To think people don’t seem to understand how hot it is predicted to be next week?

[Toohot22]

On threads expressing concern re the heat, people keep saying ‘what do you think they do in hotter countries’?

According to my BBC weather app, next Monday and Tuesdays predictions are:

35 in Lahore, Pakistan
32/33 degrees in Miami, Florida
33 and 32 degrees in Kingston, Jamaica
29 degrees in Mali (which is the worlds hottest country, apparently!)
30 in the Maldives
38 and 35 in Spain.

The current predictions for me are 36 and 37 degrees.

AIBU to think some posters don’t realise we are talking about temperatures hotter than some of the hottest countries in the world!?

I have recently returned from a holiday in England and hated the heat there. Couldn't wait to get back to Scotland! It was unbearable at 26C and I stayed indoors because of it. Cannot tolerate hot temperature like that🔥🔥🔥🔥

Well, yes and no. All the things you describe happen, but they happen quite quickly (within a week, or so) so Brits experiencing a heatwave will adapt as well. People who live in hotter countries do not have some magical physiological advantage that Brits don't.

Blood composition doesn't vary with heat, AFAIK - so could PPs saying that blood is thinner in hot climates please link to any evidence, as I would be interested to see it? (genuinely - not being snippy) I think people might be getting confused with altitude, which does affect red blood cells.

I'd loooove to be in Scotland next week! Preferably the north coast.

Insulation means that when heat gets in the house its harder to get it out ....knowing so much I thought you'd have figured that out yourself.

Maybe not everyone has access to AC in their home, but the general communities of warmer climates will be better set up for the heat. When I go on holiday to a warmer climate, most places have AC, its viewed as a necessity by most who can afford it.

I think apart from mine, this is the only other post here that mentions animals.

We can regulate our temps by jumping in the shower, having a swim, laying in the coolest room etc.

Your dogs and other animals need help with this. (I am just going to refer to pets here)

If you have dogs, don't walk them! If you absolutely have to, do it before it gets fully light or after dark.
Put their paws into water, it cools them down
Let them lie on a wrung out wet towel
Put ice into their water bowl
Make sure they have plenty of shade if you have to leave them outside for a bit
Leave them to lie about if that is what they want to do. Please don't be forcing them to be doing training, fetch or whatever because that is what you do T 6pm normally. You know the saying, let sleeping dogs lie. Especially apt during a heatwave.

Don’t forget the homeless too.

Home insulation not only keeps heat inside during winter - it keeps heat out in summer.

From a website about insulation.

The absolute relief I felt as we drove up past the Lakes and over into Abingdon was immense. The air became cooler and less stuffy. So glad to be back into comfortable temperatures where I can venture out without sunscreen or worrying about being too hot. Mid teens is ideal. I feel sorry for everyone in the south.

What's this acclimatising thing? Sounds like a myth to me

It isn’t a myth. When I visit a warm country, I find I can speed up my acclimatisation by deliberately not using air con at home or in the car, if they have it.

The absolute relief I felt as we drove up past the Lakes and over into Abingdon

I don’t think you mean Abingdon. Close though.

Why would you send your child to school if that’s the case? If the teachers are a bit dim about the potential risk of heatstroke, you surely wouldn’t go along with such nonsense?

We’ll be on week 5 of school holidays here so we’ll probably potter to the nearby little beach for a cool down at some point, although our max is about 28°.

I've lived in Australia and mediterranean countries and the difference is we're not geared up for it at all here, plus our humidity levels are insane. It's not the same type of heat. I spend summers in Tirana where it's often 40+ but the houses are designed to be cool, so tiled floors, shady, no insulation, air con and it's a dry heat so as soon as you are inside it's cool. Same in Australia. It's sweltering inside and out in the UK with the humidity, the houses designed to hold the heat and no air con.

I have overactive thyroid and was overheating in January when it was freezing, still overheating now with tons of meds but it's so much worse in hot weather and can trigger thyroid storm which is fatal even with medical attention in 30% of cases. I had thyroid storm in January and ended up spending 4hrs in resus. Heat can and does kill in the uk.

I suspect most of us understand and are sick to the back teeth of talking about it. We can’t fix climate change before Monday, we can only take sensible precautions.

I was chatting to my MIL (from the ME) and she said that she was really suffering in the heat (and joking that on paper she should be fine). She hates being too hot (also hates the damp). She is gearing up for the rise next week.

it's a dry heat so as soon as you are inside it's cool. Same in Australia.

It does rather depend on where in Australia you actually are and what time of year. It’s a big country. Some areas have a high humidity.

Not from where I'm looking.
I live in Newcastle and this is my current forecast (hopefully picture has attached!)

Oh and acclimatising - maybe some people can and some can’t? When I was a kid we used to go away for a month in the summer and it was usually around 40. Cooler evenings sitting outdoors, avoiding the midday heat, cool stone houses with tiled floors… - but I’d be running around in a jumper in the morning (which must’ve been summer temps in Scotland).

Now I hate being somewhere that’s really super hot - my vision goes blurry, I feel really weak and pathetic.

From BBC weather.

Okay I apologise but mine still isn't as drastic as that

It is going to be hot yes, but you have posted the temps of countries on the other side of the world (in winter) as a comparison. These countries will be in low 40's in the summer.

However it doesn't change the fact that we are not used to hot weather here, people will get up, open their windows fully to 'let in the breeze' and fill their homes with 33 deg air from outside. Keep the curtains closed on the windows facing the sun, open windows in the morning when the air outside is cooler than inside, then shut them before it gets warmer.

I’ve posted mine from Newcastle showing 33 for Tuesday. And your own screenshot contradicts what you said anyway which was that it wasn’t going to be over 25 anywhere north of Durham.

Nothing worse than seeing a child in pain with sunburn/sunstroke. Once seen a toddler in a park in just a nappy and sandals. Not sure if she had sunscreen on but they burn so easy.

Hat's most won't wear. I lost so many hats when my kids were little. (Both autism and sensory issues) They were about 6 when they eventually kept one on. I got my daughter a pink straw hat which she actually kept on. She's loved her hat's since.

@LivingDeadGirlUK no I haven’t.

Sorry, but mid 30s temperatures are not that hot. Try living somewhere like Singapore which is on the equator and in the mid 40s a lot of the time or southern India prior to the monsoon which was 45 degrees when I was there and we had no air con but effective ceiling fans. There are simple ways to combat heat, such as having a cold shower before bed and lying down in front of the fan.

But I agree this is absolutely unprecedented for the UK and we should be doing our best to respond by getting rid of climate denying MPs (current Tory hopefuls for example) and voting in a government to deal with global warming.

Ive just seen a map on the news and it's showing 40 for London mon / Tuesday :(