To ask if this scoffing at the concern over the heatwave have changed their minds yet?

[DeadbeatYoda]

Just that really. I've just watched the news. The houses burning, the grass fires, the rail infrastructure buckling. Record temperatures in 29 locations today. Several areas exceeding 40 degrees. Do you still think it's 'hysteria' to take it seriously?

We had fainting kids, nosebleeds, vomit and lots of tears. Secondary school. It's been horrific.

I second that!

Lovely, honest post.

I wasn't really scoffing, but did think 'meh, it's going to be a bit warm'

I have absolutely HATED these two days, like nothing I've ever experienced in this country, and don't wish to repeat!

Absolutely. State of emergency in the East Mids. There will have been excess deaths, fires and other problems. Unfortunately people on keyboards in air conditioned houses/ offices with no health conditions and no visible fires outside their windows seem to think they know it all 🤷‍♀️

East mids as well? its just london on the news so far....from what i've seen

My feelings haven’t changed.

Climate change is a concern.

The lack of suitable infrastructure in the UK for any extremes of weather (we are just as bad with snow!) is a worry.

But a hell of a lot of people on recent weather threads need to get some perspective and stop watching rolling weather news. I felt like I was trapped in a Sun newspaper front page on MN yesterday.

PinkBuffalo, good post.
In the primary school where I work, we've really struggled. The children are limp and exhausted from poor sleep, we're unable to use some classrooms due to the room temperature, no meaningful learning is taking place, tempers are fraught.
Many children aren't coming in, parents reporting all sorts of heat related ailments. I feel so sorry for them.

Why? It’s sadly pretty standard for heatwaves in Europe - especially Spanish and Italian cities , but even Paris - to cause hundreds or thousands of excess deaths. Mostly older people, asthmatics and cardiac patients. Now we are getting weather conditions just as severe so it could easily happen here.

Nothing to do with people “dropping dead in the streets”.

But hot in London/ the south = a national heatwave.

There were photos in a national newspaper on Sunday of people on beaches down south which were captioned as being from '...around the UK'

I don’t think OP is advocating “hysteria”. If anything I thought she was implying we should all redouble our efforts to be more eco.

Personally I intend to Keep Calm, buy an electric car sooner than planned, and then Carry On.

We won't know our figures for some time, but the Portuguese heat-attributable deaths have now passed 1000. That's just one affected country - one that's built for the heat and has a better acclimatised population, and had official warnings/advice in place.

I mean, I know there was a little outbreak of 'race to the bottom' type threads where people seemed hell bent of being the most blinkered toss-pot ever in scoffing at those who took the warnings seriously. And I don't actually expect that sort of poster is ever likely to even realise how stupid they looked them, let alone with hindsight (as chances are they're all right Jack)

But hot in London/ the south = a national heatwave. Grin

Jesus. Some of you enjoy being perverse. Most of England is affected. So most of the population of the UK. You just read on the thread about a state of emergency in the Midlands, assuming you’re reading the thread.

Hysteria is a very misogynist term.

And whilst I agree that posters were going OTT in their scoffing at all the sensible posters who were discussing the climate, the weather and the dangers/mitigations.

But even for them, I think that term is too offensive

Doncaster was one of the hottest places in the country yesterday 😆

I guess it’s unusual for fires to be breaking out in London due to the heat. We are used to moorland fires in the summer here.

TBH, I’ve felt much more uncomfortable in cooler days. I has been 39 degrees here today but there has been a breeze (a very hot breeze) and it’s not been at all humid.
I’ve realised that for me, it’s not the temperature that makes hot weather unbearable for me, it’s the humidity and lack of breeze.

Saying "there's too much hysteria" isn't the same as saying "don't take it seriously". It's the endless hysterical threads from people going over the top about things when they aren't really at risk themselves, or the media posting constant updates, minute by minute, etc. Us being more panicky about the prospect of the heat didn't make any of it better! Being calm and rational and warning people about what to do, and then not reporting every second of every day, not having endless threads about the tiniest details, all might have helped people respond seriously, and then think about what they can do to reduce the chances of future similar events.

That's because it takes time for a) the deaths to be attributed to this heat and b) for the data to be released.

If you actually thought the "thousands of deaths" headlines referred to people literally dropping dead then that's just plain stupid.

Weather station data from today, lots of records broken mainly up the east side of the country; lots of 38-40⁰C. It will feel hotter in the streets away from calibrated weather stations measuring standardised shady conditions.

The predictions for this heat wave have been spot on, over the past 10 days with consistent modelling and stable systems. The problem is the constant grind of sensational media where everything is a crisis and we shut off and don't trust when genuine issues are arising.

This week I've experienced pragmatic adaption to the forecasts. My children's school has been flexible. My fitness classes either shifted to early morning or an alternative day. Some extra-curriculars cancelled. We've prepared the house by covering the outside of the windows to reduce daytime temperatures. The streets have been quiet of vehicles and pedestrians during much of the day.

Temperatures of 30⁰C+ have been more common in the past decade or two and this needs considering in future design for buildings and infrastructure, and some people need to learn how to behave with it sometimes for their comfort, sometimes for the safety of themselves and others.

It is hugely unkind to describe fear as hysteria.

Nobody has been forced to deal with this situation in any way other than the one which suits them.

It’s a perfectly acceptable word.

It is so refreshing to hear someone admit they were surprised and caught out by the heat.
I have been admitting when I am in the wrong for a few years now after my father mentioned how it wrong footed people who were probably expecting a different response.
I love to see people's faces when they struggle for something to say to a person apologising instead of the denial or argument that they were most likely expecting.

UV Index was only 6. In Egypt it was 36 degrees with UV Index of 11. When I went out it didn’t feel too bad.

I love the sun,hate being cold BUT today was far to hot,I actually thought I was going to pass out going to the shop,I was outside no more than 15 minutes.

@ilyx 😂You're so hard!