Make no mistake about it. Last Wednesday was an epic event. The thermometer was just so many numbers. But no one who has lived here, in recorded history, had ever been through anything like it. more ›

Over the past six days, King County Animal Care and Control received 35 reports of dogs locked in very hot cars, during what's been Seattle's most dramatically hot week ever (!). Thankfully, no fatalities occurred from pooches being left to suffer and pant their way through 130-degree temperatures. more ›

The real gem is KIRO2 (ch. 117 on Comcast, ch. 7-2 over digital antennae). The “Deuce” as we call it runs off-net syndication, meaning they recycle old TV shows. Off-net syn is the engine of broadcast commerce, but it’s sadly lacking in character or style. How much “Seinfeld” do you really want to watch? more ›

Back where we come from, there's places known as "cooling centers". These are public buildings that are air-conditioned in the event of a deadly heatwave such as the one in which we currently find ourselves embroiled. We remember our afternoon cartoons being interrupted by ticker-style warnings about the heat and the elderly and cooling centers for those without A/C in the home. Libraries were the foremost among the list of these cooling centers. more ›

Mayday, mayday--the flora and vegetation in Olympic Sculpture Park is flatlining! The recent scorching temps and lack of water has caused the grass and flowers in the park's east and west meadows to turn a lovely shade of dead. more ›

Under normal conditions, we have nothing but scorn for spoiled, complain-happy Seattleites who start griping when the temperature climbs above 75F, but on this day--THE HOTTEST DAY EVAARRRRRR--by all means, be our guest. more ›

Stare at the above photo and repeat to yourself, "The city needs more snow plows." more ›

ARTSBLOG sent us this picture he shot of a few of the 280 people in line to buy air conditioners at the North Seattle Home Depot. "The guy up front said they started lining up this morning, said a truck of various air conditioners just pulled up. He said there was no way there were enough air conditioners on the truck for even a third of the people in line. The guy said they’ve been telling people this all day but nobody is leaving the line and they keep lining up," reports Art. "Man, nobody was talking and you could cut the tension with a knife. They were just sending people out with air conditioners that they were taking off the truck and they were sending them out through the lawn and garden department so there wouldn't be trouble." Check out his full post on the Great A/C Shortage of '09. more ›

• Monday evening, Seattle police discovered an unidentified human body that had drowned in Lake Washington and washed ashore the beach of Lake Cottage Park.
• Good news for ORCA card holders: Seattle Transit Blog says the Seattle Streetcar will be adding ORCA readers to stations starting next year.

There is no question this week is going to be a hot one, as temperatures reach into the high 90s and perhaps even 100 degrees. As many people crank up the power and seek an air conditioned refuge away from the heat, Seattle City Light--here's their energy-saving tips to beat the heat--warns that their old equipment may fail as temperatures climb. Customers need to be prepared for potential outages. Grrreat. more ›

If you didn't stock up on fans, porches, and Mint Juleps this past weekend to brave the heat, you may want to rethink that decision. This week (and perhaps even longer) Seattle will be experiencing one helluva summer heat wave--to the point where an excessive heat warning has been issued for our area until Thursday, July 30. more ›

The good news is that UW weather guru Cliff Mass says we're not looking at a record-breaking temperature spike coming up--but the bad news is that it's still a pretty sharp spike to be poked with. (In the same post he's got reader pics of noctilucent clouds, which, in a movie, would be a signal for supernatural doings afoot. Go take look. Real pretty.) more ›

This is a photo of Mr. and Mrs. Seattlest and their two cats, baked in an apartment they can't cool down at night because they can't open half the windows. Why can't they open half the windows? Because the cats will jump out of them in the night and adventures will ensue. Like last time. So stop your moaning, cats. You caused this. more ›

Thanks to these high, high temperatures (OMFG!!1! 80 degrees?! *pantpant*), the P-I reports, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is close to calling a smog alert. The shame! The agency's Dave Kircher says to do everything possible to keep from driving the next few days: "Stay home, have an iced tea or whatever, and don't mow your lawn." Here we just laugh! As bicyclists, we're gonna pack extra water, but otherwise, Kircher, we'll do whatever the hell we want and go wherever the hell we want. (Okay, and shower much more often.) Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on the air quality for those of you trapped in cars. If there's a good reason to be wheezin', we'll let you know. more ›

Seattlest spent the morning begging our sister, who's moving herself, her furniture, and her dog over the Rockies today, to get some extra radiator fluid and watch her temperature gauge, because there's record-setting heat wave action on the other side of the Cascades. more ›

By now it’s no secret that Seattlest is all ga-ga over local showmasters, Awesome. We’ve recommended numerous times that you, John and Jane Q.P., experience for yourselves this strange and wonderful ensemble, and well, here we are once more. more ›