For you guys coming to Spain , be prepared ! We are having incredibly hot weather in this country and specifically in Madrid .. The forecast is for pretty much 100 degrees from tomorrow , for at least 4 days and then not falling below 90 degrees for the foreseeable future ..... Be warned !

Oh gawd. REALLY? 100ºF?! I always thought Brits used ºC. No? How hot is 100ºF in centigrade? Can't find my temperature converter anywhere.

But regardless, yes, it's HOT! I was able to survive yesterday without the air conditioning - and so far today too - but let's see about tomorrow.

Thank goodness "it's a dry heat"! hehehe... Which it is! I can't imagine what 100º must be like in Barcelona, Miami, or places like that with such horrible humidity. Actually, I can imagine it - it's similar in the USA's midwest where all that flooding took place along the Mississippi.

And thank goodness for fans and colllllld showers. I haven't taken a non-cold-shower for a week now - once in the morning and again at night just before going to bed so I don't stick to the sheets. Put the fan in the window and blow in the cool(er) air too. That helps a lot.

I won't even tell you what I'm wearing RIGHT NOW! Okay, I'll tell you. MY SLIPPERS!! (and the camera's turned off too)

Saludos, MadridMan

a quick and approximate conversion is times (or divide) by three then half the figure so 30 degrees times 3 = 90 plus half of 30 = 15 so its approx 105 easy eh?
very rarely do we need to go up so high

and just to add to my theory its absolutley bouncing down here (that means raining)

Ja Ja Ja .. you make laugh MM you and your slippers ! I'm just going out for a quick walk .. Past the Palacio de Deportes .. ( Juanes is in concert today ).. Most Spaniards will ,of course , be focusing on 20:45 tonight , and the football game against Russia ... Man I hope they win !!! Spain deserve this !

Hi MM, I just discovered Yahoo! weather and they convert for you~
last week in So. Cal we had a horrible heat wave and in my suburb of San Diego, it was 106 degrees, I checked on Yahoo and it converted that to 41C. I think that is about right, cuz in Madrid, I am completely aware of what 35 + feels like over there.
Anyway, the weather in summer is the only thing I don't like about Madrid...yep, the ONLY thing, can't think of another thing to not like about Madrid! But that's a whole other topic...

Good grief .. LaDuque , I totally agree .. I'm pretty good with the heat usually , but today , as an example , is unbearable .
I just took a walk to my absolute favourite place in Madrid , Parque de Retiro , and that 15 minute walk made me quite sick... The heat was intense ..Once in Retiro Park however I grabbed some ice water and just sat watching everybody on the Estanque ( lake ) . Lots of flesh on show jajaja .
People are camped outside Palacio de Deportes for the Juanes concert tonight ... I really wish i'd bought tickets .
Well i'm gonna stand under a cold shower .. I need to cool down !
C'mon Spain !!!

I read somewhere recently that in ITALY in the summer, people would (probably not anymore) put buckets/pales/bowls of water under open windows in the house to cool off the house's interior. They said the incoming hot air would read the water and the evaporating water could actually cool the air. Hmmmm... Okay. I believe that, but seriously doubt the air would be cool(er) for more than a meter into the interior before it was warmed up again.

I can't imagine everyone at the Juanes concert tonight. Yikes. Surely they'll be using the air conditioning inside but still will likely be hot - but cooler than outside.

I'm already looking forward to my victory shower later tonight after the game and before going to bed.

Sweating, MadridMan

I'm with Laduque on the Madrid climate, although I'm not keen on it in winter either. It was only last week (16th) that it rained all day and I was out and about wearing a fleece. In winter I've seen more snow here than in London !

My solution, after three summers of suffering, was to move to the Sierra. I actually woke up cold this morning and had a warmish shower. But now I'm at work (obvisouly very busy too hence the post) in the centre regretting not choosing a white shirt.

MM writes: That's the same Physics used in what we used to call 'Swamp Coolers' in the Southwest U.S. Very dry desert air picks up moisture as it passes over water: that usually causes a few degree drop in the inside temperature; add the indoor shade, and it's more livable

40 Degrees Celsius seems to be a major milestone: ¡pero no ha llegado a cuarenta! is often heard among Madrileños.

C = 5/9 (F - 32) or F = 9/5 C +32

So 40 Celsius is 104 Farenheit.

Did I tell you I am a retired AF Meteorologist?

Excuse my ignorance Eddie, what does AF stand for ?

Steve mentions in another post that perhaps he's getting old. I think he's probably right because while English people of our age tend to think in ºF, my daughters' generation think in ºC

I also used to think of petrol prices in gallons (imperial, not US) and now it's litres. Maybe one day we'll drive on the wrong side of the road too

Air Force

Eddie, I'm somewhat familiar with the "Swamp Coolers" used in New Mexico and considered that to be similar to what the Italians had in mind, the only difference being that (I think) swamp coolers are generally in basements or under the houses. I can see how it's similar but can't imagine the Italian in-house air temperatures would lower past a couple meters after the air passes over the water. Obviously, I'm no chemist/physics expert but I'll take your word for it.

Jamongris wrote:

It's funny you should mention that because immediately after reading steve robinson's original posting I thought to myself, "Hmmm... But doesn't the UK use degrees centigrade?" but didn't mention it for fear of looking foolish, not knowing what they use. But then again, I know they use MILES - or maybe the new UK generations use Kilometers. I don't know.

Today, now 3pm, it's surprisingly pleasant indoors. But just wait until the sun starts seeping in through the western-facing windows as it's just about to do. THAT'S when things heat up. (oh, and plus I just took a deliciously cold shower)

Saludos, MadridMan

I want to give SOME sort of clarity on this issue .. Since the Uk "joined" Europe we have been forced to adopt European standards .. However .Britain has been slow and reluctant to implement them .. So for weight ( people ) we ( the older generation ) would use "stone" and not kilos or pounds . Liquids now are measured in litres where as I would use "gallons " . Distance is still marked in Miles I think and not kilometres .
I guess what i'm trying to say is that you're totally right to be confused about this .. The diehards , like me , want to keep our original weights and measures , but Europe says no .
Temperature is the strangest one ... When it's hot , the British use farenheight .. 90 degrees , 100 degrees etc .... When it's really cold we use celsius ... -5 degrees celsius ...
So , No real clarity there , but an explanation none the less .

yes steve you are correcy about the generation gap, if i tell my daughter its 30 feet away she loks at me like i am daft (no comments please!)but if i say its 9mtrs away she fully understands,the problem is the old people (no offence ment) cannot take to the new weights and measures saying they are to old to learn, and i must admit i have a lot of sympathy for them, on the markets stall holders were getting fined for selling a pound of bannanas etc because it should have been in kilos silly in my mind,
and yes we do say 90 degrees (not very often mind)
oh and dont forget the good old pint you cannot take that away from us surely

and you can forget about all these stories about water on the balcony, having a cold shower, sitting in the shade, tired through walking,
because i dont believe you !
because its STILL BOUNCING DOWN HERE

Ok .. I'm 42 years old .. I wouldn't say I was old ( but definitely not young hehehe ) but , quite frankly , I see no reason why we should change just because of a federal Europe .. As a famous Frenchman said "Vive la difference " .
I loved it when i travelled from Germany to Belgium , France etc and you had to have a different currency ! That was part of the fun ! I remember arriving in Luxembourg , late at night with a friend , and we had no currency with us . We parked at the main railway station in Ville de Luxembourg , and I just said well i'll use my bank card to get us some money .. I remember the ATM asking me how many BELGIAN francs or Luxembourgeois Francs I wanted ... I had no idea of the exchange rate but guessed . All part of cultural diversity and the fun of travelling .

A lot of people in Madrid use a portable version of a "swamp cooler". You stick it in an open window and a fan vaporizes the water, which creates cold air. The best part is they don't cost more to run than a regular fan. You can buy them at most places that sell mini-split air conditioners.

Madridmadridmadrid .... Now that is a real eye opener for me ... My AC is not great and though i've lived here for 3 years I'd like to find an alternative cooling system ... Might just look out for one of those portable coolers ... I've never seen them though .. Would I get them in a ferreteria or a big department store ?

madridmadridmadrid, I'm intrigued!!! Is what you're describing look liked a portable dishwater on wheels and there's a long tube which must go outside? I thought this WAS a conventional air conditioner - or is it what you're describing? Can you tell us what this thing is called and/or find some photos of it on the internet?

Right now, as a kind of experiment, I have the fan in the window pointing directly at me. There's a large container of water on the counter just in front of it so the fan is blowing over the water. I really can't say it feels any cooler than it does otherwise. I do feel the sweat on my back evaporating which is cooling me down though.

Saludos, MadridMan

Check these out:

http://www.elcorteingles.es/hogar/producto/lista_productos.asp?cpam=255&tpam=ssc&ccat=93

They are different from the regular aire acondicionado portátil. You fill them with water and they don't have freon or any other coolant. It's the evaporation of the water that causes the air to cool. And you don't have to use the hose to vent it outside, you just stick it near a window that's cracked (to draw in air from outside that is dry). I think stores like Menaje del hogar have something similar, but cheaper.

They are good for taking the edge off, but not if you like it freezing cold.

Wow ... i like the sound of those ... The BBC was reporting today that tomorrow Madrid will be the hottest capital city in Europe at 39 degrees ... I can hear Madrid Man scurrying into his bunker right now !! Really though it's insoportable ... unbearable ... Those guys in the Plaza de Colon for the big match are going to have problems for sure tomorrow .
The thing is that the night time temperatures stay high .. Right now it's 11 o'clock at night and 82 degrees ( 28 degrees celsius ) .. You know , actually I love it .. so exotic ... But when I try to get some sleep .. ? NO CHANCE .
Some sort of Latino party going on right now here in my neighbourhood ... Young latinos dressed to impress have been flooding in to a bar nearby called Juanchitos ( c/ Fundadores ) .. Nice to see the younger generation really making an effort and looking great !

Well it won't be as warm today, and tomorrow it will only (!) make about 27ºC (about 81ºF). Then back into the lowish 30`s for the weekend. Not much chance of rain until at least the middle of next week though.

Steve Robinson says

Yeah, you see Steve, it's phrases like that that give the impression you're old ! hahaha

BTW, what's the easiest way of including a quote in a post ?

Jamongris wrote: Seems you found out how!

First, when posting, click the "Full Reply Form" instead of using the "Quick Reply" box at the bottom of all threads. Next, scroll to the bottom of the "Full Reply Form" and find the text you'd like to quote. Find it, highlight it, then scroll up a bit to the "Full Reply Form" text editor and click anywhere in the text editor field to "place" your cursor there. Then click the "Quote" button below the text editor to get the proper syntax. Paste your desired text between the two [ QUOTE ] "book-ends".

You can also do the same as the above described by going to the "Quick Reply" box at the end of the thread and simply pasting your quoted text between the following "quote" book-ends, [ QUOTE ] [ /QUOTE ] (with no spaces between the brackets). This is what I usually do.

Looking forward to a cooler day today. :jump:

Saludos, MadridMan

Jamongris .. I am "older" at 42 years jajaja No problems with that whatsoever .... But I have to say that the level of "youth" in Plaza de Colon did get me thinking .... We ALL had a good time jeje .. Spain have to be favourites for the world cup no ? I'm not a football expert but .....Seems to me they have real flair .

What a pleasure is today's weather. hehehe.. It's breezy, overcast, and cool. NICE! Perfect day to have the windows open and working while listening to my flamenco collection CDs - while OTHERS are away on vacation.

By the way, I just happened upon some information about the "Evaporative Coolers" (a.k.a. "Swamp Coolers") we were discussing earlier. Looks interesting! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooling#Evaporative_cooling . I mentioned the design to a Spanish friend of mine, saying it didn't use coolants nor did it release carbon dioxide and she said, "Yeah, but you're consuming a lot of water!" Hmmm.. If it's not one thing it's another.

Saludos, MadridMan

MadridMan guessed

Thanks, I was wondering if there was a way to copy and paste someone's post without having to type the MadridMan wrote bit, sounds like no then.

Steve Robinson wrote

Getting the hang of the quotes thing now

They do indeed have a lot of talent and flair. They only thing is the next one is in South Africa, and European teams always struggle to win the tournament when it is not in their continent, favourites would probably be Brazil and the Argies.

Mind you what do I know. I wanted to drop Torres, and he scored the only goal of the final, and Xavi, and he has just been named player of the tournament.

Do swamp coolers use a lot of water then ? I guess you have to fill up some kind of reservoir every so often ? They're not cheap either, looking at the link posted by Madridmadridmadrid.

Talking of water wastage, my next door neighbour visits his house about 6 or 7 weekends a year, the rest of the time it is empty. Every morning at 7 his automatic sprinklers go off for half an hour, so that the grass is green for those occasions.

Steve, It seems as if you and I are the only people in Madrid who love the hot weather! I keep telling Spanish people that they dont appreciate the sun like they should!

Hehehe... sallyanne, you and steve robinson can have the hot weather!!! :p

Today was very pleasant, perfectly sunny, lightly breezy, not really hot at all. In fact, now the DRY weather really kicks in. I was somewhat surprised to look in the mirror this morning to find the skin around my mouth all dry and flaky. Yuck! This is what you get with nearly "0" humidity.

I recall some friends who lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA) whom often complained about how their printed photos (those which were loose and not in a photo album) were curling up and many of their VHS videotapes were destroyed because of the dry dry dry conditions.

What I DO love about this weather is when you hang your wet laundry in the sun it's all dry in about 30 minutes - maybe 40 minutes for jeans!! It usually takes/took an electric clothes dryer longer to dry clothes. Seems so pointless now to have one of those things now that I live here. Now when I go home (in Ohio) I try to hang my clothes to dry - but it takes like 6-12 hours to dry there, depending on the season, because of the high humidity.

But these days it has been quite nice here in Madrid and throughout Spain. On the northern coast it has been quite cool and rainy. Sounds nice. I hope to be spending a few days there later this month for a mini-vacation. We'll see.

Saludos, MadridMan

MadridMan, if you like cooler weather, go visit the UK, you will love it!

MM, funny you should mention New Mexico. I am from there and have always compared the similarities between NM and Spain, especially the climate and landscape. Maybe that is why the conquistadores stopped on the banks of the Rio Grande in central NM to settle. (my grandparents lived less than a mile from where the first Spanish settlers settled in).
I remember my first time on a bus on the plains outside Madrid, I couldn't get over the landscape, it was EXACTLY like that of NM!

Anyway, try and stay cool, and i'm sure things will heat up when I get there next week!

Seems it's going to be a HOT one today here in Madrid. Ugh. 11am and I'm already sweating a little (I have a low threshold for heat) - but I slept very very well last night with nothing more than open windows and a sheet. It was quite nice. Yesterday I didn't even use the fan!!

laduque, many Spaniards I knew in Albuquerque told me the same, that much of central New Mexico seemed like Castilla, Spain and with very similar weather - except now for the snow. The rain storms are much prettier there than in Spain though.

Saludos, MadridMan

I agree with the fantastic thunderstorms in NM! Your can see the lightning as if the sky opened up and threw down it's fury!
There is also nothing like the NM sky!

I too have a low threshold for heat and can only say that the ONLY thing I do not look forward to when we arrive in Madrid next week, is the HOT weather, seriously, I am a major you know what when it comes to the heat! Thank goodness mis suegros installed air conditioning (in the guest room where I stay and living room) 2 years ago. They say they did it for their beloved nieta Lucia, but I know they secretly enjoy it themselves.
Why is it the Spaniards (at least mi familia espanola) don't all run out and install air in their homes! I think they are just hot blooded! je, je, je.
My hubby loves the heat and it never bugs him...go figure.

ONLY 10 MORE DAYS! We need to plan a date for our MM lunch! :jump: :jump:

laduque, I just started a new topic in the Classifieds and Personals forum, so hopefully we can plan a get-together in a few weeks! Go here to share your input.

Just came back from an 8-day mini-vacation in a tiny mountain-valley village in Cantábria where it was so wonderfully cool every day. (22 inhabitants in the village, no bar, no restaurant, no gas station, no commercial businesses whatsoever except for one Posada/hotel of which I took a tour. I also toured one of the family homes in the village, one with a wooden/glass "galeria" on the upstairs level overlooking their garden.

It rained twice, cloudy another couple days, and maybe another 2-4 days semi-cloudy/semi-sunny. The temperature was a perfect who-knows-what at night and I needed a blanket!!

During the day, shorts and shirt were perfect but others wore jeans and occasionally mumbled, "Ay, qué frio!" to which I'd reply, "Humph!"

I was in heaven. Temps were between 18 and 24 degrees everyday. It was a little warmer the one day I went to the beach in SOMO (near Santander City) but the water was freezing.

I'd been hearing that Madrid was under a kind of Extreme Heat Alert or something. But upon entering Madrid today at about 1:30pm I didn't find it all that hot yet. This afternoon was warmer but didn't seem any warmer than some of the hotter days in late June and early July.

They say by mid-August, in Madrid, things will start to cool off a bit. We'll see.

Saludos, MadridMan

I'm very temped , I have to say , by an invitation to Bilbao ... My Basque friend just went there and asked me to join him .. Unfortunately , transport from Madrid to Bilbao is not great . Trains are VERY slow , and there is a bus service ( 5 hours I think and I HATE bus journeys ) . So It looks like I'll continue roasting here in Madrid ... Basting oil anyone ? ... This "weather" chat has been going on for some time but it is what dominates Madrid right now . I just checked on the forecast and seems we're looking at 35c ( about 98f ) for our lunch . The forecast only goes as far as Sunday which is forecast at 39c ( 102f ) . Looks like we could be seeing the 40 degree mark soon .
On the plus side of this heat , Madrid is positively quiet ! I've been to Retiro Park a couple of times and although Sunday was busy ( as always ) , Saturday was empty at about 4 or 5 pm ... Very strange feeling .
Plaza Mayor was not that busy .The shopping streets ( Carmen and Preciados ) were doing good business and have canvas coverings over the entire streets to protect shoppers from the sun .
Calle Montera was doing a brisk trade too ( the prostitucion area of Madrid ) .. I can't remember seeing so many transactions taking place on the street .
And Love is definitely in the air .. Phew .. lots of romance going on in the streets of Madrid !


Steve