Hottest May day on record in UK as temperatures pass 34C
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It’s horrible here on the other side of the Channel as well. Real shitty summer weather, I hate it. And just last Monday I was wearing my coat...
So hot... My living room is now up to 25c, was 23 this morning as I am struggling to cool it much overnight.
Can't open the windows much as our cat is an indoor cat. Had an idea to put a fan in the room to pull air in through the barely open living room window and push it out through the back of the house, back window open slightly and bathroom/kitchen windows open more but behind closed doors.
Keeps the cat safely in the living room/back room and hopefully will reduce the temperature more tonight. Not the strongest of fans but overnight does give it a lot of time to work with and it's only small openings.
Going to look like a shill lol. I bought some of these a few years back:
https://flatcats.co.uk/
Really helps with keeping the cats in and a draft flowing in the summer.
What is it made of? We have net curtains that he likes to use as a climbing frame and often get ripped after a while with holes more than big enough for him to fit through. He gets told off but still does it, on some windows more than others.
If you don't have or want to get some sort of air conditioning, maybe obtain and stick a window screen on the window, then have the fan blow through that?
Not as common in the UK --- here in the US, they were necessary to deal with malaria back before that got eradicated and kinda stayed for the convenience --- but it looks like there are UK-based vendors, manufacturers, and installers, and that they're often called "fly screens" rather than "window screens".
You could even use something with larger-diameter holes, like chicken wire, if all you care about is the cat, but I figure that if you're going to go to the trouble of putting something up, might as well block insects too.
easy as fuck to make temp screens. simple wood frame with camping mosquito net stretched across then stapled to the frame.
i made mine this way.
How do you staple it to the PVC frame of the window without making a mess?
Could consider sticky back velcro and chicken wire tbh. No chance at the cat ripping that with his claws like he can with the net curtains we have currently - which he can get behind, they don't keep him back as they are only attached at the top.
Not sure how well it would bend repeatedly to open/close the window behind it each day.
Would need to be a fairly cat proof material, the chicken wire does that pretty well. But need to be able to open/close the window behind it too so need to find a decent option for fitting it there. Sticky back velcro is a tempting option.
I feel like I would love it in the UK, if 34 is record highs I could absolutely rock that
This is a new record high for May. The current record high across the UK was 40.3 °C (104.5 °F) during the 2022 heatwave, though I wouldn't be shocked if it gets broken again this year
Ah that sounds similar to where I live in upper Midwest then, that's a shame, maybe I should just move to canada
Might need to start using an indoor paddling pool to dip my feet into to keep cool if it ever gets that high. Official temp where I live is barely ever over 30 but I am pretty sure it's a lot hotter on the ground. My heat pump was reading 39 today in the sun, almost free hot water I suppose.
Also wondering about DIY cooling options. Underground is pretty chill right now. Went into a bunker and it was lovely and cool inside. Might be worth digging a nice big hole in the garden?
Our houses are built to keep heat in. They are a nightmare to cool. Nobody has blinds to block the sun. It's... not great.