75 degrees this morning!! Luscious!! And yesterday got down to 77 — first time it’s been below 79 in a good while, and it is amazing how those couple of degrees make a huge difference in sleeping comfort!!
79 or above, I don’t even want a sheet on me. Just sleep on top of sheet. 77, I feel cool enough for a sheet to be pleasant and maybe even necessary. 75 this morning after last night’s big rain, I actually luxuriated under two layers of sheets!
Our normal nighttime low temperature here this time of year is 74. Nighttime lows this summer have consistently been 79 or above. When nighttime lows stay high (one night this week our low was 82), it’s rough on people, plants, pets, and wildlife. Bodies need a chance to cool down.
My suggestions: Keep as many trees as we can. Plant as many more as we can. Prioritize heat mitigation, not beauty, as a landscaping strategy (and beauty will follow). Minimize new pavement. Avoid allowing bare soil, except small patches for ground-nesting native bees. Catch rainwater during heavy rain periods and distribute it to the earth-sponge during dry periods.