Is Seattle ready for the heat? (apartment, house, buy)

[franklin42]

http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigw...ther+Statement


If indeed the temps do reach 90+, is it a big deal? Stay cool!

[VeronikaW]

All I can say is thank god for my portable A/C unit.

[HuskyDawg]

Most of us in Seattle have old homes without AC so 90 plus is hot. However, we usually get a couple weeks in August that are hot. Though it's been an unusual spring & summer I'm sure Seattle weather will cool down soon enough, as it always does.

[Jillaceae]

I remember when I lived in Seattle in 2006 we had about a week of 90+ weather. And we didn't have air conditioning. We got over it. It happens sometimes. At least it is a dry heat.

[pw72]

I have always maintained that 90+ heat in Seattle is more irritating than most cities, simply due to the lack of AC in most places. This includes many restaurants and public places. Good luck, Seattle! (A prolonged heatwave is quite rare, so u should be ok within a few days...)

[jenlion]

I didn't last a single summer without AC. Big windows, facing south, work at home... too much heat. Can't stand house that's 85 at NIGHT and 95 during the day, especially with a baby.

I think we'll be hosting Wii parties all week for my friends and their families... most without AC.

[SouthernerInSeattle]

This is nothin'...not even forecasted to really have above 50% humidity. Where I grew up, we rarely turned on the AC even when it was 100+ with 100% humidity. Just open windows to get some airflow, maybe a fan. Besides it's only supposed to be in the 90s for 3 days.

[JesseJames34]

Originally Posted by franklin42

National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary


If indeed the temps do reach 90+, is it a big deal? Stay cool!

It's not a big deal. For most of the rest of the year to be awesome, I can deal with a week of medium-high temps. We still have the cool PNW breeze and trees to hide under.

[VeronikaW]

The attitude about air conditioning up here is one thing I'll never understand no matter how long I live here. There's almost this self-righteous tone to all the negativity about A/C. Like, "Look at us, we don't need air conditioning, we're so superior." It seems like some sort of badge of honor for people up here.

I'm sure there are parts of Seattle proper that are well-shaded, ranch style homes, that truly don't need A/C even at 90 degrees. However, the newer suburbs with their 3 story homes, with young trees, do need A/C. Any time it gets over 75 degrees, the third story of our home is unbearable (and that is, of course, where all the bedrooms are). Even with window fans and ceiling fans it gets stifling up there. And sure, it only gets 90 here a few days a year, but this is my 3rd summer here, and the third summer where we've had many consecutive 80+ degrees days.

Not to mention there are other factors involved with A/C. I for one, do not like blowing dirt into my house with constantly running window fans. I'm dusting everyday just to keep up with the dirt, and not to mention the number of bugs that somehow find their way in.

Another consideration is that I have 2 small children, who despite our best efforts to make tons of noise while they were babies, wake up at the sound of a pin dropping. This makes having open windows in their room a near-impossibility.

And don't even get me started about the craptacular baseboard heaters that seem to be the norm up here.

It's like I like to tell people: I lived in San Diego for 4 years and never once turned the heater on, but the apartment still had one.

When we buy a house up here, the first thing we're going to do is add central air. For now, I'm hugging my portable unit.

V. =)

[pigeonhole]

The attitude about air conditioning up here is one thing I'll never understand no matter how long I live here. There's almost this self-righteous tone to all the negativity about A/C. Like, "Look at us, we don't need air conditioning, we're so superior." It seems like some sort of badge of honor for people up here.

Funny, people have the same attitude in Paris, which has a climate similar to Seattle.
And this despite the fact that during the 2006 heatwave, 10.000 older Parisians died ! and the worse part is that when they DO have air conditioning (like in new subway carriages) they DON'T know how to use it (or want to save energy/money), so when it's let's say 80°F outside, the thermostat is set on ...80°F! unbelievable!