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?

Now working air con I meant.

If hits the temps expected tomorrow then it will have broken the uk.record so therefore it is hotter than any time you were here before you left.

Do you have Airton?

There has been plenty of occasions when it's been too hot to sleep, we have ducted aircon but generally won't sleep all night with it on because I don't like to. One summer I was on zolodex, a drug from hell and I'd often wake completely soaked to the skin in sweat. But I don't think I ever thought, it's too hot to go into work tomorrow or would cancel plans because of the heat or because my medication made me less tolerant to the heat. It's just the blind panic of it all I can't get my head around. I'm not saying I wouldn't find it hot, I know the houses aren't built for it (like ours for the cold). I often come home at Christmas, which is a shock to the system coming from 30's to freezing, but I just get wrapped up and get on with it I don't refuse to do anything because it's 'too cold'
I've clearly hit a nerve with how rude most people have been!

😁

Some plans have been cancelled as some people can't tolerate this type of heat.

My 9yo was due to dance in her summer concert on Tuesday, should I let her do a 45 minute dance routine on an open field with no shade in 39 degree? No, not hysterical, just sensible.

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
This is the salient bit. They're forecasting high 30s to 40. We're set up for the low and mid range temperatures, not the highest temperatures that you're talking about. If it's minus 10 where you live for 2 days, how would people cope? I'd crank up the heating and break out the thermal socks. I might sleep in a hoodie.

Congratulations OP, on having a complete lack of imagination.

So you have air con but don’t like use it, live in the tropics which is set up for hot weather and has the infrastructure to cope and have acclimatised to all year high temperatures (in comparison to the UK) but think 36-40 degree heat can’t be that hot because it’s the UK.

Good grief, done people really don’t think before they post.

I agree with you but it could go the opposite way. I'm in Scotland and the highest forecast was around 30/31, still hot for here. That was for Monday and Tuesday.
Checked Wednesday this morning to make plans with a friend to take kids out and it said 20. Now showing 31 as I've just checked.

So it could go the opposite way too. People planning for just a couple of days that turns into 4, or 5... then people will really be moaning.

That's my experience too. It's not 40 frequently enough for us to be acclimatised to it (and is often 20 next day) but we still just get on with it.

A few outdoor industries, well unionised, will shut down at 35. There'll be alerts encouraging us to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day and look after the sick and elderly.

I have aircon in some rooms of my house but not all of the bedrooms and not in my car (it broke). I know many who don't have it at all. We manage, as do millions of other healthy and well people.

I am very worried about the elderly though, I've seen frail people go downhill very quickly in the heat.

Now showing 43 where I live for Tuesday and near 30 for Wednesday … the nice storm and rain that was forecast for overnight Tues/Weds has disappeared, too!

. I often come home at Christmas, which is a shock to the system coming from 30's to freezing, but I just get wrapped up and get on with it I don't refuse to do anything because it's 'too cold'

Layering for cold weather is much easier than dressing for heat when you're in work and there may be a dress code or uniform. Not every employment establishment has air con. Schools definitely don't so I can understand why some people are wary of going into work.

If you live in the tropics you don’t have summer and winter.
are you sure you know where you live, OP?

Well, try imagining from your current location (average year round of about 24-28 Celsius compared to the UK average of 14 Celsius during the day - 6 Celsius at night) waking up tomorrow to find it was about 4 Celsius and due to the moisture in the air, you were under eight foot of snow. Do you think that the area might find it difficult to cope with? Do you think that you might feel a little chilly? Do you think that people who have no experience of ever having been in those conditions, whose homes are not designed to cope with it, who were wandering around in leggings and a hoodie or long pyjamas because they were feeling it on an average day that is hotter than the majority of the UK's summer days, might possibly die of hypothermia because they have no way of keeping themselves warm?

That's the difference - from particularly hot to hot enough to cause death over the course of an afternoon, so your experienced equivalent would need to be cold enough to potentially cause death in healthy adults in an equally short space of time.

@theclangersarecoming same here! Saying 40 for Wednesday now when an hour or so ago it was saying 26, Thursday can't come soon enough!

It's 25 degrees here in Sheffield, I have the window open & my fan on & I'm comfortable.

There have been so many threads about this in the last few days about how people live in very hot climates all year. But you're all acclimatised and we're not.

Big difference!

Why are you thinking about it if you don’t even live here? It’s extreme temps for us, some people are liking it, others not. I think being cold and layering up to get warm is much easier than cooling down if you’re hot. I’d much rather be cold because I know I can get myself warm, I haven’t felt cool in the last few days other than when I’m in a cool shower. Why do you feel the need to tell others in another country that they’re wrong and that it can’t be that hot. Weird.

I think you've had some pretty harsh responses, but the tone of your post comes across as smug and judgmental.

I've a couple of things though.

Acclimatisation is a thing. If you've been in the tropics for a while then you'll have adapted.

If you're in the tropics then everything will be better set up for warmer weather unlike in the U.K. it's not just houses, the country as a whole isn't set up for it. Example, last week a section of train track in London sparked last week setting fire to the wooden sleepers.

Looking at houses, they're well insulated so for example the weather app is saying where I am is 21 degrees, but actually the temp in my bedroom is reading 29.2 as I like most people in the uk don't have aircon and are not sleeping well. You say that your houses are not set up for the cold, but that's not really a fair comparison. It's easy to throw a few extra layers on and/or put on the heating. In the absence of aircon we can't cool off by simply stripping off. Even using fans it's just warm air circulating which does t really do much.

Public transport in London for Mon and Tues at least is on a "reduced timetable" which will make it difficult for people to go to work. Even if the tube were at full service, I wouldn't be hopping onto it with temperatures at 38-40degrees outside to meet up with anyone because the reality is that the temperature on the tube will be far hotter than 38-40 degrees as most of the tube also is not air conditioned.

I could go on. It perhaps you see what I'm getting at.

OP, are you Connor Roy by any chance?

I'm Aussie and therefore used to temperatures over 40 and no I don't have air conditioning and I've lived in homes that definitely weren't built for summer weather or winter for that matter. I will admit when I first started seeing threads in here with people worrying that temperatures were going to go up to 40 or even over I did roll my eyes at all the hand wringing then stopped and thought you wouldn't be used to it because as others have said it's about acclimatisation. It reminds me of the time I went to Fiji. I thought I could cope with the heat as we're both hot countries. Nope, ended up with very very bad sunburn and could barely move. So all those eye rolls I did to you all I apologise.

Hmm yes I think PPs have hit it on the head that’s it’s an acclimatisation issue.

I have worked in care and every time there’s a heat wave we get deaths - not expected ones either. High temp you are not acclimatised too can and will kill people.

It happens every summer but the next couple of days seem unprecedented.

It’s not just that our houses are built to hold heat due to insulation in this one moment. They actually hold heat - which sounds silly to reiterate but I am not sure you are understanding. So we have had high 10s and low 20s temps all summer. It’s not been particularly hot. But many peoples homes will be in the high 20s due to exponential growth of many houses being designed to hold heat. We have to cool our homes by opening windows. If outside is hotter this doesn’t work. Some people are going to be living in what truly feels like a cooker.

We also have the issue that everything we have is not designed for 40c heat. No one actually knows what’s going to happen. Will our electric supply short, will all of our black cars spontaneously combust - I jest about the last one but it will happen because some one will have left a lighter in their car. We do not know how to live and behave in this heat. It is going to be interesting to say the least.

😆😆😆

Its only got up to about 30 so far so I don't know why people aren't eating

So.. you're at 24c now.

If you were dumped somewhere that was at 4c...indoors. Would you feel comfortable and happy or do you think you might struggle with a sudden change in temperature from what you're acclimated to?

We're not set up to cope with this heat, next to nowhere has air con, it is only a few weeks since it was nearly 20 degrees lower than it is forecast to be tomorrow (5th July, high recorded as 21c).

There is no way you can acclimate to a 20degree jump in just a couple of weeks.

I am worried because I experience autonomic dysregulation, currently my lymph glands are blocking and my legs are so swollen I can't fully bend knees or ankles, and thats now, tonight where its cool enough that I have turned off the fans and shut the door I sit next to.

Tomorrow I fully expect to have burning hands and feet, hands so swollen I can't make a fist or pick things up... and yeah, I am worried about my dodgy heart, I am trying not to.. but things like death are a bit of a concern.

I suggest you try a bit of empathy and imagination.. we're not all you!