To be terrified of the coming summer?

[screamingbanshees]

Last year there were 24,000+ heat-related deaths due to the heatwave, and the temperatures here were astronomical. It was the worst summer I've ever experienced, sweating constantly, sticking to every surface, always dehydrated, warm water coming out the cold tap, and sweating as soon as I stepped out of the bath. I also had a very unhappy, sweaty, screamy 1.5 year old!

AIBU to be absolutely dreading this year? Apparently the Met Office has claimed 2023 will have an even hotter summer. I don't know if I can bear it again. DP and I are thinking of booking a holiday just to be somewhere liveable. This is also the first winter I've actually enjoyed because of the relief from the heat.

I’m not sure where you live but I find your post overly dramatic OP. It was very hot for a few days. I live in the south east and my experience was nothing like you describe.

Or West Lancs - no drought ,green grass and only made 39 degrees for 2 days 🙄🤣🤣🤣
mund it hardly stopped raining in January 😀, can’t win them all

I've just got my fingers crossed that we get an early spring - like 2019 without the doom. Are we in the ballpark for the long range forecasts to know yet?

Or 2020 even 😊.

I live in London and although there were a few uncomfortable days, it wasn't that bad. I do prefer late 20's temp than 40's though. I just kept our curtains closed throughout the day, my son had a fan but no other rooms did.

I think people are actually trying to help with suggestions. Theres some really good ones on here. Obviously if someone hates the heat, works from home in their metal home with no outdoor space etc (there is a comment on here about a metal home) then maybe some serious lifestyle changes are needed.

Im sure there are plenty of people in Scotland who can vouch for it not being hot in Summer if people are looking for a cooler area of the UK to live? Its not going to get any colder ever (despite all efforts towards a greener society) so do people really want to spend every year terrified of Summer? It sounds very extreme for what was a few days of really hot weather last year.

I agree with you OP
I'm also dreading a hot Summer. I can't handle hot weather due to a medical condition and it makes me very anxious.
We invested in 2 air con units which are great but they don't help for the whole house. Fab for nighttime though.
I'm an Autumn and Spring person!

Some quite unkind remarks on here about OP needing help and being dramatic.
Not everyone loves or can tolerate hot sun!

I remember it being hot for over a week and my daughters room being 40 degrees at bedtime and fans making hardly any difference. We would shower on coldest setting just to cool down and feel too hot again within 20 minutes.
We have just bought a portable aircon as I'm genuinely concerned and this year we will have a young baby to try to keep a sebsible temperature in the summer.

Well I obviously didn't have the baby sleep on me all day long, but it was a tricky time for him and it was another factor in why I didn't enjoy last summer.

I'm not saying there was no solution I was just using my situation as an example of how everyone's experience of last summer is shaped by lots of things and blanket statements of "it wasn't bad" are just ridiculous because it's dependent on many factors.

And I'm not going to start a WFH discussion but yeah clearly an advantage of the office is Aircon on hot days and free heating on cold days. You weigh these things up don't you. We did a lot of escaping to other people's houses and cafes.

I live in the South. Yes, the heatwave bits were not pleasant but the rest of the summer was OK?

I really hate hot weather. I am fair, and hate the frumpy long sleeved summer clothes I have to wear, but I am still not dreading summer.

If I recall rightly it was only warm from the end of July until end of August and mediocre before then. My holiday in Devon had shit weather. Only really a couple of weeks worth of hot, hot temps. I'm on south coast too.

I am like you OP, except the other way around. When the clocks change in March I already dread them changing in October.

It’s different tolerating something for a weeks (hot summer in the Uk). versus tolerating something for 4 months (cold, short days, lack of light).

It’s also different tolerating something that doesn’t happen that often (high 30s). Versus something that happens without fail every year (winter).

Don't use black out curtains in a heat wave.

Last year there were numerous incidences of black out curtains raising the temperature of the glass so high that it shattered.

It was certainly crazy hot last year and it clearly won’t be the last hot year. We have VERY hot areas in our house - what we do:

• got really good heat reflecting blinds - these are amazing. Best investment ever
• have a daily window/curtains regime - closed from about 9.30am to 9pm, then skylights etc wide to let out heat.
• (annoying this one) - sleep w curtains and windows open til dawn when we got up to close curtains - this makes a massive difference as curtains keep heat in (not great getting up tho)
• as others have said, in the evening point fans at windows not selves
• do everything you can NOT to get hot in the first place - always walk in the shade, use an umbrella, stay indoors, keep your water in the fridge

Wales and Devon had lots of wet miserable days. May and June in Wales gorgeous. By the time the children break up around 19th July it's wet. Ditto Ireland. It's always the same nothing new. I don't know why folks book Devon and Cornwall in the summer holidays

I agree OP.
Not sure where others are posting from but London amd the south east was horrific for weeks. It was never ending and mild weather lasted until October.
I am hoping we don't have another summer like it as it was unbearable. Hoping this year it will just be average temperatures. Will never forget how horrific the summer of 2022 was. I just felt so ill and uncomfortable in it. Really horrible.

Reading the comments it’s Crazy how quick people forget the raging fires 🔥, the dead trees and wildlife and the searing heat causing havoc.

OP you are not alone I live in the south and i love the cold. Last year was horrendous.

I've family in London South East, talking to them from Wales where 29c was our record. I know they went through much more

Wombling around abroad in flip flops, in and out of the pool, sea on holiday. Is not comparable to working, living, sleeping in these temperatures . We're not geared up for it

It was beyond awful.
The figures speak for themselves, it was one of the hottest summers on record.
Hated every second of it. Did everything I could to cool down but nothing worked. Fingers crossed it will be more bearable this year.

I hate the heat but last summer wasn't that bad. It was a few days of very extreme heat, the rest of the season seemed pretty standard to me. The drought conditions bothered me more than the heat.

I love Autumn and Winter and don't look forward to Summer, but I think "terrified" is a bit extreme. We invested in a portable air con unit last year and it was well worth it for creating a comfortable space for DS to sleep during the very hot days and nights. It's much more manageable when you're not being kept awake by a grumpy child.

For context, I'm in the South West so did experience a lot of the very hot weather.

For all those denying it wasn't really a hot summer, I will say it again, look at the figures. You can't deny those.
Some people here have very short memories or are just being obtuse for the sake of it.

@Purplepepsi Which one did you get and is it expensive to run? Please PM me if you're not allowed to post the info on the thread. (Thanks!)

I think the OP knows how she feels?
If she says she is terrified then she is terrified.