What is the weather like there? General Chat

Well what a difference today, it's gale force winds and rain.

It’s horribly smoky here today from a huge fire almost 200 miles north of me. No work or dog walk until it clears a bit. I heard it’s supposed to clear throughout today and tomorrow. Last Saturday I left work because of smoke from a fire only 1 mile from my job. I passed over 1/2 dozen fire trucks as I left. Scary

Sorry to read this. I have just been watching film from California on Sky News. Really frightening, and surely Thousand Oaks has suffered enough this week. Hope it stays clear of your district. Stay safe.

• This is from late this afternoon looking outside across the canyon. The smoke is just hanging in the air everywhere.

Smoke is supposed to linger at least thru Monday. The air quality is worse then Beijing China... Dogs are very bored as I’m trying to keep them inside and we didn’t go for a walk yesterday and probably won’t for a few days. I did toss a ball and their knotted rope for a bit last night but Bandit wasn’t really into it for long, which is odd for him. Maybe he was feeling the smoke in his lungs... It could be much worse, we just have the toxic smoke, so many people have been evacuated and almost 7000 homes burned. There are no fires near us

It is so sad. So many disasters this year.

A dog's sense of smell is way keener than ours so if it's bothering you, it's bound to be bothering him more.

It's terrible to see such news. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected

I quit smoking a little over 6 months ago, after 40 years... so to me it feels like I’m smoking again. Nasty habit, shouldn’t even be legal.

The air quality is much improved (now slightly better then Beijing..) but still deemed unhealthy. Bandit is outside at the moment because he just really wanted out. I guess I’m not going to walk them again today as that’s what’s suggested from what I’ve read online. The air quality index is 160 right now. There is a slight haze in the air but the smoke is no longer visibly hanging everywhere although there is still a strong smell of smoke. What I read said take dogs out to go to the bathroom but limit time outside. Tomorrow is supposed to be about the same with improvement Tuesday. Dogs are bored and so am I. I’ve definitely been feeling the effects in my respiratory system. Still way better situation then many are facing so I count my blessings

Well the air quality went from unhealthy to moderate, with the index rating down to 97. I needed a few things from the store so went to town and walked dogs only 1 mile by the ocean. Over an hour later and I’m still feeling short of breath..

I don't suppose it would help with oxygen levels- the trees are your best friends for that, I always seem to breathe better when I'm in woodland - but have you tried wearing a dust mask? It might filter out some of the nastier stuff. No help to the dogs though.

L We are still getting deluged with smoke from the fire 200 miles north. Very unhealthy air full of nasty particulate. It’s recommended to keep pets inside and take them out for short periods to go to the bathroom. I haven’t walked them much at all for well over a week. A little fetch in the yard and I toss a ball for them inside. I’ve learned that once they get the ball wet and I toss it against the wall it leaves a stain.. I could wear a mask but that wouldn’t help the dogs. Supposedly we might get some rain Wednesday and I heard or read that they expect air quality to improve by Thursday. That will be 2 weeks. Not much to do but wait it out. Right now the AQI (air quality index) is 156 which is better then it was this morning. An AQI of 35-70 should force most people to consider staying inside...

I live amongst the trees and there’s no more fresh air here then anywhere else unfortunately. I figure if I shouldn’t be breathing this stuff then neither should my dogs, the vet agreed.

I hear that there are still a large number of spontaneous fires scattered fires breaking out in California, but we only get the BIG news - involving loss of lives and property. It must be very worrying to live under the threat. We had a few moorland fires over the Pennines this Summer - vandalism and those cheap and nasty barbecues seem to have been the main causes, but I don't think there were any major losses.
Your president seems to think that better forest floor maintenance would help prevent fires. That may well be, but surely it would be so very labour intensive, who could ever afford to carry it out?

I do not consider him “my” president.. I didn’t vote for the buffoon. He doesn’t act very presidential. He’s all ego, it’s all about him, he doesn’t understand what it means to govern. He would like to be a dictator. He spends way to much time on Twitter and has called himself a nationalist. He calls the press the enemy and any news he doesn’t like he calls fake. He’s a completely despicable human being, IMO. He’s called countries where the predominant color of people isn’t white $#%thole countries... He wants to keep selling arms to Saudi Arabia for the money despite what appears to be a blatant assassination of an American greencard holder on Turkish soil. It’s all just so disgusting.

He talked with the president of Finland who told him how they take care of their forests. Finland is largely arctic and you just can’t compare the 2 places, completely different climates, one arctic or subarctic and the other Mediterranean. He earlier blamed California’s mismanagement of forests for all the fires when actually the larger percentage of woodlands in California are either federally or privately owned. He speaks without really knowing what he’s talking about. Sorry about the rant but I find it very embarrassing that he was elected. Maybe if he wins re-election in 2 years I’ll come live over there.. Anybody want to sponsor me??? I was so depressed the night he was elected I spent most of the next 3-4 days looking online for a new puppy, which I thought I’d wait until the spring to get but felt like I needed one immediately to help with my grief over his win. It’s been worse then I thought it would be...

Calm down Marc, you'll make yourself hyperventilate. Not good with all that smoke in the air.
Didn't he look cute in that transparent rain hood though?

Hahahaa
That was a calm response.. I had a comment on what he should do with the transparent rain hood but deleted it as I like my freedom. No fun when “your side” doesn’t win the election. Our country is so divided now, it wasn’t always like this. There is no compromise from either side anymore. Pretty sad state of affairs. I hope things become less divisive in the future but I sure won’t hold my breath.

Seems you all have some issues too with the Brexit that people can’t agree on, but I don’t hear your prime minster pitting one side against the other as is done here..

She tries her best. She is very trying.

The rain is blessedly thumping down on my roof!!! The air quality has finally become safe!! Of course it’s very wet out so still staying inside, lol. Took dogs for a walk this morning before it was coming down hard. Let them play in the yard a bit and Bandit rolled Katie Mae around in the dirt and she was a muddy mess when they came inside. Can’t remember ever being this happy to see rain...

It hasn't lightened up enough here yet to tell what the weather is going to be like but the forecast is for very very cold - brrr.

Believe me Marc, you don't want to come here. You really wouldn't like our politicians one iota. All self-serving idiots which the Brexit fiasco has highlighted. Democracy? I'm beginning to thing it no longer exists