Ridiculo ad absurdum

Ok. The local news lately has been in a frenzy.

There are SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS for Portland, OR regarding the MASSIVE HEAT WAVE that is in the process of striking us all immobile and potentially dead.

For over a week now the forecasters have been predicting doom, gloom, and dire circumstances for the middle of this week. Warning us to prepare. Hold our babies close, protect the feeble and innocent, there is VERY HOT WEATHER on the way.

Of course, for some people, hot weather is a severe event. If you are very old or sick or poor or feeble, it can be a traumatic, potentially life-threatening weather situation. If you're not, it's just really hot.

Anyhow, in the spirit of community, and truly engaging with my local news and local events, I have decided to keep you up-to-date on the details of this crisis. We shall call this LIVE BLOGGING THE HEAT WAVE.

Tune in for updates as the event unfolds.

Here is the severe weather warning issued by the National Weather Service for today:

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY.

A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE IN COMBINATION WITH OFFSHORE EAST WINDS IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE VERY HOT WEATHER OVER INTERIOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON. STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW TUESDAY WILL DRIVE TEMPERATURES TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE 100 DEGREES OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH WITH 80S TO LOWER 90S OVER THE HIGHER CASCADES. THE OFFSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES VERY WARM FOR OUR AREA OVERNIGHT TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL ONLY INTO THE UPPER 50S AND 60S JUST FOR A SHORT TIME AROUND SUNRISE ON WEDNESDAY.

WEDNESDAY WILL BE ANOTHER VERY HOT DAY. TEMPERATURES MAY COOL A FEW DEGREES FROM TUESDAY BUT WILL STILL REACH THE UPPER 90S TO AROUND 100 DEGREES IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS ON WEDNESDAY WITH MID 80S TO MID 90S IN THE HIGHER CASCADES.

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF DANGEROUSLY HOT TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR. THE HOT TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE LIKELY. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS...STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM...STAY OUT OF THE SUN... AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.