Liepāja climate experts confirm: +8 degrees is the new tropical heat

Liepāja residents today rushed en masse to stores for sunscreen and fans, as meteorologists warn of an approaching heat wave - on Wednesday the air could warm up to an extreme +8 degrees. "I haven't felt such heat since July 1987," says pensioner Mirdza from Karosta. "Already at home I'm wearing only underwear and drinking ice water."

In Riga, of course, this warmth would be considered ordinary, but in Liepāja we know that +8 degrees means you can go outside without three layers of jackets and even leave your gloves at home. Local tram driver Valdis is already planning to turn off the cabin heating: "If it's +8, passengers might even see their breath less than usual."

Unfortunately, this tropical idyll will come with a small catch - western winds in gusts will reach 9-14 meters per second. This means all Liepāja residents can once again enjoy our traditional entertainment - trying to hold doors open when entering a store. "At least this time I won't have to worry about hair styling," notes hairdresser Inta philosophically. "The wind will mess it up in all directions anyway."

While Riga residents complain about +7 degrees as cold, we Liepāja folks are already planning the opening of beach season. Why not - if Jūrmala and Riga will have +7, then in Liepāja with our +8 degrees we'll be Latvia's Hawaiian Islands!