40C - 49C forecast for Europe next week - that is ridiculously hot

[cakeorwine]

‘I’ve never seen heat this bad. It’s not normal’: Italy struggles as temperature tops 40C | Italy | The Guardian

It's scary to think of these temperatures - not at all good for the human body.

I hope people who are going abroad over summer are prepared - or at least aware of how to stay safe in such heat.

@CatsOnTheChair Really? Did you develop this paint? I am very excited about it!

Sit near a fan and spritz yourself with water using a fine spray. It’s very cooling when you don’t have the luxury of air con.

@user9630721458 yes, seriously. Well not sure if it's the exact paint you've seen, but my name is absolutely on a patent for a pigment that can be used in paint, plastic (and ink, but not found a use for that yet!) to reflect additional IR radiation to reduce the internal temperature of buildings (and planes, and greenhouses and and and) to either make life more comfortable or to reduce the electricity demand by reducing the amount of AC required.

It isn’t that temperature in Dubai year round and in summer all workers have to stop between 12.30 and 3pm each day.

The thread is about Europe anyway where people are not used to such high temperatures.

This, plus:
Re-hydrating properly at the end of the day.
Making sure to have some food with salt.
Light coloured, loose clothes.
Avoiding places where there is no shade.

we have to find a better way though, central heating is contributing to global warming hugely

We were in Tuscany ten years ago with similar temperatures and children aged 1, 5 and 7 at the time.
It was ridiculously hot - we were fortunate to have a pool to use but going out anywhere became unbearable. My son got heatstroke and was very unwell, even though we were really careful about staying in the shade / drinking lots of fluids etc.
Hope anyone faced with the same can stay safe and well…

With all due respect, no it won't, its tough as hell. We will be fucked, as will many of the life forms that currently share the Earth with us. The planet will be just fine.

@CatsOnTheChair I am so impressed. What a wonderful thing to have developed and give us all a bit of hope.

I remember being in Majorca in 2010 and it was 42 degrees and in Yugoslavia back in the 1980s and they were having a heatwave in the 40s (I was age 5). I’m just confused as reports suggest it’s not happened before but I thought it’s fairly normal in Europe (top end of normal but still, not totally new). I’m not a climate change denier at all but I think the reports are overly simplistic.

i can’t remember the temperature in Greece when I was a child (80s and 90s) there were lots of forest fires and they had planes scooping sea water to fly to the mountains and drop on the flames.

Absolutely re. Migrant workforce.It's absolutely tragic what happens to some of them.
Worked like virtual slaves with no water and little pay.
It's criminally inhumane.

I think it's the frequency of them both on an annual basis and also the length of days with high temperatures that's an issue.

Yea thank god! We do not want those heatwaves we had last year !!

I’m just confused as reports suggest it’s not happened before

We had temperatures of 46 degrees (in the shade) in Cyprus not that long ago but I think the difference is that this heatwave is so widespread.

This! I see threads on here where people have two and then are like 'I really want a third, shall we try for a third' and everyone is like 'go for it' or people are brining in kids via sperm donor. Like WHAT?!

Say the sun is coming to us please

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind.

Thats why buidings are painted white in hot countries.

We are not fucked yet. Buy things from small, local, sustainable business. Buy second hand or swap. Don't have a car or at least car share. Don't fly. Don't eat meat or dairy, or don't eat it often. Make your home as energy efficient as possible. Have cool showers. Don't throw out food, set up a community fridge. Plant trees. There's so much we can do in terms of lifestyle, the list is huge and you don't have to do it all. Lobby politicians to make changes in your area, support science and environmental groups who are trying to come up with solutions. Invite them to come to talk in your schools and communities. We owe it to all the other life forms and to ourselves to try and not give up.

I'm at my home in Southern Spain, 40deg. It's the humidity which makes it worse not the temp as such. If there's a good breeze off the sea it makes it bearable. And of course aircon.

@Oakbeam I’m so with you… but my office has air conditioning so maybe I’d think differently if it didn’t. I have to take a cardigan on hot days because my office will feel like a fridge.

Just to add - if you or anyone you know is holidaying in the heat- look at whatever medication you need and perhaps take insulated bags that you can put ice packs in and the medication when you go out in the heat. We are doing this for DS1's epipens as it is 40 where we are. It's rarely something I needed to think about in the UK!

I am from Central Europe and we have always had hot weather like this. Cant say how high the temperatures where or how long it usually lasted but it used to be hot every summer. I also remember the very hot weather in Bulgaria and then Yugoslavia. I think the weather is changing more in the UK than it is in mainland Europe.

Im from Lisbon and 40+ heat is not unheard of usually for about a week at a time.

Yesterday it was only 30, which is about average... but with 80% humidity it was truly horrendous!

@Katepilar our seasons do seem to have changed a bit but then they’ve always been unpredictable. It’s wet and miserable at the moment and I’m missing the amazing sun we had in May and June but my mil lives 4 hours away and said their May was wet and June cold (I have a tan and I don’t usually tan!). The news reports just feel exaggerated and misleading. It feels a bit propaganda like.