Met office RED WARNING for extreme heat.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

General discussion is www.mumsnet.com/talk/weather/4583720-we-need-to-talk-about-the-weather-and-the-potential-for-extreme-heat but I wanted this to be seen by as many people as possible.
www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2022-07-18

I will be working in restaurant with no air con. With floor to ceiling windows facing directly into sun (and directly above the sea so we get double reflection) We have to wear tights with our double lined skirts and thick (non cotton) shirts. I also have the joy of having to wear a thick synthetic lined waistcoat. Walk 7+ miles a shift. And guests moan about open windows. Dreading it.

I'll be working outdoors in London where it's forecast to be very hot. I'll wear loose clothing, sun cream and a hat and take lots of water. My only worry is getting to and from work because our ridiculous mayor is warning people not to travel and cutting services on TFL. It's not going to be pleasant but it's for a couple of days and we've had very hot weather before. I'm only seeing hysteria on here and in the Daily Mail. Most of us are just going to grin and bear it and get on with it.

Really? Whereabouts? The temp always drops at night?

i am not in the red zone but am forecast for 35 i believe
worried about the drive to work on tuesday

My only worry is getting to and from work because our ridiculous mayor is warning people not to travel and cutting services on TFL.

If fewer people make unnecessary journeys, surely that makes (necessary) travel easier for you?

Thank you for this. It’s helpful. We are forecast 40 degrees in London and I work in a school so we have no air conditioning. It’s very unprecedented for this country. For me my main concern is keeping the children cool at all times. It’s not about learning during those two days but making sure they are keeping hydrated. I’m not quite sure what to expect really. A whole wall of our classrooms are glass so it gets very hot without the increased heat to consider. We shall just have to wait and see I guess!

For those who think there is any comparison between the dry heat of a holiday and the humid heat in the UK, you might want to look at why high wet bulb temperatures kill.
www.theweek.co.uk/climate-change/956848/wet-bulb-heatwaves-explained
When there is too much moisture in the air and humidity is combined with high heat (31C or higher), the body cannot perform one of its primary cooling functions: sweating.
While we do not have those dangerous levels of humidity in the UK, the levels we do have in conjunction with the temperatures we are expecting makes the heat more dangerous than it would be in drier climes as it is sufficient to reduce the sweating-evaporation benefits.
www.theweek.co.uk/news/uk-news/957373/why-do-uk-heatwaves-feel-hotter-than-abroad

When will we hear what the cobra meeting have decided? Anyone know

I work in a school too so share your concern. Trying to keep 30 children cool in this heat is going to be a challenge. At the moment they are only having a 30 min lunch break due to having no shade outside however then they return to a extremely hot classroom. We will cope. We always do don’t we however it’s a concern trying to keep them cool.

Wouldn’t you rather the Mayor encouraged people not to travel unless necessary - so it’s quieter for people like you for whom it is necessary? This seems an odd thing to criticise.

Cyprus summer humidity: 30%
UK summer humidity: 70%

Different ball game altogether.

This works. Best done at night with the lights off. Also put your duvet cover/top sheet in the freezer all day (preferably in a clean bin bag or it might smell a bit of food). Nice cooling effect when you first go to sleep. Works a treat for the kids especially.

my message was meant as a reply to the query about a fan pointing out the window. Just needs doing for a few minutes at a time

A voice of reason! It’s getting quite frustrating hearing people say ‘well other countries cope why can’t we?’ We also aren’t acclimatised to this extreme hot weather like other countries are. Our infrastructure and people are just not used to it. Plus there’s the addition of siestas in other countries, which we don’t be having on Monday and Tuesday! If only! :)

That sounds like actual hell. I reckon most of the guests will cancel...

I’d also like to know what location the bbc is predicting a 33 degree temp overnight? It looks to me like the temp is still around 20 overnight despite 40/41 daytime prediction. I’m also wondering how a temp of 33 can be maintained given its a 2 day heatwave and the big glowing thing in the sky won’t be heating anything up overnight?

Gosh that sounds dreadful for you!

Not sure what sort of ball game it is but those presumably average figures by themselves don't tell us much - for example this evening:

Measured Humidity at Heathrow Airport at 1920 BST was 37%.
Measure humidity at Nicosia (aka Ercan) airport was 58% at about the same time.

Coincidently both airports were reporting a temperature of 27 celsius.

Only a little suggestion but I have quite thick loft insulation so when the heat rises upstairs it stops at the ceiling and just gets hotter - so I open the loft hatch so the heat can escape

Some of these comments are starting to get a bit daft now. Yes, other countries in Europe and elsewhere regularly have much hotter weather than in the UK. But they'll have shutters on the windows, and stone floors, and the houses are painted white. They'll have road surfaces and railway tracks made to different heat tolerances. The local flora and fauna will have adapted over thousands of years to cope with it. Their cats and dogs will have thinner, shorter summer coats. The crops they grow are suited to the climate. In normal years they cope just fine, as do we in our climate.

This isn't a normal year for them, or for us.

So - now we know what the future is beginning to look like.

Once external temp exceeds internal temp, (about 11 am, recently) shut windows and close blinds/curtains/shutters.

Use fans if needed, and avoid upstairs rooms if possible.

Once external temps are below internal temps (about now, here in Welsh Marches, UK)
Open upstairs windows, put an extract fan upstairs pointing out of the window (this draws cool air into the house and blows hot air out)

Keep internal doors open to encourage cool air flow

Im glad I have found this thread. I was told I wad being dramatic on another thread for saying I want to delay the start of my planned holiday in a red area to avoid the worst of the heat but reading this thread I think it is the right decision.

I feel for you all who don't have the option of avoiding the heat. I think everyone who believes it will be just like a nice holiday in Spain will be in for a bit of a shock.

I think this is a typo - I believe it's predicted to drop to only about 23 degrees over night. 33 minimum would be insane!

I'm putting a tray with water under the only shady bush in the front, with a few rocks or something sitting just above the water for bees and other insects.

It will be interesting to see what temperatures are reached over the next few days, especially after all the scare and panic mongering.
It's as if thousands of people going on holiday do not go seeking places where temperatures of 40°C are not regularly exceeded.
It's as if 1976 never happened!