To think it can't be that hot?

[Hop27]

I live in the tropics, we have long periods of hot weather. It's winter with us and it's 24 degrees. I'm in bed at the moment with long PJ's on. (At home sick) and will probably spend the day in leggings and a hoodie. Browsing through mumsnet, thread upon thread about how it's too hot to eat, to sleep, people canceling plans because of the heat! Even in the height of our summer (mid to high 30's) I don't think I've ever not made dinner or cancelled plans. AIBU to think it can't be that hot, or have I been away from the British summer for too long?

Alan Sugar has tweeted possibly today's stupid opinion on the weather, in case you were wondering:

Lord Sugar
@Lord_Sugar
The news on all TV channels is all about the heatwave. Emergency proccedures and hints that people should not go into work (as if they need no promting). It seems death of children in Ukraine has taken second place.

It seems to have gone quite windy, rather like a tumble dryer, still 38/39 in East Northants. Silly me forgot to shut the bathroom window and now hot air has blown in and upstairs is 33

"Seen lots of advice to sit inside with the blinds down etc. that's where it gets a bit silly."

I'm in Scotland. I can see the North Sea from my house, spent decades living in the tropics and right now it's 28.5C without a whisper of a breeze. My blinds have been down since yesterday and today I'm sitting in a cool room with a fan. I didn't need the silly advice as I already knew what to do.

MN is not the UK

OP now you've seen the pictures of the fires around London and Kent, do you still think it's exaggerating (and the fires in Spain and France)?

We’ve only just got through a pretty poor spring and summer. Cool and wet. 2 days of high 30’s before it rains again is not a drama

I think it depends where you are in the UK - the weather has been dry and warm (not ridiculously hot) for a month where I am. Certainly not a bad summer at all.

To those saying it's not that hot / people shouldn't need to worry about anything / it's dramatic to treat this differently to a normal hot day... the fire service disagrees.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-62222817.amp

Essex Fire Service says it was called out to 130 incidents during Monday's hot weather.

Among the larger incidents it logged between 08:00 and 23:00 BST were field fires in Braintree, Colchester and Canvey Island.

Incident commander Nick Singleton said it was "probably one of the busiest days of my 30-year career".

He said the dry conditions meant the "smallest ignition source is causing these fires to happen".

He added: "Not only are we having weather-related incidents we've still got the business-as-usual calls from the public who need our help as well... everything is drying out, everything is absolutely tinder dry."

Major incident has been declared by London and Leicestershire fire brigades due to outbreaking fires

Of course but I’m describing the overall trend this year . It also then stands to reason not everywhere in the will be 40 degrees but it’s still reported as a U.K. wide issue.

Its daft to compare our fires to those in France and Portugal that are hot for weeks on end. Ours are in London because people are dim, lazy and careless.

Ours are in London because people are dim, lazy and careless

Well now you have insulted Londoners, what are you going to say about those in Leicestershire where there is an emergency, or West Mids where there has been a huge fire.

Bad fire here in the countryside. People evacuated from their homes.

You really don't know how bad it is in some areas.

lightisnotwhite
You don't know what you are talking about.

Article about the science of why the U.K. is less able to cope with high temperatures, including the definition of the Minimum Mortality Threshold (MMT) for different countries:
news.sky.com/story/uk-heatwave-why-excess-deaths-spike-as-temperatures-rise-and-which-countries-are-best-equipped-12654950?DCMP=ilc-apple_news_story_readmore

Britain is less able to deal with high temperatures compared to many other countries, according to global heat mortality data.

Some have wondered why in other parts of the world, like in the middle-east and Australia, temperatures of 40C (104F) do not warrant similarly high levels of alarm as seen in the UK this week.

But the global picture shows that the UK, like much of northern Europe, is ill-equipped to deal with hot temperatures relative to warmer parts of the world.

It helps explain why researchers are predicting that the current heatwave could lead to almost 1,000 deaths in England and Wales.

[cont at link]

@lightisnotwhite

It also then stands to reason not everywhere in the will be 40 degrees but it’s still reported as a U.K. wide issue.

It's certainly England wide which spans a huge area and isn't explained by your explanation that "ours are in London because people are dim, lazy and careless." They aren't just in London. At all.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/national-trust-met-office-london-fire-brigade-england-hertfordshire-b2126600.html?amp

"Fire crews have battled hundreds of wildfires across the country as temperatures topping 40C transformed fields and grassland into a “tinderbox”. One regional service said the number of open fires could have tripled this week, while the Met Office warned that most of England was at exceptional risk."

It's humid, I live in a city surrounded by skyscrapers and roads that reflect the heat, I'm in a top floor well insulated flat in 40C heat.

It's fucking hot.

England is registered as one of the hottest countries in the world today

that has never happened before and was never expected to happen of course its huge news the whole of the UK is seeing very very high temperatures

all my family abroad who regularly in summer (US and Asia) have temperatures like this are asking how we are coping and are shocked (it’s news in the states and Asia) because they know this county isn’t meant to get such temperatures

as for the fires they are not sure how some have started

Some posters just don’t know when to stop and move from making factually incorrect statements to just plain insults when their flawed arguments are laid bare.

Whats the MN phrase, when someone shows you who they really are.

Well done, I suppose.

I just heard on the news that one of the worst fires started when a fire started in a compost heap in Northamptonshire. Of course some fires are caused by stupidity - eg using a portable barbecue on dry heathland but not all of them are.

This is different from ordinary 'hot spells'. The big difference is that northern England and Scotland places have never had such temperatures as in the last few days.

Some posters don’t know when to stop and move from making hyperbolic statements and over dramatic posts to putting down other posters that know how summer works.
We have hot days at some point every year. We have dry weather at some point every year. Yes it’s temperature beat the record but clearly it was also very hot 3 years ago. And now after 2 days it’s back down.

Yeah, see me love. I post all over this site about lots of things,

I live in Lincs, where my town was subjected to the hottest temp in the UK yesterday. It was extremely 🔥. Thank goodness theres going to be some respite today. It was like a ghost town yesterday, with people having the sense to stay in. Just a shame, there were still dog walkers, unnecessarily putting their pets' lives at risk.

The fires on the news was scary. I found the temperatures ok, until late yesterday afternoon. It was cumulative, and just got too much then. Then it rained, and has continued to rain lightly sporadically. Now 19 degrees. Much better.

The BBC has put up some really good articles recently about the weather and why it's far from a 'normal' summer. There's this for example www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62207466

I found this article particularly concerning www.bbc.co.uk/news/62212604 It compares this summer with the summer of 1976. This one is hotter - less prolonged but hotter. It's also part of a much hotter summer globally whereas 1976 affected mainly France and the UK.

Yes it’s temperature beat the record but clearly it was also very hot 3 years ago. And now after 2 days it’s back down.

You realise that fact that it was hot three years ago is also a problem, yes? Check the Met office for the data. Each year in the last 20 years, the temperature has been at least meeting and often breaking previous records. Pretty much every climate scientist thinks we are seeing climate change and that this is related to human activity. I mean, stick your head in the sand if you want to, but you'll get burned in there.

Tell that to someone who suffered heat exhaustion yesterday I thought I was going to die. 😂 I had to crawl up to bed as I couldn't feel my legs or hands.
England isn't suppose to be a hot country.

@lightisnotwhite

We ALL know how summer works ‘love’. It’s the fact you are idiotic enough to call Londoners lazy and stupid due to fires. Except it wasn’t just in London was it - it’s due to the heat. No one is dramatising it, you just like an argument.

I’m off.