First day of Summer in N.E. Downunder - Spathiphyllum are blooming

Non-technical first day of summer? Or is it last years :-)
Pretty Spathiphyllum

No, Klahanie, today, December 1st, is officially our first day of Summer here in Australia.

Unlike the northern hemisphere where seasons start with the equinox or solstice dates, here in Australia our seasons are defined by calendar months and begin on the first day of the first month of that particular season's months.

Hence our summer, our hottest season, begins on the first of December and lasts until the last day of February. We've got three long months of horrid heat and humidity ahead of us now.

I did not know that Bernieh. Interesting to know that other people follow different patterns. Nevertheless, your days are still getting shorther :-) Is it only in Australia?
Happy summer. Seems like (from your comment) that you do not look forward to it.

Yes you're right Klahanie, I really don't like our summers. It's a hard time on the garden and on this gardener. We get relentlessly high temps, with very high levels of humidity and fierce strong sunshine.

Our summer days are long, with the sun rising around 5.30 in the morning and not setting until around 6.30 in the evening. Right now it's 5.47 am and it's already light, with the temp. at 24 deg C and humidity at 85%. The high expected today is 31 deg C, which will be reached by around 11.00 am and last until at least 5.00 in the afternoon. The UV index remains at 'extreme' all day long. That's our second day of summer, and it really only gets worse as our summer rolls on.

Oh, I do not think I would like it any better than you. That must be very difficult to garden in such extreme weather. I am sure that you know how to handle it but please be careful.

Lol, yes Klahanie, I stay indoors in the air-con for most of the day. The poor garden has to get through it without much help from me, apart from the occasional watering of some of the potted plants.

Can't imagine such hot weather at this time of the year! I certainly wouldn't mind it if the temps were in the low 20sC! At the moment we are in the low "lows" meaning we are hovering around the freezing mark today! We haven't had more than about 4 or 5C max today - that's without adding on the wind chill! Adding that on takes our temps to a couple of degrees BELOW 0C!

Bernieh:

That weather does sound horrid! I hate when it gets that hot here! Our dew points never get quite as high as you have in summer, Thank God!

Do you get a run on at emergency rooms at hospitals for heat exhaustion or other heat-related illnesses, in Townsville?

The last couple of years in August and Sept., especially in 2012. There was a huge surge of people at the hospital emergency rooms in San Diego County and throughout Southern California with heat-related illnesses.

Balcony, actually experiencing a cold Christmas is on my bucket list. It's something I'd love to do at least once in my life, but it's unlikely. First, I'd have to travel a long way from here away from family and friends, and I'd have to have a whole new wardrobe!

Andy, it's definitely the combination of heat and humidity that makes our summers so horrid. Most of the time it's the tourists though that end up in the hospital suffering from heat stroke or dehydration during the Christmas/Summertime. Most locals know to stay out of the sun between 10.00 am and 2.00 pm. Most of us spend those hours inside in the air-con if possible. We also know to drink lots and lots of water.

Yes, many tourist end up many times in the hospitals for sun poisoning. They stay out in the sun too long without sunscreen and end up looking like a lobster (I see it all the time, even in winter). However, sometimes people who live here who don't have a good a/c unit, like mine which doesn't keep the house cool enough still can get heat-related illnesses.

I definitely stay out of the sun from 10 - 6:30 p.m. during summer. Everyone calls me a vampire. Because, I can't tolerate the extreme UV rays.

I'm exactly like you, Andy. I must stay out of the direct sun between morning and evening in the summertime, because of the effect those extreme UV rays have on my skin.

Skin cancer is a big problem here with many of my generation and my parents' generation, because we didn't wear hats or sunscreen. Education has certainly helped in that regard for the younger generations, but skin cancer still remains a huge problem.

I don't think tourists and visitors from down south understand about UV ratings at all.

Yes, it is sad the older generations didn't know the full effects of the Sun's UV rays. At least now we know better...or most people know better, anyway.

Most of summer time here the UV rating is at 13, which is extreme. I think people are crazy when they're the full sun when it's very hot!

Yes our UV rating is usually around 13-14 during the summertime too. Locals are pretty good at staying out of the sun in the hottest part of the day, or covering up with long sleeves and hats and slapping on lots of sunscreen.