When we first moved to Central Florida in the mid-1980s, the region was setting record lows. Freezes, and the subsequent descent of developer-vultures, killed off most of the local citrus industry. No one who was not here during those times can believe we had fired up the furnace by the end of September—we, who were fresh from the north country and happy to keep our home cooler than was comfortable for our neighbors.
I won't be tempted to cite our current heat wave as evidence of global warming, because I understand Central Florida experienced a similarly miserable October back in 1961, but our experiences here certainly attest to the variability of climate. It's hot. And humid. And miserable.Theoretically we should be no more miserable than in mid-summer, or even less. Our 90-degree highs this week are, after all, an improvement over 95 or 98. But it doesn't feel like it. Somehow the body rebels, knowing that it's October and high time we were given a respite from the unrelenting heat. In my case, having recently returned from a visit to Pittsburgh, where the temperatures were decidedly not in the 90s, it could also be that my internal thermostat has been reset. Whatever it is, I'm looking forward to the time when I can go on my daily walk without needing a bath and a full change of clothes on my return.
On the other hand, who am I to complain? The pool feels really great after that walk, and October swimming is definitely not the norm in our pool, which due to its lovely overshadowing trees, portends the onset of autumn earliest of our sensors. Although this week has warmed it a few degrees, it was 69 when I returned from Pittsburgh—a fall of nearly 10 degrees during my absence.I believe Porter is right in his analysis of why it seems so much more oppressive inside than usual, even though I haven't changed the setting on the thermostat. Because it is, even if only slightly, cooler outside, the air conditioner doesn't come on as often to remove the humidity—which is still high—from the air.
