Baby it's wet outside

Coastal Events and chilly fall weather (49)

We’ve just had another Coastal Event, which research seems to indicate may mean just that the waves are high, and boating and swimming are dangerous. Possibly maybe also it's a bit windy. A lot.

The reality is somewhat different. We see it as rain that eats umbrellas for breakfast and turns jeans into leggings and previously impenetrable hiking boots into swim shoes.

Video by Scott, who was trapped in the Metro by the flooding on his way home.

Video by Scott, view from the top of the stairs. He was delighted he managed to avoid getting his pants wet up to his knees.

So far, between mid-October and mid-December, we’ve had three such joyous occasions that have lasted one to two weeks each. The resulting flooding has brought death and destruction to people, homes, and businesses. We’ve had Metro closures, emergency evacuations, stay at home warnings, and the rainiest December day ever recorded in Lisbon. In between it’s drizzly. Clear, crisp blue sky to show off changing leaves it is not. In fact, most trees have kept their leaves. We’re feeling a little confused as to where Fall wandered off to.

Having lived in Connecticut and St. Louis, we can compare this weather to…. nothing. Ok, ok, you know how at the shore the mist and fog come in? But then the noontime sun dries it up? If you are right on the coast here, that happens. Except for the sun coming out part.

Let’s back this meteorological bus up a bit, shall we? While this whole Fall, starting in mid-October, has been kinda harsh, we landed on 23 June to weather that was shockingly gorgeous. Apparently, drier than even normal. Even scarily dry. Dry like the Southwest US is. Alright, the drought in Europe this summer was legendary. Worst in 500 years. Or in 1,200 years. Leading, naturally, to fires of a biblical scale. It’s almost like the climate is changing or something.

But drought sure made for beautiful weather in Lisboa. Every day, the sky competed to be bluer than the sky of the previous day. Sometimes it was warmer, sometimes cooler. We had some hot spells. Once 38C/100F, which those in St. Louis know means huddle in the air conditioning and carefully plan trips out. In CT, they boast about how humid it is. We arrived in St. Louis in the summer and said, oh, this is what humid is. New definition of humid: When the air outside is a solid and your lungs are desperately seeking the air among all the water molecules.

So when they said Lisbon was humid in the summer, we wondered what humid they meant: Fly Over humid or Northeast humid? Turns out it’s go for a stroll in 38C/100F and sure, it’s hot, but not oppressive.

Our concerns of the summer heat allayed, feeling rather dismayed no one warned about the intensity of the rain during the Fall, we are crossing our fingers that all we have left is the legendary humidity of winter called “The Damp.” Clothes never drying. Mushrooms growing in closets. That sort of thing. Since one of us is hyper-aware of damp, this was a matter of some concern. Having just seen an alarming post of a woman (in thin sweater and wet hair) demonstrating the temperature of her apartment by showing her breath turning white, we figure we’re ready to talk about this.

(For those who wondering why folks here don’t just turn on the heat for cryeye, a primer: In Portugal most buildings are made of stone and plaster or such. Those of you from St. Louis and such cities can relate to how the cold sheets down the outer walls and causes drafts and how there is zero insulation. Add in the fact that water never freezes here, and you see why you’ve got zero heating built into the building. No fireplaces (um, Santa?). No radiators. No baseboards. Unless your unit is remodeled, you have nothing except electric plug-in units (even without Mr. Putin, electricity here is ghastly) or something like a free-standing gas heater (that sounds safe!).)

Our experiences are a bit rare and thus not helpful: When we rented our unit we were told it had a B energy efficiency rating. Which is great for this area. When we received the actual paperwork to sign the lease, we found out it had an

A.

Yes. An A. We’re really sorry you don’t have your own A. Here’s what an A does: We have barely had the heat on - just enough to take the chill off literally three times. We do have the mandatory undersheet heating pad that is necessary for Portugal. The one of us who likes to sleep snuggly uses it to warm the sheets. We got a dehumidifier and the picky one of us is much more comfortable. That’s it. We are comfortable as clams.

Some restaurants have no heating. You just leave your outerwear on. Speaking of what people wear out, Amy will be looking at the street from the toe balcony and see Scott walking in his t-shirt and jeans. And next to him are people in full parkas. Down the street will be a guy in shorts. So far, we’ve worn nothing nothing warmer than a fleece zip up.

That’s all for now.

Love from Lisbon,

Scott & Amy