I’m British so I totally agree

  • brokenlcd@feddit.it
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    4 days ago

    Humidity. Humidity is the difference. The more humid the air is, the more oppressive will the heat feel. From experience, it becomes more and more of a bitch the more you go towards south in europe.

    • Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz
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      4 days ago

      Can confirm. Humidity matters a lot.

      When the sun sets in a desert town, the temperature drops from oppressive 45 °C to tolerable 35 °C. That’s when people take their children to the park, people go shopping etc. The whole town comes to life when it’s only 35 °C. That sort of dry heat is so much more pleasant than humid jungle heat.

  • BananaTrifleViolin@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I’m British and I agree.

    30 degrees is the exception here, not the norm, so we’re not set up for it. For example homes are designed to trap heat with big windows and good insulation because we have mild to cool temperatures most of the time.

    We don’t have air con in most homes and even many work places. Our public transport isn’t designed to be running in 30 degree weather - the Tube in London is stifling.

    And our culture isn’t geared up for hot weather. We don’t have a siesta culture and late night cafe culture. Instead for us it’s normal to be out and busy in the hottest parts of the day.

    So when we get 30 degree weather it’s throws us off - homes are stifling hot, public transport is uncomfortably hot, and we’re out and about in the hottest part of the day because we have work or social plans already set up.

    So yeah, it’s nice to have a hot day but if we have a heat wave and hit 30 it’s in the context of a country not prepared for it.

    Add to that we’re generally not adapted physically to 30 degrees so sweat and feel uncomfortable in a way we’d not be if living in the heat for weeks at a time.

    So yeah it’s a bit of a meme that Brits are not good in the heat, but it’s grounded in the reality of where we live and how.

    • huppakee@feddit.nl
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      4 days ago

      late night cafe culture

      I disagree but since yall are piss drunk at 11 pm I understand you dont remember much

    • Lady Butterfly she/her@reddthat.comOP
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      4 days ago

      Absolutely we’re built to conserve heat not cool down. Infrastructure, housing design, road design etc isn’t built to stay cool. Citizens just aren’t used to it and don’t know how to cope

    • disgrunty@slrpnk.net
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      4 days ago

      For all the reasons described above, this is why I miss my old job because it was blissfully cool during summer. And the work was easy and had minimal human interaction.

      Good times.

  • Pappabosley@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    From travelling through the UK in a former heatwave, my main takeaway was that buildings and infrastructure are not built for the heat. Not even talking about AC, just the passive features of buildings in the UK are about keeping the heat in, understandable given the historic climate, but hard to overhaul.

    • huppakee@feddit.nl
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      4 days ago

      Friendly reminder to take a functioning measurement system with you when traveling in the us