It’s over tomorrow, the heat is over for another year

[LaurieFairyCake]

Firstly I appreciate this is not the same for the rest of the country

but we’ve had it horrific here (London). I’ve never felt so shit in my life as I have for the last 10 weeks. I’ve spent between £250-350 a month on electricity (portable air conditioners). I’ve felt anxious, headachy, it’s FUCKED with my peri menopause (brain fog, no words, cognitive decline). I’ve felt tearful and as if it would go on forever. There are moments where I’ve thought I can’t take another moment of this. My sleep is proper fucked.

this has to change. I’ve done everything on a personsl
level I can. Air conditioners only when necessary, above 26 inside (DH has long Covid so literally throws up in heat). His asthma is exacerbated. The dogs have had the shittest summer. I’ve had a couple of rescues that can’t go out about 22 degrees. I reckon they’ve been walked briefly 3 times a week. We deliberately went away on a cheap caravan holiday twice just so they could smile. There were endless days I couldn’t work as too hot in my home office and clients cancelled.

I cannot wait til Saturday.

I hope for solidarity from others. I want to wear a fucking hoodie again. I’ve spent every day sat around in my underwear inside for vast stretches of the day. This is not sexy.

Salt water is extremely damaging to the soil and seawater is only used in extremis. If saltwater is used on farmland is very difficult to grow crops on that after that. It’s absolutely the last choice and avoided if it all possible. Using it means that crops cannot be grown on the land where it falls. It’s toxic and remains in the soil for a long time. Plants and trees cannot grow on land where seawater has been used and that, in turn, means that the soil loses its integrity and becomes unstable and liable to mudslides. It also conducts electricity which makes it extremely dangerous if used anywhere near powerlines.

It’s absolutely marvellous, the ideas that armchair experts come up with.

Yes, we are an island: I’ll give you that one

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/28/greece-fires-arsonists-extreme-weather

I don’t think they’re wrong at all
There’s been years of warnings about global warming, sfa has been done to attempt to mitigate the impact. Many countries have completely ignored the e, dancing around with their metaphorical fingers in their ears, denying it’s their fault and here we are.
It’s terrifying.
I actually sat here in tears this morning, it’s so humid and hot and I had to go out.
Misery Me x

😁

I can't tell you how much I love this post!!

I'm not sure dumping sea water all over land was the idea

.... but using seawater to cool homes/data centres/buildings/cars down in some way..... Ideas have to start somewhere and I'm sure someone is on to it.....

Indeed. Sadly until China, India, the USA do something drastic about their emissions, we're all stuck with it.

China, which has been emitting almost twice the amount of greenhouse gases as the US since 2006, accounts for approximately 23% of all global CO2 emissions.

I assume they were suggesting investment in desalination plants. (The significant drawback being the power required.)

Heat health alert just extended in London and South east (other areas too) till tmrw night. Not over for us for a number of days yet

Apparently there was a pretty awful heatwave in 1540:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_year-round_heat_and_drought_of_1540_in_Europe

I'm trying to work out if their houses would been cooler back then? Maybe because possibly thicker walls and less windows... The farming situation must have been dire.

Agree, i am in london, and I reckon we wont be done til October 😡💔

Human hand may well be responsible for starting the fire, but the drier environment obviously means that fires have more fuel.

@PlumpHobbit love your post!
This summer is relentless.

Well yes

It's not over. Met Office saying potential for more exceptional hot weather in the south, right into September.

Arson needs to be upgraded as a crime. The devastation that has been caused is unreal. Prison for minimum 15 years might make idiots think twice.

They would also have had a lot more tree cover, no hard surfaces like roads and pavements, more water....all of which would mean an air temperature and 'in the direct sun' temperature while bad would not be what centre of London and other places has been.

Not really over, several days of 27/28C to come. We often have an Indian summer in September. I can live with the heat, sort of, but am desperate for some rain.

I had a house built in 1475 once. I can confirm it was mercifully cool inside downstairs but like an oven up (No roof Insulation to keep heat out-or in on winter).

Met Office Long Range forecast

Wednesday 19 Aug - Friday 28 Aug
The first few days of this period are likely to be rather changeable, with many parts of the UK seeing showers or perhaps some longer spells of rain. Within this broad pattern, there is potential for a low pressure system to develop just to the west or possibly over the UK, which would bring the possibility more widespread rain and perhaps strong winds. By the latter part of August, there are signals for high pressure to become rather more dominant again, with more in the way of dry weather developing once more, especially towards parts of the north and west. Temperatures are more likely to be above normal than below overall, though the possibility of widespread or exceptional heat is perhaps a little lower than in recent weeks.
Updated: 13:00 (UTC+1) on Fri 14 Aug 2026
Saturday 29 Aug - Saturday 12 Sep
As we move into the start of meteorological autumn, signals for the prevailing weather patterns affecting the UK are weak, thus something close to the climatological norm is the current preferred story. This means a broad northwest-southeast split in conditions, with the high becoming centred further to the south than in the latter part of August and with more changeable conditions developing towards the north and northwest. Meanwhile, drier, more settled weather is slightly more likely towards the south and east. Temperatures are again likely to be above average overall, with the potential for late season hot spells or heatwaves, especially in the south.
Updated: 14:00 (UTC+1) on Fri 14 Aug 2026

So climate change is making the country more combustible.

I read that as you had someone build a house for you in 1475 😂

Wow. Yes it has been a very warm summer but this reaction is hyberbolic. This is very normal summer weather in the majority of countries on Earth. British people aren’t biologically incapable of managing temperatures which most of the world has always had for periods of the year, if not higher. Yes, we need to massively improve our building standards for appropriate ventilation and shading etc but your reaction is very extreme. I’d totally understand if you were doing a physical job outside without appropriate adaptions to working hours, but working from home AND with aircon units, you are being a bit silly to make such a fuss.

But let's not 'victim blame' - the root causes of these fires, are these absolute criminals (a nicer word than I have in my head), who are ruining /ending peoples lives, ruining / ending animal's lives etc.

Personally I think it’s ok to not want floods or forest fires. Maybe being too hot or too cold isnt fun?

I think it's quite a stretch to suggest I am victim blaming. I am merely pointing out that climate change means that our countryside is much more vulnerable to things like van fires engulfing large areas (see New Forest).