We're in the middle of the first major heatwave of the summer, I'm afraid. Temperatures are hitting the 30's, with humidex readings taking us into the 40's. Worse, a heat inversion has meant that the air we're breathing is actually cooler than the air above it. Thus Ontario's air is stagnant and trapping pollutants. My eyes itch, but somehow my allergies have been kept at bay -- possibly because tree pollen season is largely over, but grass pollen hasn't hit yet. If this were August, I'd be really miserable.
Intriguingly, the air is really bad all across this province, regardless of rural or urban setting. In fact, downtown Toronto has better air than Tobermory. Can you believe that? Possibly Toronto's location next to Lake Ontario helps; that and the fact that fewer people per capita are driving cars in the area. Still, it's rather counterintuitive, isn't it?
And, finally, the power grid is strained, and there are talks of brownouts later today. Our coal-fired plants are going flat out and we're importing electricity like mad. Our nuclear plants are still offline. Strange how this never seemed to happen before Harris took power (no pun intended).
Friday promises to be interesting. The heat wave will break Thursday night and temperatures will return to a more seasonal mid-20s. Expect major thunderstorms and rain throughout the day. I'm looking forward to the exciting weather as much as the cooler temperatures.
Michael and Rosemarie are still visiting. Erin's taking the afternoon off, and we may return to Elora for a visit to the gorge and perhaps water-tubing. I may pay a visit to the Mill and do some writing.
Time to turn the computer off, stop generating heat and start conserving power...