2023 Heat Wave in Houston (Austin, Portland: credit, maintenance, tax)

[txdad99]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I don’t understand people’s obsession with keeping their lawn looking perfect
I see people watering their yard every single day
God knows how much is their water bill

I’ll water my yard some but I have better things to do than making sure my yard looks perfect during a drought

Last time it rained in my neighborhood was about 4-6 weeks ago

We’ve given up watering our yard. Most people in our neighborhood have also. The only thing we are watering is landscaping that was recently planted (last 2 years).

[atadytic19]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I don’t understand people’s obsession with keeping their lawn looking perfect
I see people watering their yard every single day
God knows how much is their water bill

I’ll water my yard some but I have better things to do than making sure my yard looks perfect during a drought

Last time it rained in my neighborhood was about 4-6 weeks ago

At this point it may not be just keeping it looking green, it may be keeping it alive. I see some lawns with more dead grass than live grass.

Count me among those who can't remember a summer this brutal. I thought last year was bad but that seems pleasant compared to this year.

[houston-nomad]

This summer is terrible. I'm running the sprinklers to keep the house from shifting. Electric bills have been fine because we got solar panels and have a free-nights plan. I rarely go outside. OVER IT.

[groovamos]

The relative humidity in Houston at the peak temperature has varied from 32% to 49% for the past month. Right now 5:30 it is 99 degrees and 33%. Austin is 105 degrees and 22%

The low humidity has made it possible for your truly to get in mile runs in the Houston afternoons when I have peak energy and the sun is lower and less scorching. I'm worried about losing trees around the area like in 2011. All the medians are mostly brown and some of the younger trees planted by the city and also the state along the freeeways have died.

[Ghost Town]

2022 summer was also not so pleasant.
What 2024 is going to bring?
I started to doubt benefits of Houston winter.
Even though I didn't enjoy winters there, I guess Mid Atlantic has better overall climate, plus better beaches and real ocean.

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

2022 summer was also not so pleasant.
What 2024 is going to bring?
I started to doubt benefits of Houston winter.
Even though I didn't enjoy winters there, I guess Mid Atlantic has better overall climate, plus better beaches and real ocean.

I agree. If my job didn't keep me here I'd be out. These summers are misery.

[kreeyax]

Doesn't seem any different than any other summer to me. Except we haven't had much rain. The weather guy on KPRC news said last July was actually hotter than this July.

[michaeltx9412]

Hey y'all. Just got back home in Austin from my Houston trip. To be honest, the humidity during my visit was, as expected, oppressive enough to make me feel uncomfortable. And let me say this: Austin isn't exactly a dry place, either. Actually, this place can get quite humid (yes, even at the moment I'm writing this) if you're coming from say, Arizona or New Mexico. But Houston's humidity is on a whole other level because the temperature there isn't as low as other cities in the Southeast, which makes you feel extra lethargic and quite honestly, even sick. It's like the worst combination you can ever get in Texas weather-wise. In my opinion, if you're dealing with the Texas heat, it should be at least dry. On a not-so-negative side, the sun in your city didn't feel as painful as in Austin, I'm thinking it might have to do with humidity, something like water molecules in the air absorbing photons from the sunlight. Anyways, aside from the crazy, oppressive weather, I thoroughly enjoyed Houston just like I would always do. I think it's such an underrated city in so many aspects. The food is obviously amazing -- I feel like you guys have a greater deal of real restaurants with real good food, not those Instagramm-able places with mediocre, overpriced food. It seems to have more of a sense of being real within itself, unlike Dallas (you can call me crazy for saying this and that it's just all in my head). Yes, the public transportation sucks and there are a couple of things that are behind in advancements for a city its size, but it's actually a better place to live than Austin for the general people seeking opportunities IMO, especially if you don't mind feeling like you're choking on a thick, humid air.

[mkwensky]

I actually don't remember experiencing any 100+ day when I lived in Houston. What exactly can't you do when it's 100 degrees out that you can do when it's only 90?

[houston-nomad]

In my experience, you feel it much sooner. Just being out and about-- errands, short walks-- feels depleting and exhausting. And for outdoor jobs it's definitely more brutal. My sons are lifeguards and this summer was exhausting. Relentless heat.