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!?

Yes we do understand. Just prepare for it and carry on as best you can. Pointless fretting about something you can't control.

A pp asked “What do you expect me to do about it?”
She’s right, what can we do about the heat? The answer is nothing, panicking isn’t going to help, we can’t stop the sun from shining, we can’t alter the infrastructure or house design, all we can do is cope with it. I’ve been to countries with summer temps if 40c, so hot
tarmac melted ( like it did here in 1976 what a summer that was, 6 weeks of it, stand pipes in th streets)
They are geared up for it, work around it,
You close curtains, open windows, wear loose clothing, stay hydrated stay out of the sun.
let’s hope common sense prevails:

But your argument doesn't hold up! The fact it's not currently hotter here than in Lahore or Spain, doesn't mean those countries don't get hotter. Spain in August/September is regularly above 40 degrees, the fact it isn't right now doesn't negate that. They are "hotter countries" overall.

So what do they do in hotter countries? They design their lives in a way to cope with it. Window blinds, siestas (so not outside in the worst heat), ceiling fans, more air con - the answer to the question "how do you think hotter countries cope" is not "they just get on with it", that's the point the posters you refer to aren't getting...

Our head told me that the government guidance was to avoid all vigorous (strenuous?) physical activity if temperature is above 32 so you may want to raise it with the school. Is your area covered by the UKHSA warning?

I would probably be rescinding any permission granted for the hike, and signing her off the bootcamp.

I'm from a hotter country, 40°c+ wouldn't be unusual in some parts, during summer. I don't like the heat at all but survived without too many occasions if thinking "this heat is unbearable", so on the face of it you could say yes, people are being dramatic.
However, that country has air con in pretty much every home, retail and business premises, buses and trains have air con too. Floors are tiled or have lino, houses are built to let heat escape and actual pools in gardens and communal ones for apartment blocks are commonplace.
If the UK had all of that I'd think it was a lot of fuss about nothing, however our housing is geared towards a cold climate and having your own swimming pool is mainly reserved for the wealthy, so I don't blame people for worrying.

Yes, common sense will sort out climate change

There is a middle ground between panicking and burying your head in the sand!

@JustlookingNotbuying I am also concerned for ds who has just started an apprenticeship on a building site and dh who works outside with zero shade.
No one I know takes this seriously and will say things like ‘woohoo, if this is global warming, bring it on!’ - knobheads

I sympathise and share your concern. I was doing demanding physical work outside this morning for 4 hours. Thankfully it was a bit cooler at 24 degrees, tho full sun. It has totally wiped me out. Heat exhaustion.

Coolest time of year in Mali and the Maldives right now so strike those from the comparison list.

The difference, as PPs have stated, is that other countries experience weeks or months at a time of over 30 degrees, and much more extreme humidity for some. We are looking at 2 or 3 days.

Keep well hydrated, keep in the shade, follow advice to keep your body and home as cool as possible, ride it out. I don't know what you suggest the alternative is?

I don't understand this attitude of "other countries manage". People die from the heat in other countries. Heatwaves are the cause of the most weather-related deaths in the US. How many older people died in France during that heatwave a few years ago? A young british couple, their baby and dog, died tragically in California last year when they went hiking in extreme heat.

Acting like "ah it's only a bit of hot weather don't be ridiculous" is ridiculous.

There are far hotter temperatures than those you have quoted.

Yes, it’ll be hot, but it often got to similar temperatures when I was little, and life went on.

I don't know what you suggest the alternative is? No one is suggesting there is an alternative, they are just talking about the fact that a lot of people are in total denial about how far climate change has progressed and that 35+ degrees is in fact a pretty high temperature.

No people really do not understand how hot it is going to be and in true British fashion they are going to be having bbqs with copious amounts of alcohol and not bothering with suncream, shade and hats. Already I have seen posts of people so badly burnt that they are blistering AND LAUGHING about it! Thinking its hilarious and great fun, only it's not so fun when they're getting heatstroke and having to call an ambulance and wondering why its taking 16 hours to come. Its not fun when it's babies having convulsions because they're bodies can't cool down effectively and their parents are not used to dealing with this kind of heat/putting muslin cloths over prams to shade them or giving breastfed babies extra water because they don't know better (not a judgement on those parents this is not information we are given because we don't usually need it!). It's not fun when it's the elderly who often don't have many visitors and don't want to run a fan because it costs money. Other countries are hotter for longer yes, and in those counties the people who live their have grown up with that heat, their routines are often different, their buildings are different and they are aware of the dangers, they recognise the symptoms of heatstroke more easily and know how to prevent it before that happens. The British public are notorious for NOT behaving sensibly in the heat.

YANBU

A lot of hotter countries aren’t set up that much more than the UK and people die.

I currently live somewhere that’s generally a little hotter than the UK but not much. Most people don’t have air conditioning. On days that do reach these sorts of temperatures (which happens every year or two at the moment) the city makes public transport free and encourages the elderly and those who are vulnerable to go to public libraries and other local government buildings, which do have air conditioning. Schools that don’t have air conditioning close. We are also encouraged to check on our neighbours. And social services teams are supposed to check on the people they know are vulnerable. Still, people die from the heat.

I’m not suggesting the world grinds to a halt; people really don’t need to be so arsey about it.

But it’s not just a bit warm either. It’s very, very hot!

Feet in bowls of cold water with ice cubes really helps.

I was heavily pregnant in the months log heat wave of 2003 in Greater London it was exhausting.

Yes quite. There is a percentage of wooden-headed people who dismiss everything though.

@TheGreatBobinsky spot on.

And yes its often hotter elsewhere, but as a poster from Spain said - they get acclimatised. We do not.

Horrendous. My work office isn't air conditioned either 😭

On the plus side we'll all be saving money on our gas bills by having the heating well and truly off! Every cloud. 😀

People giving examples of wandering around places on holiday when it's that hot and surviving - yes, because you were on holiday. You could go sit by the pool, swim, have a rest in a cafe, etc. whenever you wanted.
Sitting in a tutorial, taking an exam, going to work, things that you have to do while actually living in that heat, are wholly unpleasant at times, even with air con. And we were used to it.
British people, on the whole, aren't used to it and schools, colleges and universities don't tend to have air con, I don't suppose every workplace either. Even I would be concerned if I had to go to work during the upcoming very hot days, this country is not equipped to mitigate the effects of such high temperatures.

You think some of these countries are set up for it? You've never spent a summer in Pakistan have you

YABU we understand it’s going to be a potentially record breaking hot day. Thanks.

Which means their bodies are adapted to it and the infrastructure is adapted to hot temperatures.

Our buildings are built for cool-warm damp temperatures and get very cold in winter and very hot in summer.

Met office consider the heat is dangerous to life.

I am really worried about how my tomato plants will cope, I’m away for a couple of days and I fear for my grown from seed babies……..

My mum died in a heatwave. She had terminal lung cancer but the hot weather exacerbated her symptoms and lead to her death. The respiratory ward was as busy as it was during the peak Winter flu period and the end of life care she got was dreadful. They couldn’t even find a CPAP mask to fit her. Hot weather is really bad news for people with lung conditions.

As for other countries, I have colleagues in Florida. They are aware of the heatwave we are having in the U.K. and sympathise because they know we don’t have aircon in our homes. They don’t say, well it’s hot here too!

The NHS is struggling with this latest heatwave. And the reservoirs of England are at record low levels overall.