position.  The meteor show apparently was quite good.  I was laying on the couch half-asleep - dog walking seemed to have screwed me up physically.  I've seen Day of the Triffids.  I know which side my bread is buttered.

Houses in the West Midlads going up in flames

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-heatwave- … r-13571553

Houses in the West Midlads going up in flames
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-heatwave- … r-13571553 - @SimCityAT

OMG! What is doing on? 

Looks like an apocalypse!

HU:

31C on the roof, 1.9 m/s wind from WSW, humidity 24%, sunset 19.59h.  UV not registering.

Not really seeing any reduction in temperatures except at night.  I was on the roof replacing the batteries in my weather station.  Normally it runs on solar with the battery backup at night.  The batteries get charged in the day time so they last about 6 months during the summer before they drop too low. During the winter they last about 4 months.

We just drove across Holland (Wierden to Europort) and I’ve never experienced weather like it, well I have but not all at the same time. Whatever, people who tell us there is no such thing as Climate Change are deluded.

It's not just Britain that has experienced unending heat and a lack of rain this summer - much of Europe has faced similar conditions.

As a result, we saw vicious wildfires tear through southwest France and central Spain earlier in the summer.

A massive wildfire is now ripping through Belgium's largest nature reserve, in the country's east, not far from the German border.

More than 1,600 hectares have been burned in the High Fens, with the EU sending three helicopters and two water bombers to help.

Yesterday, local authorities told residents in the village of Sourbrodt to prepare to evacuate as they battle to get the blaze under control.

Hungary uses sunken barges to raise Danube River to keep nuclear plant going

Hungary is sinking two barges to ensure a key nuclear power plant stays online, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Saturday.

Europe’s summer of extreme heat has caused the Danube’s water level to hit record lows, affecting power production at the Paks nuclear plant. Nuclear power stations are typically built by rivers and along coastlines so they can use water to cool down reactors.

Hungarian authorities are sinking the two barges to raise water levels so Paks, which provides the country with more than a third of its electricity, can continue to operate normally. The sinking began Saturday morning and Hungarian media are quoting the prime minister saying the water level at the plant has risen by 1 centimeter.

Magyar said on X that the current water level near Hungary's only nuclear energy facility is 122 cm lower than normal and it is projected to drop below 132 cm on Monday, which would force one of the plant’s two turbines to shut down.

On Wednesday, Magyar announced that they would be building a riverbed sill with 150,000 cubic meters of stone and was considering sinking the two 80-meter barges. A sill is an underwater dam meant to slow down the current and raise water levels. Hungary’s Defense Ministry has assigned 100 troops to work around the clock on the project, the prime minister said on X.

Nuclear energy facilities across Europe have been affected by this summer’s droughts and soaring temperatures. Romania shut down a nuclear power plant earlier this week due to the Danube’s water levels.

France — one of Europe’s biggest producers of nuclear power — has seen its fleet of nuclear power plants affected throughout the summer. Le Monde reported authorities had to shut down six of the country’s 57 nuclear reactors as yet another heat wave broiled much of the country. Earlier in the week, a climate change-fueled jellyfish invasion forced workers to bring parts of a different plant offline.

Magyar has also cast doubt on completing an expansion of the Paks plant by a Russian state-owned firm in a deal signed by Magyar’s predecessor, the Kremlin-friendly Viktor Orbàn, citing the water issue.

We just drove across Holland (Wierden to Europort) and I’ve never experienced weather like it, well I have but not all at the same time. Whatever, people who tell us there is no such thing as Climate Change are deluded. - @Cynic

Im sick of seeing it on Facebook, its Summer, its hot!

Well, Ive noticed while living in Austria the summers are increasing in heat and have done so especially the last 5 years.

Watch: Sky News helicopter captures thick plumes of smoke from Worcestershire wildfire

There are fires all around my dads town in Wales, and causing a lot of people to be sick because of the smoke.

We just drove across Holland (Wierden to Europort) and I’ve never experienced weather like it, well I have but not all at the same time. Whatever, people who tell us there is no such thing as Climate Change are deluded. - @CynicIm sick of seeing it on Facebook, its Summer, its hot!Well, Ive noticed while living in Austria the summers are increasing in heat and have done so especially the last 5 years. Watch: Sky News helicopter captures thick plumes of smoke from Worcestershire wildfireThere are fires all around my dads town in Wales, and causing a lot of people to be sick because of the smoke. - @SimCityAT

Forecast says we are into rain later in the week.  If we get that rain going consistently things might return to something like normality.   We really need rain upstream from Austria etc. 

Mrs F was at the shops and most of the shopping area was without power for maybe 1.5h.   Speaking to the staff, apparently it happened yesterday too.  Maybe it's load shedding.  People could not even leave the store.  They had to go out through the bakery area.

p.s.  I was just informed we had a power cut at 08h this morning.  I was in a coma then so didn't notice. Must have been the entire village as we are quite far from the shops.

Just returned home, got invited to my wifes cousin in Vienna, only met met her once I think. No idea what I was expecting. It was only a penthouse in the middle of Vienna. So we had a BBQ on their balcony. 38°C!

Coming home it tried to rain leaving Vienna. Then when we got home it tried againm a few drops and that was it,

Tomorrow there is a 60% chance and expecting 5mm of rain. We will see, util it happens I don't believe it any more. We've been promised so many times and nothing has happened.

Took a quick snap just as we were leaving

Today we will have a high of 28°C and Finally the heavens have oppend up and it is pouring it down. I've never been so happy to see rain and low tempatures.

Today we will have a high of 28°C and Finally the heavens have oppend up and it is pouring it down. I've never been so happy to see rain and low tempatures. - @SimCityAT

Good to hear that.  We always get AT weather a few days later.

We had a few drops last night but it fizzled out.

Currently at 26.3C.

We're going to Balaton so I hope it's not raining there and if it is, only quick showers overnight.

@fluffy2560

It was a short spell of rain, but looks like we have it all day, well in the air which is fine. Still got balck skies. Give the ground a chance to soak it in.

More rain forecast tomorrow

Now back home in North Yorkshire; currently 19C and cloudy; shorts are back in the drawer.  Forecast for the rest of the week is a drop in temps and more rain.  We had one of our huge trees removed today, nothing untoward, it was just old and falling apart - I guess I know how it feels

@SimCityAT

I was watching the heat as it made its way from the south of mainland Europe; it was only a matter of time before it got here.   While we were pretty well-prepared for it, the impact on the surrounding fields and forests was devastating.

Now back home in North Yorkshire; currently 19C and cloudy; shorts are back in the drawer. Forecast for the rest of the week is a drop in temps and more rain. We had one of our huge trees removed today, nothing untoward, it was just old and falling apart - I guess I know how it feels - @Cynic

I applied for a job with my friend Seamus. It said Tree Fellers required. I told Seamus it was no good as there was just the two of us.

Meanwhile...

Maybe you could get the tree chopped into chunks suitable for burning in a couple of years. Very expensive. 1 tonne of logs ready to go was about £100 a couple of years back

At 9pm its starting to rain, well its spitting. The soil loves it. Currently 19"C. Might get a folk into the ground without breaking it.

17C with a forecast high of 19C; atm it's broken clouds, but generally sunny.  Air quality is excellent atm, so I'm a happy guy who is pleased to be home after a fortnight in the Netherlands.  Solar is working just great and have negotiated a 2-year fixed price deal with EDF.

It's frying tonight in Balaton.  I think we'll reach 30C today. The sun is blazing away.  The water level  is way low.  A sandbar has appeared offshore and it's possible to walk over there without the water passing ankle level.

At night, it's starting to get chilly.  Down to like 16C or so.  I've even seen people in jumpers.  Typical diurnal temperature swings in HU.

A tornado caused severe damage in Eferding. The storm lasted only a few minutes and, among other things, tore roofs off houses.

Austria is in for a real rollercoaster of emotions in the coming days. According to weather experts from "Kachelmannwetter," Thursday will be "extremely hot" again in the capital. Temperatures as high as 36 degrees Celsius are even possible. Afterwards, "partly severe thunderstorms" are also expected in Vienna and lower Austria.

No sign of thunderstorms, wind or anything like that down at Balaton.   

Today is of course, a public holiday (Hungarian National Day) and the Internet is overloaded.  It's really noticeable.  Very slow. Taking 1h to download an application update on the phone.

It's shot up in temperature.  Must be well past 30C.  Absolutely dripping with perspiration.  Fans on, no airco here, keeping out of the sun.  Just brutal.  I think visiting the water has to be around 16h when the sun has moved around to a lower angle.

34°C atm, we are having scattered showers, which is great, the soil has time to soak it up.