Yesterday the thermometer hit 124 degrees in the Palm Springs area of California.

This is the highest temperature ever recorded in Palm Springs.  And the temperature is expected to stay above 115 each day for the next week.

Since I am located here in the Coachella Valley right now, I thought you might be interested in what life is like when the temperature gauge gets to this level.

But before I share with you some of my experiences, let me say that this situation is a serious health risk for many people.  It is being called an excessive heat warning for good reason.  In addition to the heat, the Coachella Valley has an air quality alert too.  The reason being that there are a few wildfires in areas close enough to the valley to blow hazardous smoke and other particulates into our air.  The saddest sight for me is seeing a man, fully dressed, with no hat, standing in the median of a road at an intersection, holding a sign, and begging for money.  In this heat!

On top of all that, the electrical grid is being tested, with people being asked to reduce their use of certain appliances during the hours between 4pm and 7pm when electrical demand for air conditioning and other uses is the greatest.  With that also comes an economic impact with higher energy costs, as electricity bills will inevitably rise.

Let me tell you about my experience with the record heat of 124 degrees.

But first, a little bit of background might be in order about air conditioning and Neil Peterson.

I hate air conditioning. I like the open air, the wind, and the natural breeze.  I do not like air conditioning in a house, a room, a restaurant, or a car.  You name it.  I have never liked air conditioning.  If I had a choice, I would much prefer being a little warmer, than a little colder.

With that as background, I must admit that air conditioning is really essential in weather like what we are having right now.  124 degrees is no fun – no fun outside and also no fun inside.

So, guess what?  The air conditioning in my casita stopped working and I had to get workmen to service me.  I can’t say enough about Ricardo and his local company who dropped everything and came to my place and worked the entire day of July 3^rd to replace my air conditioning system.  They also returned on July 4^th to finish the job and tweak the system to make sure that it was working for me.  Amazing.

Secondly the air conditioning unit in my car was not working several weeks ago.  I took it in for repairs, and finally got it fixed after having to take it back four times to get the repair working correctly.  However, I don’t know if it is the extreme heat or what, but now my car’s air conditioning unit is not working again.  It blows air, but the air is not cold.

I have come to appreciate air conditioning.  However, I have learned some things about air conditioning that I did not know before.  For example, air conditioning units have control boxes that have instructions.  I have had to learn how to turn them on, how to have them continue throughout the night without being programmed to turn to fan only at midnight.  I have had to learn to turn the fan to high.  I have had to learn to make sure the unit is programmed to “cool.”

But most importantly I have learned about the limits of an air conditioning unit.  No matter where you set the temperature gauge for an air conditioning unit, the unit can only lower the temperature a maximum of 20 degrees from the temperature of the air that the unit is drawing from.  For example, in my living room of my casita in the late afternoon the temperature of the air in my casita near the intake for the air conditioning unit is over 100 degrees.  This is because I have a western exposure and the entire western side of my casita is floor to ceiling class.  So, even with a shade, the temperature of the air just inside the glass on my western exposure is well over 100 degrees.  The reason this is so important is that the air that the air conditioning unit is sucking up into its system in order to process into colder air is this air – the air that is 100+ degrees.

But air conditioning units can only reduce the temperature of the air they are taking in by a maximum of 20 degrees.  So, the best I can expect from my AC unit is air flow that will produce air at 80+ degrees temperature.  And this is the case even though I have set the gauge for 73 degrees.  It does not matter if the  air the unit is drawing from is warmer than 93 degrees.

Bottom line.  I have realized the value of air conditioning.  I am learning how to operate them.  I have also learned their limitations.

What else have I learned from this experience of living in 124-degree heat?

I have learned about other strategies that help trying to keep the inside temperature at a reasonable level.  Overhead ceiling fans help a lot.  They distribute the air.  Also closing doors to rooms help keep the AC unit working in a more confined space.

If you are going to do any exercise, do it early, early morning. For example, I am playing pickleball every day, but I am getting up at 5:30am so that I can be on the courts by 6am and off by 8am.  These are the coolest hours of the day with temperatures ranging from 86 to 95 degrees.  Believe it or not, I am not alone by any means.  Every morning there are at least 36 other people playing pickleball at the same time at the same place.

Even though the humidity is very low in the desert, you sure work up a sweat playing in this heat.  Or, just speaking for myself, I sure work up a sweat.  My sweat is so great that the short sleeve sport shirt that I have been wearing gets absolutely soaking wet.  I mean really wet.  I am just dripping in sweat.  I was drenched.

My shirt was so soaked this morning that when after pickleball I went to have breakfast at my favorite breakfast haunt, I knew that I could not wear it into the restaurant.  So, in the parking lot, I struggle to take it off, exposing my bear upper torso.  Then I put on a golf wind breaker to try to get something on that was a little bit dryer.

Still, when I walked into the restaurant, I knew immediately that I could not survive inside – the air conditioning was too, too cold.  It was freezing, and I would have contracted a massive cold or some other kind of malady.  So, I say that I want to eat at one of their tables outside.  The hostess looked at me like I was nuts.  No one, and I mean no other person, was eating outside in this heat. By 9 o’clock it was 100 degrees.

With this being the exception, no other restaurants that I have seen have opened their outside dining tables during this heat wave, even ones that have “misting” over their outside tables.

Later today I went to Kohl’s department store and sought out a moisture wicking sports shirt which are typically lightweight, breathable, and quick-drying.  This helps to enhance overall comfort by reducing stickiness and the sensation of being drenched in sweat. I bought two of them.  I will give them a try tomorrow.  Hopefully they will reduce the amount of sweat that I am swimming in.

The next thing I have noticed and paid attention to is the consumption of liquids.  Water, water, water.  And more water.  You consume a lot more water during these unbelievably hot days.  However, I did find time to get one of my favorite “date shakes” this afternoon.  Ummm Boy, Almond Joy.  As my grandkids know, that is what I always say when I really like something.

One of the surprises to some may be that the temperature does not drop precipitously in the evening.  No sir.  It is 100 degrees at 10pm.  It is over 90 at 2am.

There are other strategies that some are using during this extreme heat.  Some are leaving, going to the beach which is only a 2 hour drive, or going to the mountains which is also only a 2 hour drive.

But, what I have been struck by is that as difficult, uncomfortable and in some cases perilous as this situation is, life still goes on.  People are working.  Cars are moving.  Shopping is occurring.  Restaurants are open.  Yes, some events are being cancelled but most are not.  What is down is patronage.  For example, when I went into get my date shake from Shields Date Farm, I was the only customer, the only car in the parking lot.  Usually, it is packed with others wanting a date shake.

Some have asked me what it is like to be outside in 124-degree heat.  The answer is that it feels heavy, oppressive.  It feels a little suffocating.  It is a dry heat.  it feels like what I would imagine walking into an oven would feel like.  Your pace slows down a little. You try to limit your time outside.  There is no place to go to cool down, like under a tree or something.  The heat is oppressive. It is non relenting.  There is no relief other than going inside an air-conditioned facility.

Bottom line.  Another experience in this wonderful time that we are blessed to have on this earth.

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