How come when it's 30 degrees abroad it's lovely, but when it's 30 degrees in the uk, it's unbearable?
Posted by Loose_Avocado4670@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 999 comments
When I've been abroad and it's been 30-40 degrees, I can walk around, relax and enjoy the hot weather but when I'm in the UK, and it's this weather, it's a different kind of heat in a way. I'm sweating when I step outside, I can't sleep, and it's just unbearable. If it's the same degree of heat, why is it different?
No_Potato_4341@reddit
30 degrees isn't lovely anywhere. Not abroad or in the UK.
Nicebutdimbo@reddit
It’s just the lack of air conditioning at home.
LakesRed@reddit
Nope, been in the 38C heat in Germany this past week and indoors with absolutely no A/C was perfectly comfortable. That ain't it. It's something about building design
Hoping we can figure it out for our homes as A/C is expensive and feeds into the climate problem that made us want it in the first place.
Nicebutdimbo@reddit
There isn’t anything very complicated about it, it’s just insulation, solar gain and thermal mass.
If you have a big space, which doesn’t get much sun, is well insulated and has a concrete floor it isn’t going to heat up quick.
If you have a small, south facing flat with wooden subfloor and single skin walls, it’s not going to be pleasant.
But either way my point isn’t about that, it’s in most places you visit abroad you go home to air conditioning which helps you cool down. Without it, it becomes worse than the uk, much much worse.
LakesRed@reddit
I just got home from a week in Germany with temps in the 30s the whole time, 38 at one point. The apartment had absolutely NO Aircon and was perfectly comfortable. Your first point about construction and location is correct I think. But I don't think we should be glorifying AC as a solution - it uses insane amounts of energy and contributes to the climate change problem that is bringing us this heat in the first place. Obviously we can't just rebuild every house in England but there has to be ways like reflective outer materials, more insulation etc.
Nicebutdimbo@reddit
What is your definition of perfectly comfortable? I highly doubt it was in low 20’s when the heat outside was that high.
If you use a gas boiler it’s 3x less efficient than air conditioning, and can’t be run off solar power when you need it. Air conditioning is actually a better solution.
LakesRed@reddit
I need to define "comfortable"? Uh. Well, felt like about 25C max, no swearing, and able to think.
No gas boiler here. AC salesman by any chance? Certainly acting like one.
Nicebutdimbo@reddit
No, I just live in a world where cooling buildings below ambient doesn’t really happen passively, not for your average house.
This thread is about why the UK feels hotter, and the answer isn’t because you stayed in a Passivhaus in Germany, because it’s the definition of anecdotal evidence.
Rollover__Hazard@reddit
That’s the point though - no where is nice at 30+ degrees, you escape into the air conditioning where it’s more like 25 or 20.
If you were fine with 30+ degrees, you wouldn’t need air con.
walkwalkwalkwalk@reddit
Agreed. I have a portsble air con the last few years which does an amazingly good job at keeping the entire house cool. I am absolutely fucking loving the heat wave. It's funny because I can tell everyone I interact with is melting and dying and I just feel great and enjoy the sun
BuckfastAndHairballs@reddit
Not all hot countries have air conditioning. It's more that people in the uk are just not used to the heat. Also people in hot countries also complain about the heat, it's not like they're loving to live and work in 30+ degree heat but it literally happens every year.
1kBabyOilBottles@reddit
It is in Australia
Clean_Bat5547@reddit
I like 30. About 27-28 is ideal, but 30 is nice. 35 starts getting a little unpleasant.
Educational-Cry-1707@reddit
It’s lovely when you’re on holiday by the pool drinking cocktails
MentalPlectrum@reddit
30 is tolerable if it's arid AND cools off at night. Both of which you don't get in in this country when it does get hot.
_FreddieLovesDelilah@reddit
Was 29ºc here today. Bloody lovely. Was drenched though haha.
Visible_Statement888@reddit
It’s glorious in Spain, but then you have air con and a pool.
Mavisssss@reddit
When I lived in Thailand people started wearing cardigans at 29.
TimeToNukeTheWhales@reddit
I was loving it in London at the weekend as someone from Northern.
htatla@reddit
Humidity - UK is an Island nation surrounded by water which makes for hot sticky, humid weather vs other countries.
LakesRed@reddit
What is with the Reddit app and 3 day old posts...
Well seeing as I'm here. Been in Germany for a week, outside was a good baking 38C at one point. Inside, literally more comfortable than the house here in England is when it's about 20C. I don't know what makes our houses so keen to trap heat as normally insulation goes both ways.
CaptainLilacBeard@reddit
Humidity
slipperyinit@reddit
This humidity thing is just a myth. UK is humid, because we’re an island surrounded by water. Plenty of hot areas of the world are extremely humid. Look at the Costa del Sol in Spain, Canary Island etc.. UK isn’t special in that regard.
We struggle because our houses are designed to trap in heat, and we have no air-conditioning. And love to complain. I suppose the lack of expectation of hot weather may play a role.. unlike when you go abroad ready and wanting it.
tinkerwell@reddit
Hot countries also don't have grey clouds trapping the humidity down here
slipperyinit@reddit
… plain wrong. Look at Kerala in India. One of probably thousands of exceptions.
tinkerwell@reddit
Fair enough but it's shit all the same
Initial-Reading-2775@reddit
You can do the comparison in UAE: coastal Dubai and Abu Dhabi - unbearable hot and dump. Meanwhile hotter Al Ain in the middle of the desert - just okaish.
bolasaurus@reddit
Strolled outside of the airport in Singapore on a layover and it felt like I'd walked into a wall of soup. I will never complain about humidity in the UK ever again.
PsycommuSystem@reddit
Yeah, I experienced actual humidity when I visited Hong Kong in July, we have nothing in comparison.
XaeiIsareth@reddit
40+ degrees. 90%+ humidity.
Walking outside is like getting water boarded.
Intrepid-Employ-2547@reddit
I went to Florida a few years ago and my hair was wet all the time. It never dried when I walked around Kennedy...crazy
GavUK@reddit
I'd forgotten, but yes, Florida was bad when we went there and visited the space centre(/center). I do think Hong Kong was worse when we visited it, though.
feeb75@reddit
South Carolina and Georgia are bad too, worse than Mumbai for heat.
BlueLighning@reddit
It's horrid. I live in the same climate and it's like walking into a sauna everytime. Unless I'm on the beach I generally stay inside
Tuxhorn@reddit
That temp and humidity is legit close or already at 'humans will literally die unless actively cooled' level.
I_always_rated_them@reddit
It was something like 45c and 95% humidity when I was in Cambodia about a decade ago, legit felt like a survival mode kicked in, it was tortuous, push yourself too far and we would just instantly drain of any energy. Points we were just jumping from patch of shade to patch of shade.
Also when arriving at the airport remember someones shoes had rubber that started clearly sticking to the concrete while they were waiting in the sun for a ride.
unaubisque@reddit
It can't have been that much. 40-45c with 95% humifity would be by far the hottest wet bulb temperature ever recorded. 30C and 95% humidiy or 40C and about 70% are possible.
I_always_rated_them@reddit
yeah sure maybe, it was a long time ago. Either way fucking griim
Glittering-Sink9930@reddit
It's actually higher than the highest ever wet bulb temperature ever recorded, so it's probably extremely exaggerated.
40 degrees and 90% humidity gives a wet bulb temperature of 38.47. The highest ever recorded was 36.3.
XaeiIsareth@reddit
Yes, which is why no one stays outside for long in HK in the summer.
Last time I went in the summer like 10 years ago, it was manageable because shops close late and every shop was blasting AC.
Glittering-Sink9930@reddit
You are heavily exaggerating.
40 degrees and 90% humidity gives a wet bulb temperature of 38.47. The highest ever recorded anywhere in the world is 36.3.
With that temperature and humidity, you'd be dead within minutes.
ZiggehZiggeh@reddit
Absolutely nuts isn't it?
I was walking up one of those stairwells trying to find a shop in the mess of apartments and almost passed out. It must have been about 50 in that fucking stairwell.
Top_Research_8570@reddit
thank you for "wall of soup". i've tried to describe that sensation before but never had the right words until now
BG3restart@reddit
I went to Bali for the first time in March and by the time I walked from my air conditioned room to the hotel restaurant, I needed another shower.
GiraffePlastic2394@reddit
Worth it though. Bali is just paradise!
BG3restart@reddit
I was only there for 3 days on a stopover from New Zealand and didn't really see anything because I had stitches in my knee and couldn't bend my leg to get in a taxi to go anywhere. Maybe another time if I go that way again.
GiraffePlastic2394@reddit
I hope you get the chance.
corcyra@reddit
We're not used to feeling wet, so it's really uncomfortable. One can get used to it, though.
BG3restart@reddit
True. My sister lived in Malaysia for four years, but she was happy to get back to the UK's seasons.
GiraffePlastic2394@reddit
Yes, i remember it well!
Harry-Jotter@reddit
Yeah I stayed in Kuala Lumpur for a couple of days on a layover. Barely left the hotel.
ArcticNano@reddit
Yeah people who complain about the humidity in the UK have never been to somewhere where it's actually humid and hot.
RedDotLot@reddit
True, but if you're not used to it it can still be really unpleasant.
AutisticTumourGirl@reddit
I grew up in the southern US with typical summer days of 35+ and 80%+ humidity.
I've been here for 6 years and can say that it's definitely humid af. Literally, my clothes in my drawers feel damp right now when I pull them out.
The big difference is that there is usually a pretty good wind going here as opposed to where I grew up with typical wind speeds of 3-6mph during all that heat and humidity. Heat + humidity + still air = a hot sticky mess. The heat wave right now sucks so bad because it's 72% humidity and there's not even a hint of a breeze.
Sinister_Grape@reddit
We travelled the length of Vietnam and I still found it easier than here, maybe the 20p beers helped our mood though
Financial_Way1925@reddit
It's typically 90-100% where I live.
Currently it's 88% and set to rise quickly over the next few hours.
In Singapore it's 79%, which is a lot hifher than i expected tbh.
It's incredibly rare that anywhere near the equator is as humid as here.
100% humidity is hostile to human life at 35°c
ses2392@reddit
What 😂 it’s 45% today in the UK where I am. You do realise the UK’s humidity decreases when the temperature increases? In Winter when it’s cold it is very humid, but in summer it doesn’t compare to SE Asia or anywhere near the equator
Financial_Way1925@reddit
We both know how humidity works, no point in being condescending.
Sea + wind makes sure humidity stays high here.
pantherclipper@reddit
Conversely, I’ve spent an entire summer in Las Vegas, where the days could peak at 49 C regularly. And even then, me and my friends were out in the park playing soccer no problem. The desert just wicks away sweat to a point where you just don’t feel the heat… until you run out of water bottles.
LOBSTRLUVR65@reddit
i'm from singapore, most nights i could sleep with a blanket. here in the UK i've just finished folding clothes for 10 mins and im positively drenched. humidity isnt the factor, it really is just the infrastructure.
spidertattootim@reddit
From my brief experience I'm fairly certain southern Vietnam is not particularly different to the more hospitable regions of Venus.
Honest_lamentations@reddit
None of Venus is hospitable (464°c) even at night the thick atmosphere allows very little heat to escape the surface.
spidertattootim@reddit
Mmhmm, thanks for that.
🤪
OmegaPoint6@reddit
Slightly less clouds of deadly acid in Ho Chi Minh, but much worse traffic
Sinister_Grape@reddit
You can get used to the scooters quite quickly tbh but the scooters + cars + tour buses is where it gets sketchy.
OmegaPoint6@reddit
Dodging scooters when on the pavement was the hardest thing. Apart from the unbelievable heat
Sinister_Grape@reddit
I remember we did the Cu Chi tunnels and I was walking around pretty much fine until at some point I just realised every item of clothing I was wearing was drenched with sweat. Absolutely lovely country though, albeit somewhat sticky.
OmegaPoint6@reddit
Apart form arrival day, when I stepped out of the airport into a wall of fire, I was able to spend the actual day time inside an air conditioned office. So only needed to put up with the early morning an evening/night heat.
leoinclapham@reddit
I really did not like the humidity of Ho Chi Minh. Hanoi was much nicer
Sinister_Grape@reddit
Somewhat easier to breathe in HCMC though.
thetruthisoutthere@reddit
Sri Lanka for me. And most places do not have air con!
Zavodskoy@reddit
Was meant to stay with my grandparents once but couldn't because they were sick, ended up tagging along with my sisters on our parents anniversary to Florida in early July
Walking outside and the air feeling like soup is such a perfect description, 40C and near 100% humidity is horrible
Glittering-Sink9930@reddit
It has never been 40C and near 100% humidity anywhere in the world.
The highest wet bulb temperature ever recorded is 36.3. 40 degrees and 95% humidity would give a wet bulb temperature of 39.32.
Smooth-Bowler-9216@reddit
This.
Singapore and Florida were the two places where I realised UK humidity really is nothing.
GavUK@reddit
I visited Hong Kong and it was the same. My girlfriend who dislikes heat anyway barely wanted to go outside at all and the cleaners were shocked how cool she set the apartment we stayed in (even I was wearing a jumper inside).
Sidearms4raisins@reddit
Couldn't agree more. The UK does have humid heat but it's nothing compared to the 30 degrees every day where the air is basically liquid in Jakarta
ZiggehZiggeh@reddit
Yeah Singapore and Hong Kong are fucking insane.
Davski88@reddit
Did this in 2006. It was like trying to breath treacle.
Track_2@reddit
Nah, it's 100% the humidity, same reason when it's -10 but really dry, you don't feel that cold as long as you've no skin exposed
detailsubset@reddit
Humidity is around 45% for most of the hot parts country today. That's not even remotely humid.
Track_2@reddit
It’s 71% in my kitchen right now, it’s humidity that’s responsible for the discomfit, when it’s not humid, it feels much cooler inside and you can escape if easier
detailsubset@reddit
Right now, as in nighttime? When the humidity naturally increases, not during the heat of the day, when it was 30c and 40% outside? Because that's pretty normal, it's what happens at night...
Track_2@reddit
Not sure what’s happening in terms of the measuring but it’s the humidity, end of. When we get a heatwave, you usually get the first day being relatively fresh and hot, deep blue sky etc… by day 3 you can barely see the sun even though the forecast hasn’t changed, it’s hazy and horribly humid, then we get a thunder storm.
It happened the other week, I was off during the start of a heatwave, first day I was out walking in the hills, the next day, same temps, unbearable and couldn’t move without sweating.
detailsubset@reddit
It's nice to know you're better informed than every single meteorologist in the country. It really must be the humidity. Definitely. For sure.
Track_2@reddit
You can be as sarcastic as you like but it’s a fact, humidity is one of the main reasons why it’s this way during heatwaves
detailsubset@reddit
Except that's it's not humid in the areas experiencing the heatwave, during the heat of the day. The data doesn't lie, regardless of your personal feelings. If you want to claim it's humid, present some evidence. Obstinate conjecture is just foolishness.
Track_2@reddit
I have more, where have you gone?
"Yes, England tends to be more humid than many other European cities, especially during heatwaves. This is largely due to the UK's proximity to the ocean and the prevailing south-westerly winds that bring moist sea air inland, according to BBC Science Focus Magazine. The higher humidity makes it harder for the body to cool down through evaporation, making UK heatwaves feel more oppressive than the same temperatures in drier climates, according to The Week. "
detailsubset@reddit
You're not providing any valuable data. Pointing out that it's humid at night in northern Europe and dry in Southern Europe is simply dumb, of course it gets humid at night in northern Europe, that was never in doubt, it has no relevance to the topic. Night time humidity has no bearing on humidity during the heat of the day.
Just because Britain is generally more humid than other places in Europe does nothing to change that fact that it wasn't humid during the heatwave. It was between 30 and 50% in the areas affected by the heatwave. This is backed up properly recorded, official data.
Provide some data showing that the measurements taken by met office and all the other weather services, are wrong. So far you have utterly failed to do so.
If you're going to continue throwing out pointless anecdotes and general climate information, as you currently are, then your conversation has less than no value. Do better.
Track_2@reddit
I've already provided the below, taken from Met office data
"Athens and other cities are currently experiencing a heatwave, It was 36% humidity at 1am on Monday morning there and it was 81% in London at the same time.
MIlan was 66%
Berlin 56%"
The UK tends to be more humid than many holiday destinations, so it feel more uncomfortable when it's hot here
BBC Science Focus literally backs up what I'm saying, not sure why you're talking about 'pointless anecdotes and general climate information'
"Despite sharing the same blazing sun and rising global temperatures, the heat in the UK seems to hit differently, leaving many to wonder if there’s more to it than just degrees on a thermometer.
Still, most of the world sees the British heat, topping out around the 30°C mark, as almost quaint – especially in the face of climate change-induced wildfires that can ravage much of the US and Europe. But there's more to the story.
Before dismissing it as typical British moaning, heed our warning: according to science, it is far worse when you get it here."
https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/yes-even-a-mild-uk-heatwave-feels-much-worse-than-in-the-us-heres-why
detailsubset@reddit
None of that data has any bearing on the fact that the humidity during the heat of the day was between 30 and 50% in the areas affected by the heat wave during the heat of the day. You're arguing in bad faith. Night time humidity is irrelevant. The humidity in the rest of Europe is irrelevant. Generalisations about the climate in the UK are irrelevant.
The only relevant data is the humidity between 1200 and 2000, the time of day when it's actually hot. Anything outside this time frame is meaningless. Show that it was humid during the heat of the day, not at night when it's cool.
Track_2@reddit
it was more humid in London between 1200 and 2000, than any other city I've checked
detailsubset@reddit
On both 30/6 and 1/7 humidity in London between 1200 and 2000 stayed around 40% +-5%. Anything below 30% is considered low humidity, London was very dry.
Track_2@reddit
"Anything below 30% is considered low humidity" right and London was 40%, Athens was 25%, like I say, it's more uncomfortable in this country than others during heatwaves, due it being more humid when it's hot.
No idea why you're still trying to say I'm wrong, when there are many expert sources saying the same thing
detailsubset@reddit
You've been trying to argue that the heat in the UK has been bad because it's been humid. Don't try to change try to change your argument now, you started out trying to argue it was 71% humidity and the official measurements were wrong. If you're going to resort to fallacies try a different one.
Fact is humidity in the UK hasn't been high. Athens was less humid because was hotter for longer and is irrelevant to to humidity in the UK.
Track_2@reddit
On your way pal, my work here is done
detailsubset@reddit
What exactly do you think you've done? Provide useless data then run away when you couldn't find anything meaningful? Good job.
Track_2@reddit
Athens and other cities are currently experiencing a heatwave, It was 36% humidity at 1am on Monday morning there and it was 81% in London at the same time.
MIlan was 66%
Berlin 56%
Massive_Resource2887@reddit
It’s 91% in the north of Scotland today was 95% earlier in the day. It was just sticky and damp feeling all day.
BerryConsistent3265@reddit
Grew up in the northeastern US where it generally gets colder than it does here. When I went back to visit over Christmas I was struck by how much more comfortable the cold felt over there than over here. It’s drier and considerably less windy! Also there tends to be more sun in the winter there too which helps. The summer can be really hot, but you expect it and most places have AC (including schools). It’s generally not as humid either, although it does happen sometimes. The heat is so miserable here.
barnacle_ballsack@reddit
30 Vancouver is not the same as 30 in Toronto.
30 in Vancouver is dry and at most feels like 33.
30 in Toronto with humidity feels like 40.
Humidity matters.
Aggravating-Method24@reddit
Neither England nor the Costa del sol are normally particularly humid (I don't know England right now I am not there, maybe it is) I now live in Japan which is humid, it has nothing to do with being close to the ocean
Temperance_Lee@reddit
Explain why outside feels like shit then.
Available-Ear7374@reddit
I would not describe it as "UK houses are designed to trap heat". Rather I'd say "UK houses are not designed to keep heat out".
We have a 250year old house, with deep eves and it's aligned north-south. So it keeps the heat out in summer. It's currently 30C outside and 24C indoors. That same north-south arrangement means in winter we get a load of solar gain, it can be 0C outside yet inside it's over 10C with no heating on.
If your home is aligned East-West, then on a summers morning you get full sun deep into the house, which warms it up, then there's no where for the heat to go, until the afternoon when the west side gets full sun and heats up some more. In winter the sun only reaches a few degrees above the southern horizon, and the full south elevation of the house traps a load of heat.
corcyra@reddit
Cross drafts help too. Air is never completely still, so having a window open on one side of a house and another window open on the other side, will cool a place even if it's hot out. Or, rather, the air movement will cool you.
Available-Ear7374@reddit
Cross drafts can only keep the building AT external temperatures.
To keep a building below external temperatures you have to keep the sun out and the windows closed while it's warmer outside.
As soon as it's cooler outside you need to open all the windows to get rid of the heat build up.
Sweaty-Peanut1@reddit
Unless you live in a flat with only two windows and both of them are on the same side….
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
Direct a fan at one of the open windows to help create a larger current of cooling air
GavUK@reddit
Which doesn't work that well when the window upstairs on one side of the house are all small - in our case particularly the one at the top of the stairs, which is rather narrow. Also today the air outside has been hot since mid-morning whichever side of the house, so we've been better off keeping all the doors and windows and curtains shut, and turning on the aircon when we are in a room with one.
DaenerysTartGuardian@reddit
Yes. We have a very well insulated new build house that's south facing. We close all the windows and blinds once it's hotter outside than inside, and we have some shade fabric we put up to shade the south facing side as well. It can be 35C outside and still 27C inside, if you stick a fan on to move the air around it feels fine.
mrsrsp@reddit
What shade fabric are you using? I live in a flat with all windows on one side, and the heat is unbearable.
DaenerysTartGuardian@reddit
In a flat it might be difficult, it's just some cheapo black fabric with little holes in that my partner bought. We put up a couple of rings on the house, one on the garage, and one on the fence to have places to attach it.
Conscious_Leading_52@reddit
Those places still aren't as humid, it's not just to do with the sea, there are many other factors. Benidorm for example is currently 40% humidity, Dubai is 35%, whereas many places in the southeast UK currently are 70%. Our air in general is more damp.
30°C (high in Benidorm today) with 40% humidity feel like 31-32°C. 30°C with 70% humidity, the feels like temp is closer to 40°C. Even more extreme, 35°C with 70% humidity and you're touching a feels like of 50°C
gnufan@reddit
The main component of heat stress is wet bulb temperature. The wet bulb temperature in Norwich is currently (8am July 1), 19C, on the Costa Del Sol, Andalusia (strictly Estepona), it is 10C (although nearby spots have 17C, e.g. Marbella).
This is effectively the lowest temperature sweating (in the shade) will get you to. So whilst the Costa Del Sol will be a lot hotter today, Norwich will be more unpleasant temperature-wise.
Whilst it isn't strictly how relative humidity is defined, I think it would be splitting hairs to not blame humidity in casual speech.
Tree cover from mixed woodland mitigates it nicely, let the trees sweat (transpire) so you don't have to waste the energy doing it yourself.
Educational-Cry-1707@reddit
But then why is it warm outside? I swear yesterday I went outside the thermometer said 21 degrees but felt like at least 28-30 and very humid
Limp_Ganache2983@reddit
I disagree. I work in the Middle East, and in the summer it can get to over 50°C with 100% humidity. I know what hot and shitty feels like. It was 47°C yesterday,with low humidity (19%)and it felt like working on the surface of the sun. Where I live in Scotland we regularly get humidity in the high 90’s. 30°C in Dundee is less comfortable than 47 with low humidity and a bit of a breeze.
Robynsxx@reddit
Your second point literally results in increased humidity.
You played yourself.
deep8787@reddit
We struggle because our houses are designed to trap in heat, and we have no air-conditioning
Insulation is meant to work both ways if done properly. It will keep the heat inside in the winter and then it should also keep the heat out in the summer.
BiscuitBarrel179@reddit
On paper, you are correct, but as soon as you open a door, window, or curtains you are allowing heat in and once it's in it isn't going to get out again. When it's hot weather not many folks want to spend all day inside, or outside and when you have a family exterior doors are opened and closed many, many times a day.
StefaniStar@reddit
I've been to the Costa del sol plenty as my grandparents lived there and the humidity can be similar but in general isn't nearly as bad and much more breezy so more bareable. Do you have stats to backup your claim?
joined_under_duress@reddit
OP literally said "when I step outside"
Humidity is a thing. Compare a 30C day in Brisbane with a 30C day in Melbourne. Melbourne is a much dryer climate.
I should point out both days are absolutely insanely unbearable and I have no idea where the OP is holudaying where it's 30C, feels like 30 and they're just chilling outside with sweating cobs.
Fit_Peanut_8801@reddit
Yeah, I experienced a 43-degree day in Melbourne and it was nowhere near as unbearable as much lower temperatures in Korean summer.
Mavisssss@reddit
30 is not even considered hot in Brisbane.
joined_under_duress@reddit
Well sure, it gets much hotter. But equally people don't just walk outside in it feeling easy and not sweating like balls in a sauna!
Glittering-Sink9930@reddit
I was in Brisbane this winter (this summer). Everyone gets up as the sun rises at 5am.
I went for a run at 6am. The beach was completely packed. On my way back at about 7:30am, it was completely dead. It was literally just me and a couple of other English idiots.
joined_under_duress@reddit
Yeah running at 5.30is the only option when I visit my inlaws and I'm always a chunk slower than in cooler temps
Fit_Peanut_8801@reddit
As someone who suffers through Korean summers every year, the humidity thing is absolutely not a myth! 85-95% humitidy can even make weather below 30 pretty unbearable, especially if it's also sunny on top of that. The air feels slimy.
UK summers are not that humid in comparison. But you are right about the lack of aircon. It means there is no relief from the heat.
XihuanNi-6784@reddit
No it's not a myth. Yes, many other places are just as humid, but a lot of other places aren't.
Recent_Schedule_6819@reddit
that's bollocks.
Humidity has everything to do with feeling uncomfortable.
decisiontoohard@reddit
Our houses are designed to insulate; that means reducing the amount the outdoor temperature affects the indoor temperature. A thermos can be chilled to keep a drink cold, or heated to keep it hot: insulation is insulation. I've lived in a lot of old English houses that were delightfully cool on the inside like a giant pantry in Summer, but I've also lived in a lot of houses with dreadful insulation.
I grew up in the Canary Islands, Tenerife, the heat COULD be swelteringly oppressive like it has been here today, but a lot of it depended on the breeze and humidity in the region/day. It actually has the highest concentration of microclimates in the world, so you can't exactly paint it with one brush.
Acclimating makes a difference. Barometric pressure makes a difference for a lot of people. The lifestyle, clothing, architecture (by which I don't mean insulation or air con, I also mean green spaces and secluded spaces and water features and wind tunnels and heat sinks and shaded walkways etc), diet, can make a difference.
But being able/unable to sweat effectively makes a big difference too, to everyone.
MarrV@reddit
Canary Islands often have a breeze, which makes the heat less noticeable.
The UK, when we have these heat waves tends to be rather still. Which makes a big difference.
But mostly our houses are not built for this.
FlightSimmerUK@reddit
There are gusts of 30mph here today and it’s been considerably breezy for weeks.
MarrV@reddit
And the breeze makes the heat more bearable.
I don't see the point of your comment tbh mate.
FlightSimmerUK@reddit
Because it’s breezy as fuck and still unbearable, hence OPs question.
MarrV@reddit
We have different feelings on the matter then
idontessaygood@reddit
Not only that but British people don’t know how to manage their houses in hot weather. Really exacerbating the issue of how our houses are designed.
My siblings insist on opening the windows when it’s hot out then closing them up at night to “keep the bugs out”. The exact opposite of what one should do.
sheepandcowdung@reddit
I'm sorry but I'm not sure you are correct here, humidity is a huge factor, the Costa del sol for example, tomorrow at 1200 32c and 32% humidity. Gran Canaria 33c 32% humidity. Today at my house was 27c and 65% humidity. High humidity makes it more difficult for the body to loose heat via evaporation. Sure there are other places with high humidity, but your examples do not work in this case.
sayleanenlarge@reddit
It's not that I love to complain. It's that it's fucking hot and I can't cool down. It's oppressive.
EasternFly2210@reddit
And you’re not on holiday
Wonderful_Falcon_318@reddit
The Costa del Sol is on the Med and gets dry hot air from North Africa. The UK is in the path of prevailing Atlantic south westerlies, which is why it is humid in the winter with all that air travelling thousands of miles across the ocean. Totally different.
New_Libran@reddit
Yeah, UK is not even particularly humid. I grew up in a tropical country half covered in rain forest, boy, the weather is something else.
frafeeccino@reddit
It’s not even generally that humid here when it’s hot! Like 30-40%. Sometimes lower. When it’s over 30°C it tends to be quite dry. It’s the 26°C humidity that’ll kill ya
No-Ferret-560@reddit
Two things can be true at once. Look at the weather forecast yourself. Somewhere like Benidorm has humidity around 45% in the daytime and 60% at night. I'm in the Midlands and it's 50% in the daytime but over 80% at night. The Canary islands are exceptionally dry and arid compared to the UK. It's almost always a dry heat there.
Beeswing77@reddit
Spot on. The wind often blows off the Sahara to the Canaries, which I hear can be little less than humid.
Meridellian@reddit
The other big reason is our high latitude. We get much longer days than almost any other country with equivalent temperatures, so we never get a break.
Specialist-Mud-6650@reddit
I suspect a big part is heat tolerance.
Takes quite a while to build up your tolerance, both psychologically and physically. Weeks, even.
When you have the slow but consistent climb of a Spanish spring it's different to the random swings of 12 to 30 overnight that we get.
Stoppit_TidyUp@reddit
I’m from the UK, live in California. I flew to London for work last week and it was FAR worse in the UK at the same temperature. I almost never sweat in CA, and I was drenched in London. It’s not tolerance.
Specialist-Mud-6650@reddit
Was it more humid?
Tacticus1@reddit
CA doesn’t really have humidity though.
pockets3d@reddit
You don't build much gradual tolerance on the 4 hours to Tenerife though which is what the OP is saying.
PositivePerfect5632@reddit
England is a pretty damp place to begin with so it really didn’t help it definitely brings the humidity out
Honey-Badger@reddit
London has 84% humidity today, Costa del sol has 37%.
detailsubset@reddit
Maybe at 4am. It's currently in the 40's, like most of the south, which is on the lower end of what's considered ideal.
FlightSimmerUK@reddit
London has 30-40% humidity right now.
ajv900@reddit
Except Costa de Sol does have much lower humidity levels than the UK. The canaries are a bit closer to UK levels, but anyone who visits is right on the ocean with a breeze, not in a city. It’s not a myth at all. UK heat feels more like SE Asia heat to me, rather than Mediterranean heat, which feels much dryer.
demonicneon@reddit
Yeah try going to a seaside town in the uk in the heat. Way more bearable than a city because of the sea breeze.
waste-of-ass000@reddit
you mean places where you can go to the beach and have a breeze form the sea / ocean?
94cg@reddit
I moved to Montreal and can assure you the UK doesn’t know humidity!
Our summer temperatures only make sense if you look at the humidex, which takes the humidity into account, e.g last week it was 33 FEELS LIKE 44.
11 degrees of humidity! The wind was hot and wet, like a hair dryer in a steam room.
Honey-Badger@reddit
Yeah but that was also a very very rare occurrence, last summer in Montreal was nothing like that and today is pretty chilly.
Everyone in Montreal was talking about how they were a second away from dying last week, much like we do in the UK when it's very hot
94cg@reddit
Today is chilly? It maxes out at 30 feels like 36!
MortimerDongle@reddit
I think it's a ventilation issue more than anything. With the layouts of most UK houses it's difficult to get a good breeze flowing through, so the house doesn't cool down much at night even if you leave all the windows wide open. They just aren't built for it.
CrazyMike419@reddit
But it isn't. Its a documented scientific fact. We cool ourselves using sweat and evaporation. At higher humidity, this is less effective.
This isn't just a UK thing. In the canaries, the humidity also makes higher temperatures oppressive.
I've experienced near 50c in the sarhara and found it far more comfortable than 35c in tenerife. The difference was humidity.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2025/humidity-and-how-it-affects-health "Humidity directly influences our body’s ability to regulate temperature. In hot and humid conditions, sweat does not evaporate efficiently, making it harder for the body to cool down. This can lead to heat stress, dehydration, and in severe cases, heatstroke or cardiovascular complications. Vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, children, and those with pre-existing health conditions, are particularly at risk."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938424002014 "High humidity affects the evaporation of water from the skin, mucosa, and respiratory tract [[9], [10], [11], [12]]. In addition, heat loss is affected by the evaporation. Therefore, higher humidity in warm and hot environments suppresses heat loss from the body. These processes can affect the body's heat balance, leading to increased body temperature and thermal perception"
MortimerDongle@reddit
The myth is that the UK is uniquely humid. It isn't, on a global level it's probably closer to the median than the extreme. But many people will compare the heat to their holiday in a dry part of the Med
scrotal-massage@reddit
Can't speak for the Costa del Sol, but the Canaries are nowhere near as muggy as the UK. Inside or outside, the Canaries have a drier heat than what we've got going on right now.
TawnyTeaTowel@reddit
“…houses…air conditioning…”
Which might make sense if it also wasn’t different outside too.
bedhed69@reddit
Funny/embarrassing, story. Went on a break with my then GF a few years ago to Sheffield for a Peaks walking holiday. Hotel room nice but there was an annoyingly bright keypad next to the bed that kept us awake and a loud humming noise outside of the window. What did we do? Put some paper over the keypad and closed the window to keep the noise out. Boiling, fucking sweltering. Only the on the last night did we realise that the noise was the air-conditioning units on the roof and the bright keypad was... well I'm sure you can guess. Felt like absolute goons but had a laugh about it
BocaSeniorsWsM@reddit
I was in Tunisia a few weeks back. Mid-30's every day. I sweated/swat a little, but not overly so.
Last heatwave I was sat out 30 mins and it was absolutely dripping off me. I understood that to be caused by different humidity levels?
Sirlacker@reddit
We keep repeating the fact that our houses are designed to trap heat in and we have no air conditioning. Whilst true, that doesn't explain in the slightest why 30c in Spain feels cooler than 30c in the UK. I can be outside in Spain for most of the day, in no shade, if it stays around 30c and if it drops to 25c it's chilly. 25c in the UK and I have to find shade or pop inside periodically, let alone 30c.
It's a mixture of humidity and getting acclimatised to the heat. In a lot of places you can reasonably expect a similar temperature for a decent amount of days at the very least. In the UK it can be 30c one day, 18 and raining the next, then back up to 25 for two days and then back down to 17. It's notorious for its weather fluctuations, throughout the entire year.
slipperyinit@reddit
Where in Spain? Go to Malaga, at 30 you’ll find it’s worse if anything at 30 Celsius than in London. Almeria on the other hand will feel a lot better.
Sirlacker@reddit
We usually go to Marbella, so about a 50 min car ride away with Málaga being the airport we use.
shingaladaz@reddit
Our houses being designed to trap in heat is also a myth.
HelixClipper@reddit
Yep..cold showers in the Philippines didn't bother drying off afterwards, no point, just straight got dressed.
berejser@reddit
Our homes are actually incredibly poorly insulated in comparison to what they could be. They suck at trapping heat in the winter and they suck at keeping the heat out in summer.
Material-Sentence-84@reddit
This! I used to live in Argentina, they have the same humidity levels as we do roughly but you feel it x10. Unbearable. It’s not too bad here, the house’s insulation is too much I think tho.
I’d rather put another log on the fire than be stuffy may -October.
Clear-Two-3885@reddit
Canary islands have a nice breeze from the Atlantic that's why the heat is more pleasant there
Glad_Possibility7937@reddit
In Cyprus I came across 28 degrees fog (I.e >100% humidity). It was nasty.
tomm--@reddit
Agreed with the lack of expectation. Also because ours are so short and intense, often in heatwaves than consistently hot, we have no time to acclimate to it.
ThrivingforFailure@reddit
This house thing is also a myth, or at least it doesn’t make much sense to me! Central Europe gets way colder in the winter, so I’d say their houses need to trap heat even better
turbo_dude@reddit
It’s like the hot summer of 1976. By today’s standards it’s just a hot summer.
Moppo_@reddit
One popular resort island, Corfu, is nicknamed "The Emerald Isle", because of all the rain it gets. I don't remember feeling humid there, because like you said, buildings are made for that weather.
FlightSimmerUK@reddit
Yeah, the humidity here today is similar if not lower to that in the Balearics and Cyprus. In fact, probably much of Europe, I just haven’t looked further than those.
Six_Kills@reddit
No.
isthmius@reddit
Yeah, I think this is definitely the reason for a lot of places Brits often go abroad. I live in Germany and the humidity in Britain lowers my tolerance level by several degrees when I'm back in the summer (it's also worse in winter for the same reason). But also I've lived in Japan and the humidity is like fucking soup...but you can escape it into your air conditioned apartment with blackout shutters. Britain is at this confluence of shitty housing and humidity that makes it worse than a lot of places for different reasons.
Electrical_Trouble29@reddit
Na.
The UK is hardly uniquely humid.
flowering_sun_star@reddit
It's a pretty dry heat here right now though.
Peckerhead42@reddit
Yeah, my Indian mate said this and it's regularly 40+ where he's from.
I just don't get the argument.
All I do know is that the weather apps often say it's hottest around midday and that just isn't the case down in Poole.
Usually from now till around 7
Absolutely fucking scorching here now 3 miles away from the beaches. Feels like pushing 30
Thread-Hunter@reddit
Yes exactly. Other countries tend to have a dry heat which makes it more bearable.
tradandtea123@reddit
The Mediterranean is less humid but loads of places are far more humid. I did a bit of work in Malaysia during the rainy season once and it always seemed ok despite 30-35 degree heat and usually 80% plus humidity. Never figured out why
Track_2@reddit
Nothing prepared me for the humidity in KL, not even the humid heatwaves here, not sure what you're on about
SarcasticDevil@reddit
Don't think the med is significantly less humid tbh, it's a bit variable in hot weather a bit like us
Choccybizzle@reddit
God I had the opposite experience, walked 200 yards off my ship in denim shorts and had to do a swift turnaround to put sports shorts on as I was already sweating! Wasn’t rain season though
coffeewalnut08@reddit
Dry heat still feels awful to me in all fairness. It’s more comfortable than humid heat but it still feels like I’m roasting in an oven.
I also prefer British heat because it doesn’t last as long, we get more wind, and generally feels more manageable.
musicistabarista@reddit
It happens to not be very humid right now, but last week it was in the 70s and 80s a lot.
The UK is pretty humid, London included. I think people just get confused about exactly what they're arguing. Often summers here are pretty uncomfortable even when it's only 20-25°C, because the humidity is very high. But when we get hotter temps than that, it's generally often also on the drier side.
Ok-Blackberry-3534@reddit
I think it's because the days are longer.
SarcasticDevil@reddit
I know, everyone's like "why is it completely comfortable to walk in 39 degree heat in Cyprus" and I'm like is it?!? Don't think I've ever been comfortable above 30 degrees anywhere
Thread-Hunter@reddit
With the amount of baked beans British people eat we get plenty of wind :) da dum tish.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Not true. The UK isn't particualrly humid when it's hot.
Anxious_Camp_2160@reddit
Yeah, because it's not like we're an island that the furthest you can get from the sea is 70 miles.
And it's not like it's regularly 80+% humidity in the UK.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Yeah, it's not like all the places people go on holiday to in Europe are either islands, or by the sea.... and are just as humid as here.
If we are talking about the humidty making it unbearable in the heat here, then what's relevent is the humidy when it's hot here. Which today is around 50%.
80% humidity in November is of absolutely no relevenace.
Anxious_Camp_2160@reddit
Care to guess again, I am south coast and it was 90% at 7am, it's currently 60% which for 2pm is insane.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
But it's only low-mid 20s on the South Coast today.
Not 30C.
Which is what this post was about.
If the temperature rose to 30C, the RH would drop right down.
Anxious_Camp_2160@reddit
it's 28 degrees...
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Where are you?
Anxious_Camp_2160@reddit
Just east of Southampton.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
54% Humidity then, according the BBC.
Thread-Hunter@reddit
Here is the explanation. Difference in relative humidity is main reason.
https://youtube.com/shorts/zbRLiRxIXjo?si=tQopbNaBEB0WTVj_
Careful-Training-761@reddit
Incorrect it's a myth UK has fairly average levels of humidity. Places like parts of East Asia or S America have oppressively high levels of humidity. It's mainly down to the housing, UK housing designed to trap heat not keep cool. Also no cooling facilities such as a fan in every room in ceiling or A/C.
HoggleSnarf@reddit
I'd also imagine that it's not just the housing, but also how so much of our housing is so close to each other. You can cross pretty much half of the West Midlands without ever leaving suburban sprawl. The amount of houses in close proximity, coupled with all of the dark tarmac which retains heat, means that it feels stifling when the weather gets above 25/30⁰. It genuinely wouldn't surprise me if the ground temperature is 10/15⁰ warmer on a proper scorching day.
Go sit in a field with some shade and a breeze that isn't blocked by 10,000 two storey houses and suddenly the heat isn't so bad. But unfortunately that's not something you can do every day over summer for most of the country.
ab_unoriginal@reddit
Yep, I want to send these people to a 40° summers day in Taipei to learn what humidity really is
Careful-Training-761@reddit
😂 And it's the opposite in winter snow showers and the country grounds to a standstill. Reality is we've a temperate climate and not set up for v low or high temperature.
Thread-Hunter@reddit
Ah okay fair enough. Tbh I quite like the British summer. I don't find it that unbearable as some others experience.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Nope.
CaptainLilacBeard@reddit
I went on holiday to Greece last week, it was just as hot as it has been here this past few days and much more comfortable because it was literally half as humid.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
It's not humid today, it's like 50% RH or something. Very similar to Greek islands, in fact.
CaptainLilacBeard@reddit
It was 30% where I was staying, it is very rare for it to drop that low where I live
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Today in (picked at random) Corfu, it's 40%, but about 2 degrees hotter than here. If the temp here rose those 2 degrees, the RH would be about the same.
CaptainLilacBeard@reddit
Ok? Its still uncomfortable here because of humidity, Internet weirdo...
FlightSimmerUK@reddit
It’s 2 degrees Celsius lower here than Corfu and humidity where I live is currently 40% and set to drop further to 35% by 5pm.
NewButterscotch6613@reddit
My favourite topic a the moment
DeathByToblerone@reddit
It’s the humidity which makes the air feel so thick when it’s hot. We’re surrounded by water.
DeathByToblerone@reddit
Why I got downvoted, I’ll never know.
JudoCyborg@reddit
Humidity.
a-liquid-sky@reddit
When I'm on holiday, all I have to do is lie down, read a book, and drink cocktails.
Still-BangingYourMum@reddit
Found the lobster......
CyberGeneticist@reddit
yeah
tskir@reddit
Also most likely in an air conditioned hotel, not sweltering home or office
11Kram@reddit
It mainly depends on how humid it is.
SilverHinder@reddit
Exactly. Islands often have high humidity/dew point, there's no great plains for wind to rush over, just water everywhere. I also think it's because the heat is inconsistent and we're never prepared for it - 30 degrees one day, 13 degrees the next.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
I think people underestimate humidity, or just don't understand it, I'm in South Wales the humidity level here is absolutely diabolical! Bought an air conditioner and it comes with a dehumidifier, my gosh finally I am comfortable!
LozzyB91@reddit
I live here too. Don’t think it’s south wales anymore, I think we refer to this place as the sun…
malewifemichaelmyers@reddit
There are loads of other countries that are hotter and more humid though, we really aren’t particularly worse off in that regard we just don’t cope well with our infrastructure.
FizzbuzzAvabanana@reddit
Yeah. Personally worst I've ever experienced was one night on Crete. Could barely catch my breath while I was walking, never been that bad here.
ZiggehZiggeh@reddit
It's also pretty new to us, so people don't know how to handle it when they're home
Opposite_Boot_6903@reddit
In hot countries they build houses differently too. White walls, shutters outside the windows, tiled floors...
There's a limit to what you can do to keep the house cool in your average UK house.
tempedbyfate@reddit
This is the answer. In hot countries houses are built to let the heat escape. In the UK we build houses to keep warmth in.
Useful_Address8230@reddit
You are mostly wrong. Everywhere houses are built for thermal insulation. If heat escape easily, than it can get in easily. Most of continental climate have extreme heat in summer and extreme cold in winter. British housing is poorly insulated and it cannot be otherwise because we use wood and it needs to be ventilated. Putting a foot of insulation but every 3 feet you have a vent in the wall for ventilation.
Madnesz101@reddit
We're also an extremely densely populated country with nearly everything built from stone and concrete which hold the heat for quite a long time.
Illustrious-Past2032@reddit
In Australia , we build houses to keep the heat in , in Summer and in winter - let all the heat escape. Glorified tents called houses... /sarcasm
FR1984007@reddit
thats why its so bad when it gets hot
Iammysupportsystem@reddit
I so recommend tiles! We have tiles everywhere downstairs because I'm an immigrant and I was adamant that was the most practical option. I remember my neighbour being vocal about it as it's weird to tile the living room. My very British partner complained through the first winter and is now so happy that's what we went with. They don't stay as cold as tiles laid on concrete, but they are so nice and cool compared to laminate flooring. Our cats and kids love laying on them when it's hot, it does make a difference.
Dic_Penderyn@reddit
There indeed are other countries that are hotter and more humid, but not many British tourists go there. Singapore is an example, but not as popular as southern Spain, where it is less humid (usually). Florida is another one, but there are air conditioners there everywhere, and again does not see the same number of British tourists.
Single-Position-4194@reddit
Southern Florida gets a loot of thunderstorms in the later afternoon oo, which help to clear the air; apparently they can get 3 inches of rain in an hour.
DazzlingClassic185@reddit
Which is fair, but the infrastructure is what it is for “the other 45-50 weeks”!😂 Somehow seems unfair to blame it, unless it’s just crap including for those 40-odd weeks!
malewifemichaelmyers@reddit
I mean it’s been over 20 degrees since May where I live, it’s not unusual for it to be hot for several months now not just a week or so like it used to.
DazzlingClassic185@reddit
Well, 20 is nice, but it was below that for a good few week here, on the turn of June! Point is you don’t need to escape 20°, and the house is fine
malewifemichaelmyers@reddit
Personally I am majorly heat intolerant and 15 degrees has me dripping in sweat, 20 degrees is too hot to me. Not to mention that inside is about 10 degrees warmer, at work yesterday it was 37 degrees inside which is impossible to work in for me at least.
DazzlingClassic185@reddit
No, it’s not just you, that’s really difficult to work in!
Bandoolou@reddit
Humid countries with heat are nearly always horrendous.
I've been to Bangkok, Ho Chi Min and Kuala Lumpur in 30+ degree heats and they all felt disgusting.
Fortunately, they have lots of swimming pools and air con to cool down in.
(Both things the UK lacks).
gnufan@reddit
Singapore mostly had thunderstorms when it got horribly humid, and rained it out. So it would be nice, get slightly unpleasant, rain, and usually be nice again. Can recommend their climate, even if it was a bit hot for my partner. Mosquitoes not so much.
xdq@reddit
According to the army it takes around 2 weeks to fully acclimatise to different heat conditions whereas we're lucky if we get 2 or 3 consecutive days before it cools off again for a week.
carrotface72@reddit
It's 1 month
Proper-Ad-2585@reddit
Yeah. NE Australia, Thailand, Japan.
But culturally, people there are relatively accustomed to dealing with these periods. The British haven’t a clue. So we just talk about the weather.
winobeaver@reddit
It does feel like a drier heat when I'm on holiday, even if I'm at the beach. It looks less humid on holiday too - i.e. it's not also really cloudy
-Po-Tay-Toes-@reddit
I think in those places they're just used to it. And most likely have some places with Aircon. The only place that is ever cold near me is M&S haha.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Rather than edit I would like to say you ate totally correct
DeepFrySpam@reddit
I'm not saying that, we are just not used to it. This is not our environment
No-Function3409@reddit
Yeah did a stop over in SE Asia once. Went out the airport for a smoke and that enough for me to know never to go there again in the rainy season. Sweating did nothing but made it feel worse.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Wow, I didn't know it was that bad over there! Sounds so uncomfortable I couldn't visit somewhere like that
No-Function3409@reddit
Yeah i cam handle dry heat pretty well but did not expect proper humidity to make such a difference. Went on to spend a summer around Auckland, New Zealand. Even there it was crazy and I spent the entire time wearing a tank top, shorts and sliders. Still felt hirribly sticky the whole time. Loved it but so humid.
Jacktheforkie@reddit
I’m getting 5 gallons a day from my cellar
Willsagain2@reddit
Homebrew? Steady on.
Jacktheforkie@reddit
Nah just water
Fenpunx@reddit
HomeDew
Jacktheforkie@reddit
Lol
DeepFrySpam@reddit
If only it could be drank. Huh.
Jacktheforkie@reddit
Not sure I’d drink that seeing a moth floating in it, plus no guarantee my machine is actually food safe
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Yeah, it also pulls in any mould! The amount I have gotten since yesterday is over 10lrs. Shocking
Jacktheforkie@reddit
True
FitSolution2882@reddit
What one did you get?
DeepFrySpam@reddit
If you go to my profile i left a link to the one I got to someone else as they wanted to know, but unfortunately they are out of stock at the moment, maybe they are back in now I'm not so sure?
781nnylasil@reddit
And it’s actually dew point that is the indicator of how sticky it feels.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Oh that's interesting.....another thing for me to research lol.
lottierosecreations@reddit
Also in South Wales, it's despicable >.<
DeepFrySpam@reddit
They need to start installing dehumidifiers here or something!
BeneficialPenalty258@reddit
Dehumidifiers kick out hot air. Air conditioning is the way to go.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
I know it doesn't remove heat but that's not the problem a lot of the time here, it can be 17 degrees yet muddy and uncomfortable. For instance day before yesterday it was 20 degrees in my home it wasn't that hot at all but the air was uncomfortable and I felt like a swamp creature lol.....anyways I put the dehumidifier on and it made the air feel more comfortable so in turn I felt cooler. In South Wales I feel we get more humidity than we do to much heat, but of course air conditioning in extreme heat wave and humidity drops yes. Lucky I have both on the machine I have so I can alternate
Snell_1459@reddit
South Wales and 6 months pregnant.. help
lottierosecreations@reddit
Oh god, I remember, both my kids were born in heatwaves!! (2011 and 2020) I feel for you so much!
Snell_1459@reddit
It’s just about manageable with 5 fans pointed at me at all times 😂
dai4u-twonko@reddit
Hello there my fellow South walian👋😄 I agree its absolutely wam out!
rebelallianxe@reddit
Also in South Wales. Also boiling!
RhodSteel@reddit
Add me to the list. And the bloody a/c packed in in my car.
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
Until you can get the A/C sorted out, have one window down about 3 inches, and have one other (preferably rear window) down about 6 inches on the opposite side of the car.
The breeze that it pulls through should be decently colder than ambient temperature, but downside is that it's only really doable at 30-50mph because anything lower won't work and anything higher will convince you that a helicoper is trying to land in your ear canal.
rebelallianxe@reddit
Ahhhhh!
Swim-Global@reddit
South Wales here too - I’m 34 weeks pregnant and struggling!
lottierosecreations@reddit
Been there, it's awful! My sympathies to you. I used to sit on those cooling pads they have for dogs! It does help 😁
cregamon@reddit
What’s the heat like though? 😜
cosmicpop@reddit
I'm a South Walian (Neath), but living in 31 degrees London. I'm melting.
ExcitementKooky418@reddit
It's basically like osmosis. Your sweat wants to from somewhere it's highly concentrated, to somewhere less moist, but because the air here is so 'wet' most of the time the sweats got nowhere drier to go
DeepFrySpam@reddit
I know tell me about it, I had to purchase some Perspi Guard wipes the other day just to stop myself sweating. Loving your profile Snoo by the way!
Ambitious_League4606@reddit
It's because Brits are wussies
DeepFrySpam@reddit
I mean, yeah i am especially when it comes to heat, I miss the winters so so much. The real snow, where you would have to climb on a roof to get out
Yelloow_eoJ@reddit
Climb on a roof to get out of where?
DeepFrySpam@reddit
The house! It used to snow that much lol, but I was living on top of a mountain then in South Wales my parents couldn't get out the front door
iamabigtree@reddit
It's 45% humidity here. That's not especially high.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
The humidity here is 64% ift will be 75% within and hour! This morning it was 94% that is here extremely high, nice to know you are comfortable
iamabigtree@reddit
Comfortable? Lol if only. I'm roasting
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Awe I'm sorry I just assumed you were comfortable, hopefully it will get cooler now
Potential-Yoghurt245@reddit
I went to Florida a few times in the 00's and every time the humidity was well over 85% so you went out of the hotel and immediately you were wet, just wringing it was awful. 1 star would not recommend
YouSayWotNow@reddit
Yeah it's killing!!!
ses2392@reddit
You can literally go on your weather app and see this yourself. The UK is really not that humid compared to a lot of countries - Italy and Greece are both surrounded by much warmer water and therefore more humid.
Boatjumble@reddit
I read this with a Welsh accent
Serious_Escape_5438@reddit
The air conditioner itself might have something to do with that.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Well the air con is good in the day (such as today it's 26 degrees) but as of tonight the humidity would possibly be over 80? So then I will switch from air con to dehumidifier.....
Mediocre_Boot3571@reddit
it wasnt humid yesterday. like 40-50% which is pretty low
AlGunner@reddit
Mainly but there is a bit more too it. For humidity speak to Asians from some of their cities that get high temperature and 100% humidity, they'll tell you ow uncomfortable it is.
We also have other factors that make it more uncomfortable for the temperature and humidity we have. Our position as an island on the edge of the Atlantic in the firing line of the global air and currents and at a latitude where the main equatorial air mass and colder artic air mass meet which brings weather fronts and electrical charge into the equation. There are places with worse than us, but we are certainly up there for uncomfortable it feels at these temperatures because of the combination of fronts affecting us.
Bennjoon@reddit
I was in the Sahara Desert in the middle of the day and I was terrified at the prospect because of British summers but it was just like being in front of a nice warm fire.
DopamineTrain@reddit
Who tf goes on holiday to sit in an air conditioned hotel???
CRAYNERDnB@reddit
You don’t sleep at all when you’re on holiday?
MentalMunky@reddit
How obtuse do you want to be?
Yelloow_eoJ@reddit
The sky is the limit, this is Reddit!
alexk64@reddit
Also with a swimming pool 9 out of 10 times
jackboy900@reddit
I mean not most likely, plenty of people are on holidays at cheaper local hotels that don't have AC or in flats or the like. But houses abroad are generally built better for the heat, especially if you actually follow best practices they're gonna be a lot cooler than in the UK.
Barn_Brat@reddit
I have to agree with OP and I’m a very active person on holiday. If I’m not doing something, I’m bored and wasting my time wherever I am
alexllew@reddit
Just been abroad for 3 weeks. Averaged like 25k steps a day, some days over 35k. It was nearly 40 degrees and I still felt less uncomfortable than back home.
BanditKing99@reddit
But in all of your rest time were you in air conditioning. If so there is your answer
ZiggehZiggeh@reddit
Yeah
I'm in France right now and it's 37 or something...no a/c anywhere(not even ceiling fans at the bars/restaurants)and it's horrendous
Anonymousopotamus@reddit
I was in Paris during a heatwave a few years ago and it really was horrendous - keep a damp towel in the fridge/freezer and wrap it round your neck. Not helpful if you're out walking around, obviously, but it was so good in the evenings!
ZiggehZiggeh@reddit
I went out and got an a/c...fuck knows how I'm fitting it in the car home but it was needed haha
Anonymousopotamus@reddit
Good luck!
ZiggehZiggeh@reddit
Cheers
EmFan1999@reddit
It’s definitely this. Was at Glastonbury yesterday and it wasn’t even sunny and only 25-27c and I was boiling hot. It’s because there was nowhere to go to get any cooler.
Today its 30c and I’m at home and any time I get hot I can just pop inside where it’s cooler
attempted-catharsis@reddit
I’m jealous, my house is hotter than the outside! No escape.
MilkMyCats@reddit
Get a portable air conditioner and stick it in your bedroom.
It's an absolute life changer. And I mean that, hard.
OutlawJessie@reddit
We have one in the living room, it makes it too cold when it's running on full, we opened the door and now it cools the whole ground floor. What did we do without it?
EmFan1999@reddit
Well I do actively manage it, cooling it down at night by opening the windows and doors and then keeping everything shut with blinds down in the day. Also helps that I have tile and laminate and not carpet I think
Queen_Banana@reddit
I try to do this but live in a house with people who know better and are constantly reopening the blinds and windows because “it won’t make any difference.”
MalfunctioningElf@reddit
Tbh we had all the blinds and windows closed all day yesterday and while it made a difference initially, by about 5pm everywhere was as hot as outside :/ cranked everything open again by 7 and the air movement helped a bit. We had to have ice packs in front of the fan for relief. I'm in a 100 year old stone house though so may make a difference if you're in a newer house.
GavUK@reddit
Yeah, most British houses just aren't designed or built to keep heat out, but rather to keep it in.
irgeorge@reddit
I’d argue they aren’t very good at keeping it in either. They’re mostly built around having tons of cheap coal or gas to burn continuously in the winter and summer not being very hot.
Now fuel is expensive and summers are hot British housing is fucked.
Quinn_27@reddit
Fill your bath 1/2 full with cold water
Sit in it
Watch TV, listen to music or read a book via a waterproof iPad
spamel2004@reddit
Try living on a narrowboat! I can only compare it to sitting in your car in the middle of a car park with no trees or shade from buildings. Melting!
vikingraider47@reddit
It's currently 31.1c in my back garden here just south of York. And 30.2c in the room i'm in now. Awful
jaynoj@reddit
Festivals in the heat are brutal. The only place there's any shade is in your tent which will no doubt be a gazzilion degrees.
Fenpunx@reddit
Nah, I go abroad and stay in tents, hostels, etc. Loads better than ruffin UK. 40° in Morocco was fine with not even a fan. Being active in dry heat is so much easier than working outside here.
LemmysCodPiece@reddit
In Disney World we were walking 20km a day, in 30 - 40 degree heat. But then every building had superb air con and I could drink a litre of ice cold soda every 2 minutes at no extra charge.
Conscious_Leading_52@reddit
I have just commented about Florida actually! In general it rarely gets above 35°C in Orlando, in fact, I'm not even sure the record is above 40°C. In July it is usually pretty consistently 32-36°C. Pretty tame by many places standards! However... At 36°C, with 80% humidity which is common there, the actual feels like temperature is around 60°C 😵💫 It's really only bearable because of indoor spaces with incredible air conditioning. It's the kind of heat you can't explain, it needs experienced. Even at 9pm when it's still 30°C and 80% humidity, just without the sun, it's like being in a stagnent tiny room in the UK in a heatwave. Awful.
Walt Disney World is amazing though, totally worth the heat! Although if you go in January - April or late September onwards, the humidity is so much lower, it almost feels chilly at night
Genre-Fluid@reddit
'Abroad'
Ffs. What was the humidity?
alexllew@reddit
Few different places, mainly western Balkans, Greece and Italy
MilkMyCats@reddit
Yep there was an article about expats to the USA saying the exact same.
They'll be living in Florida at stupid heats but come back here during our "heatwaves" and it will destroy them.
There is clearly a reason for it. But people like to try and reason it away with the only options they have. "O but there is no air con in London, Stu. So that constant heat with no break just gets to you, you know? Plus you have a pool on holiday. So it's those two reasons. Or maybe because you have been at work all day as well. Couldn't possibly be anything else".
I'd love to know the actual reason why it's stifling here at 30c but completely bearable at 36c abroad.
SweetButtsHellaBab@reddit
I have to ask, are you short or are you consistently doing over 20km a day in 40C weather? Because if so, damn, hats off. I’ve been doing 15km a day in 35C weather this week and it’s absolutely killed me.
alexllew@reddit
In fairness it wasn't 40C the whole time probably 32-39 in the time I was away. I'm not short though I'm 6' 1" I just like to walk a lot haha. Even if I get a bus/train to a city somewhere I'll happily walk with my bags for an hour if I'm far from where I'm staging rather than get a taxi or figure out the local transport system. A fair bit of hiking too, like might do a 15-20k hike, then go back to the hostel, have a shower, walk around the city for a few hours, go back and meet some folks, walk to a restaurant, couple of bars. It all adds up really, but you get used to it quickly (I'm very active anyway though).
Met a number of people hiking ludicrous distances daily on a multi-day trail with massive packs with tents and shit and that's hardcore even for me lol. They don't even get showers or air conditioning when they finish just a dunk in a freezing lake if they're lucky.
OkIndustry2818@reddit
Humidity
Pleasant-Winner6311@reddit
And a pool. Hardly anyone has a pool in UK and access to outdoor public pools are far and few between!
KittenFunk@reddit
I dislike heat in any setting, hence I only travel to warm climates in low season. It's nice to leave cold, wet and windy january days behind and land somewhere where it's 15/20 degrees and not packed full of people.
ChompingCucumber4@reddit
yes late teens is such a perfect temperature
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
That's such a weird way to phrase it when talking about something other than age/time.
When talking about numbers in a non-age/time sense, high/low teens is how people tend to phrase it.
ChompingCucumber4@reddit
ok? idc still clearly got my point across
CareBearCartel@reddit
I'm the same but I also dislike cold. I just want it to be 15-20 all year round.
Unfortunately my partner is Brazilian so I get dragged to the hottest places on earth for holidays where I spend two weeks fighting for my life while she is in heaven 😂.
KittenFunk@reddit
Hahaha funny thing is I'm also brazilian and absolutely hate temperatures above 25°C (my state often reaches 45°C in the summer, it's hell on earth). To be fair it's not just a brazilian thing; I've met a lot of english people who are also besotted with heat. I look at them happily sitting under the blazing midday sun at the pub garden holding a tepid pint of lager and wonder if we're even the same species.
cregamon@reddit
I’m 100% with you on that. I couldn’t imagine going to somewhere that’s baking hot and rammed full of tourists, it sounds awful.
Own_Translator_8894@reddit
Exactly - no crappy commute - annoying office or work to do ! Just wandering eating drinking and snoozing when all that gets too much
NoobOfTheSquareTable@reddit
As someone working abroad: can confirm
30 degree abroad is still awful when you are working
ArcticAmoeba56@reddit
And then retreat to airconditioning or dip in a cool pool
craigontour@reddit
By the pool
Impossible_fruits@reddit
A beach at 30 is fine, pouring concrete at 30 is a nightmare.
bowen7477@reddit
You can do that at home tho.
corcyra@reddit
There's that, and there are small differences in weather. A small breeze, even at 30 degrees, makes a big difference. So does humidity. 30 degrees in Arizona isn't close to being as uncomfortable as 30 in inner London. What we eat affects how our bodies cope with higher temperatures, and we can get used to hot weather if we experience it constantly. So many variables.
MD564@reddit
Yes this! I used to live and work in Spain, done of the Catholic schools had no air conditioning. At 4pm in June is was disgusting. I literally had beads of sweat rolling off me while trying to teach.
MrsDoylesTeabags@reddit
A little dip in the pool when it all gets too much
ichikhunt@reddit
Its likely the humidity. Water mediates the transfer of heat between 2 bodies faster than air. So, the same temperature in damper environment will feel warmer because the water makes you absord more heat every second than in the drier place.
SeeingSound2991@reddit
I spend my working week hanging on to heavy tools. Tuesday was hell, I tapped out just after 1pm.
WayGroundbreaking287@reddit
The UK is very humid so it's harder to cool down and when we get heatwaves there is usually no wind.
Also all of our houses are built for the cold so they trap heat more than they release it
Diligent-Worth-2019@reddit
Humidity
T4Abyss@reddit
Humidity, dew point and building design and insulation.
Six_Kills@reddit
I think it has to do with your mindset a lot. If you're at home and it's scorching hot you need to live in that environment and everything you normally do becomes a hassle / uncomfortable. When you're abroad you go out, not in spite of the heat, but partially *because* of the heat. Because you like just being in it and doing things you enjoy.
Going_Postal_8@reddit
Humidity
RuthWriter@reddit
Humidity. In Cornwall at this time of year we regularly hit 80-90% humidity.
GenoGirlanime@reddit
Because people like to complain
Maxoutthere@reddit
I don’t think building airtight houses helps.
DumCrescoSpero@reddit
Because they have air conditioning abroad and less humidity, typically.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
The answer is NOT humidity.
Today it's not humid in the UK - around 50% or so.
waxym@reddit
Yeah I don't think it's humidity, but building design and the long summer days leading to a feeling of no respite from the heat.
I'm from Singapore, where the temperature (up to 34 deg)and humidity (91% today) have been oppressive the past few weeks. I've been in the UK the past couple weeks, and I've always felt more comfortable outside than I do in Singapore. The drier climate here makes the heat in the times I am outside tolerable for me.
What makes it oppressive for me here is that there is no respite throughout the many hours of sunlight. Every building traps heat, and few places have fans or aircon. (And when there is aircon is it so weak!) The hot air is just sitting still in buildings, and by 5pm--as I'm typing this--it feels like I've been sitting in heat the whole day. Whereas in Singapore, most days I am only outside during my commute or for lunch, and quickly enter the respite of a building with strong aircon or at least a fan. And by 5pm in Singapore, it is approaching evening, the sun is going down, and I can look forward to a hopefully breezy evening.
That's just my two pence, as someone from humid Singapore enjoying the long days--but not the heat--in the UK the past two weeks.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
I would say it's even more simple than that, it's just lack of aircon. Any building will take on or lose heat to the enviornment, insulation just changes how quickly. If there's no active cooling, even well insulated buildings will invariably heat up eventually in hot weather.
Having said that, the ground floor of my Victorian terraced house never gets that warm, and stays much cooler than the loft and upper floors.
HutchLAD@reddit
Humidity is 81% today in the NW
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Like in Carlisle for example?
mmm_I_like_trees@reddit
It was 30 in London and I could handle it better. Came home and humidity and temp was lower and it felt worse.
5ubredhit@reddit
Yeah people who are saying humidity have clearly never been to countries like Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc.
TehTriangle@reddit
Currently in Malaysia. People calling the UK humid have no idea 😪
stoatwblr@reddit
Check the humidity indoors
It's surprisingly easy to be significantly higher indoors than outdoors if there's no breeze.
Strategically placed fans blowing indoor hot air OUT can work wonders (vastly better than simply circulating indoor hot air or trying to bring outdoor air in)
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Blowing outdoor air in is exactly the same as blowing indoor air out
stoatwblr@reddit
You'd think so but blowing in one direction is measurably more effective than blowing in the other thanks to entraining effects
sergeant_cabbage@reddit
32C down south. 74% Humidity.
I'm dying.
SuperVC10@reddit
Current humidity recorded at Gatwick is 45%... no idea where you're getting that number.
sergeant_cabbage@reddit
Haywards Heath it's dropped last 2 hours. But going back up again.
Swear it's a fuckin micro climate here.
BollockOff@reddit
Dew point makes a difference too. Currently in London it’s around 17c which makes it feel more humid.
ArcticNano@reddit
Yeah I hate when people say this. I was in Thailand recently and you can't really compare the two, I actually much prefer the UK heat to that
Additional-End-7688@reddit
We don’t have air conditioning as standard, and lounging by pools as an easily accessible part of our culture and lifestyle.
MistifyingSmoke@reddit
Cause they've got AC in most buildings abroad.
feeb75@reddit
If you walk around all year in shit weather like we do, then get a week a year of +25.C of course it's going to feel like a furnace.
Upstairs_Emphasis979@reddit
30..just distressing 😱
chrisscottish@reddit
Also, we are largely living in cities where the buildings heat up and there is residual heat from those..... Also roads and pavements, I'm guessing when you go on holiday you go somewhere near the sea with a nice breeze... Not much of that in a city either
Vintage_Winter@reddit
People are 🐈 🐈 🐈
Lower_Ad_1317@reddit
Britain generally gets wet heat. We are pretty far north longitude. Our weather is temperate so tends to stay moist regardless of temps.
I’ve stepped out of the car in Death Valley to near fifty degrees (dry) and I’d still have to have a think whether I’d rather be there or in my 28degree hotbox at home.
D_Zaster_EnBy@reddit
Depends on where you go, but I think humidity hot places definitely feel worse than dry hot places.
When you're in a place that's hot and the air is dry, you sweat, the sweat evaporates, cooling you slightly, and your temperature feels more regulated.
When you're in a place that's hot and the air is humid, you sweat, the sweat sits on your skin and you just sit there staying hot and getting covered in sweat.
On a hot day in the UK, walking into a place with air-conditioning is refreshing and relieving, when I was on holiday in Italy however, I could walk around in the hot sun for ages without feeling too bad, and it was only when I went out of the heat into somewhere cool and air-conditioned that I'd start to feel hot and uncomfortable, since the sweat would stop evaporating and would just pool and gather.
YY--YY@reddit
Humidity
RoutineImpressive395@reddit
We are not used to 30-40 degree heat, in this country, and we therefore have no infrastructure for it and the inept government we have won't invest in anything useful for such weather. We have the same but opposite problem in Winter(same because we're never freaking prepared, opposite because it's cold) when it's -10 and nowhere has been gritted save for the main roads because people aren't important.
barriedalenick@reddit
I live in Portugal and it is currently about 40c and has been for the last few days. It is bearable, but only just, but way more bearable than London was at much lower temps.
Despite what everyone says it isn't just humidity which is of course a factor. Currently reported humidity is higher here than in London but it varies a lot day by day.
Houses here are built with heat and sun in mind, we have thermal blinds on the windows and black out curtains. Streets are narrower letting in less light, windows are positioned so that the high sun doesn't get in. We also have air con!!
Often on holiday you are by the sea so you get a cooling factor and a nice breeze. Here night temps often dip quite pleasantly and give you a chance to cool down. However try Madrid in the middle of summer and you will suffer..
simmyawardwinner@reddit
been in portugal this week and it has been digusting inside however in the day fine because i am on a cold breeze surfing beach
Colourful_Q2@reddit
I'm in Portugal. Good lord it's hot. And I had a 2 hour train journey yesterday and the coach (1st class!) had no air conditioning. Was like a 2 hour sweat lodge/sauna. Most of us packed standing into the next coach because it was about twice as hot inside that train as when I stepped out onto the track afterwards. Is that normal???
Rollover__Hazard@reddit
You’re in a metal carriage being baked under the sun with minimal insulation or ventilation by the sounds of it
Colourful_Q2@reddit
yes, it was the lack of A/C in a first class carriage that was the surprise.
barriedalenick@reddit
It is way hotter than it usually is at this time of year. I only use the local trains, so can't really comment..
gregd303@reddit
I think I'd rather be in Portugal with cool tile floors and air conditioning than in Poland where apartments trap heat and air conditioning isn't standard
Mikeytee1000@reddit
Madrid is hell in late July, holy crap
thetruthisoutthere@reddit
I live in Madrid and it is already hell, I assure you! No air con in my flat.
schmoovebaby@reddit
We went over the May half term and they were having a bit of a heatwave (temperatures in the mid 30s) and Jesus fuck it was hot. The air conditioning was nice though 👍
bootherizer5942@reddit
Most houses in Madrid don’t have AC 😬
schmoovebaby@reddit
We double checked the apartment we stayed in did, otherwise it would not have been a fun time!
Mikeytee1000@reddit
It’s too hot to walk the streets in the afternoon in July 🥵 I know that much, you can feeling the unbearable heat coming off the paving slabs
frafeeccino@reddit
I lived there for six months, moved over on the first week of June and it was hot but I was fine, until we hit August. Then I was just resigned to never moving.
bootherizer5942@reddit
Late July isn’t necessary, it was 38 out yesterday (102 F)
weesteve123@reddit
Can confirm, I live in Madrid and the last couple of weeks have been absolutely miserable.
Jazzlike_Quiet9941@reddit
We've just came to Valencia from Madrid and even though Madrid was hotter, Valencia feels way worse due to the humidity! Would love to have the Madrid heat back.
UniquePotato@reddit
I went to Madrid in early August, I found it lovely, and it was in the mid 30s
barriedalenick@reddit
6 months of winter - 6 months of hell! I was there in August a few years back and spent most of it in a pool.
demonicneon@reddit
Where in Portugal? I find a lot of places like Lisbon on the coast get a decent sea breeze which counteracts humidity.
barriedalenick@reddit
I live near the river not far from Santarem about 50km north of Lisbon. Even here, quite far from the coast, we generally get a nice wind from the Atlantic. Sometimes it comes more from the north which is more cooling. The last few days have been pretty still though and very hot..
demonicneon@reddit
Don’t get me wrong, it’s bloody hot haha. I prefer the heat in Portugal tho, I find it quite similar to California.
We were just in the south of Italy and it hit 40 degrees and it was MUGGY and pretty unbearable. And yeah even the locals were like “man it’s hot”. Found the lack of wind even at the coast to be pretty brutal. Atlantic winds definitely help, the Mediterranean isn’t quite so lucky haha.
11thDimensi0n@reddit
Mate I’m a born and bred lisboner living in the UK for over a decade now and I was just in Naples where it was 35C and the “breeze” was basically hot air slightly moving through lol
I can relate to your comment through and through
Shire2020@reddit
I remember almost fainting whilst walking around Cordoba in Summer!
Ok_Fox_2799@reddit
It’s not just the architecture but also the habits that people in hot climates have adopted that most British don’t know about.
Things like opening windows in the evening and at night but closing them in the heat of the day, getting cross breezes going through the house (hint: stop closing all the doors! That good for heat retention but really bad for cooling the house down).
And it’s little architectural things too: one of my old flats still had the original shutters on the tenement windows - brilliant for keeping heat out but the other flats had a space for them but they were removed long ago. Or how the windows open here: like a crack at the top or fully open with no screen for safety/beasties means that window fans (ie box fans) that you set in your window sill or the window A/C units are redundant here.
barriedalenick@reddit
Indeed - People will also not go out much between 11- 4. It was like a ghost town earlier - aside from Lidl, which has very good air con, so lots of people spend far too long doing their shopping in there!
mikolv2@reddit
It's the house issues. I can't get out of the heat and cool down. It's 32c everywhere, outside and inside my home. I have all triple-glazed windows shut, blackout curtains, and it still heats up and holds the temperature, and it will be 32C until late at night when it cools down a bit.
simmyawardwinner@reddit
on holiday u get to be by a pool or beach in a bikini in the heat in the UK u have to be on a sweaty broken down train or in a office with no AC in business attire YUmmmmmmy
KeyLog256@reddit
I'll have to say this clearly -
IT IS NOT HUMIDITY
It's around 30c across most of England, 40% humidity, lower in parts, as low as 30%.
In Vietnam it is is the same temperature give or take a few degrees, across most of the country, but 90-100% humidity.
My wife makes the exact same complaint as most Brits do - the heat is uncomfortable here, but she's fine with it in Vietnam, where humidity is much worse.
It isn't "the holiday effect" where in Spain or wherever you're not working and can just in a pool/sea or drink a beer. She is working in the UK, and worked in Vietnam. Same situation, just daily life going to work. And yet she thinks it is much worse here.
We cannot work it out between us.
AstraofCaerbannog@reddit
Yes, but Vietnam also feels unbearable to most Brits. I moved from living in Australia to travelling Indonesia during rainy season, no issue in Aus, but Indonesia I struggled intensely with. And I still struggle with British heat compared to Australian heat (though depends on the area of Aus).
It is the humidity, it does feel hotter and colder here compared to being in Europe. Sure, there are places with higher humidity, but Brits don’t tend to do more than brief holidays in those places. Most of us go to Europe which tends to be less humid and is what most people are comparing it to. They aren’t comparing it to tropical climates.
Infrastructure is part of it, but it’s not the only reason.
New_Vegetable_3173@reddit
I think it’s that our homes are built to retain the heat, Public space is the same (in hot countries? Public space is often designed to encourage air to flow through.) Our clothes aren’t suitable. Our body has accustomed to being cold. We have no fans and no Aircon.
And the humidity isn’t great here . But it’s not the humidity on its own I think it’s everything added together. I think one factor on its own wouldn’t be a problem but collectively it’s an issue.
I think people underestimate how quickly your body acclimatise to where you live and what a shock that give your body when you put it in a different temperature
Nomoreorangecarrots@reddit
I think it’s trees. Where I am from temps stay at 40° most of the summer and humidity is 80% or higher. It’s like a swamp, but the UK has hardly any trees shading their buildings. So you do not get shade.
Also we have sash windows which we have the panels meet on the middle. Hot air flows out the top and cooler air flows in the bottom and ceiling fans that push the air around. In the winter we switch the rotation of the ceiling fans to being hot air down to the floor as well.
I close the windows and curtains during the day and it’s not too bad in my house in the UK
mowgs1946@reddit
Whilst I agree, we're not at SE Asia levels, Met office currently shows 62% humidity for Bexhill, East Sussex and projects high 80%s overnight and into tomorrow.
ThomasEichorst@reddit
It’s all about the dew point. Anything 19c and above is where it starts to feel noticeably sticky. Humidity % is a bit of a red herring as the capacity of air to carry moisture changes depending on temperature
FridayGeneral@reddit
In Vietnam, it is the abundance of AC. Most residences have it, but even for those that don't, it is easy to find somewhere that has it to cool down.
There are of course places with AC in UK too, but nowhere near as many.
Scowlin_Munkeh@reddit
Humidity, basically. The humidity in the UK makes 30 degrees feel much warmer because it takes longer for your sweat to evaporate so you can’t cool down as quickly.. you’re also uncomfortably drenched in sticky sweat, whereas on the continent it evaporates quickly in the dry heat.
truly-dread@reddit
We’re an island. It’s more humid. Similar heat in Asia cos of all the greenery.
SidewaysSheep24@reddit
Humidity.
SuccessfulWar3830@reddit
You are at work and all our homes are designed to trap heat.
barnacle_ballsack@reddit
The Humidity index.
Wet bulb etc.
Clunk234@reddit
Our buildings infrastructure for the most part is built to retain heat.
Most places don’t have AC which means we just don’t get a respite from the heat. Nowhere to cool down for half hour or so.
Plus when we’re in the UK most of us are working to some degree.
Enough-Variety-8468@reddit
Our buildings are designed to keep heat in
wscottwatson@reddit
It's very bearable. Act sensibly. Liquids, shade and so on. FFS don't wear a suit! (A good life rule.)
Dry-Blueberry-6885@reddit
When I’m on hols I’ve usually got a swimming pool and an air con remote pretty close to hand. Plus I’m doing fuck all and have no stress.
TheLatmanBaby@reddit
Houses in the U.K. are designed to keep heat in.
ImprovementCrazy7624@reddit
Humidity, airflow, shade and stuff
The air temp in 2 places can be exactly the same but the more humid it is the more of that heat transfers to you, then throw in the sun baking you and the excess humidity tuning you into a walking greenhouse well...
Rasty_lv@reddit
Humidity. Humidity and god dam humidity.
I'm foreigner living in the UK.
Extreme weather, hot or cold, hits different here due to moisture in the air.
Perfect example. Last winter. It was around 3°C here. It was freezing. Then I went to my home country had -12°C and it was pretty nice. I even walked with open jacket. 3°C felt worse.
Same with hot summers. Here 30° are terrible, yet 30° I'm my home country is hot, but not extremely hot.
Difference between countries are God damn humidity. We live on island. Surrounded by water. And prevailing winds are from south-west, which brings moist sea air.
Also, British homes are built to keep heat in. Air-cons are also not that common.
Someone really needs to pin one post with response on r/askuk so people stop asking the same question over and over again.
aaeme@reddit
Also, and I can't see anyone here realising this, our days are long!!! There's little time for anything (buildings, land, air, sea) to cool down during the night because the sun is back up 4 hours later.
It was 30c at 1am last night. It didn't drop below 25. And then the sun's back up and it's heating up again. Combine that with all the things you said and that makes it hard to compare Singapore or Florida, where the nights are nearly 12 hours long.
Healthy-Drink421@reddit
I'd say most britons when abroad are on holiday - and want to be in a hot climate especially where there is a pool or aircon.
When they are on a hot train or bus trying to get to a non-air conditioned office - its all rather grim.
stoatwblr@reddit
This is the crux of the matter
Trying to work or think in sticky weather is uncomfortable and British designs simply don't offer any respite in most cases
KeyLog256@reddit
The issue is it is NOT humidity causing this, and no one seems quite sure what is.
My wife is from Vietnam and says she dislikes the heat here but doesn't mind it in Vietnam.
Across most of the England at the moment, it is 50% humidity, dropping to 40% in places like London. Temperature in the high 20s.
In Vietnam it is around the same temperature for much of the country, but 90-100% humidity.
So it is not humidity.
PoJenkins@reddit
It's building design and lack of cooling.
Air conditioning is treated as an unnecessary luxury here when it's becoming more and more necessary.
Not having heating when it's below 10 C outside is probably as bad as not having AC when it's above 30.
Express_Sun790@reddit
I think within Europe the UK will probably be relatively humid, which could explain the difference between here and some parts of Spain (although likely not coastal regions). Otherwise I agree with you. Maybe it's the buildings? The angle of the sun 😂? The type of soil ahaha (absorbing heat)?
RoyofBungay@reddit
You are right. I have lived and worked in central China for many years. Most summers are 50degrees feel like and 100% humidity. UK summers are easy in comparison.
damegloria@reddit
Having been to Cambodia and Thailand, I found the humidity unbearable there. But then SE Asians walk around in jeans and jumpers in that weather so they're just built differently.
KeyLog256@reddit
Weirdly though my wife struggles in the UK summer, even when its what I call "mildly warm".
Yet is happy to wear a skirt in winter.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
All this is basically wrong.
explorer9898@reddit
It’s correct - the UK doesn’t get 80-90% humidity and 30+ heat, only the tropics sees those conditions. We get 80-90% humidity regularly in winter but our hottest days are our least humid generally speaking. If you look at the forecast for the rest of the week, the next few days are 40-50% humidity and 30-32 degrees temps, then the temps are dropping to around 22-25 degrees as we approach the weekend but humidity is rising to 60% ish- which is more typical conditions for British summer. If it was the humidity that was the problem rather than the heat then you’d expect later in the week to feel more uncomfortable than it is now but that won’t be the case. The primary factor is certainly temperature - humidity can exacerbate that but we don’t tend to get high humidity and very high temps simultaneously. The conditions of the next few days are literally typical Mediterranean summer conditions of 45% Humidity and low 30s temperature compared to the typical Uk summer conditions of low- mid 20s temperature and 60% humidity (for south east England this is- take a couple degrees of those for the north )
Meowskiiii@reddit
We had 90% humidity in the SW over the weekend and it is regularly over 70%. My asthma hates it :(
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Yep exactly, but everyone on Reddit just parrots the falsehood about humidity!
explorer9898@reddit
It’s just one of those things people have heard other people say so they just repeat it when looking at the stats for 10 seconds you can see it’s plainly untrue. Today is one of our hottest days we will have this year and it also almost certainly one the least humid days we will have. It’s true we are a humid country but we don’t get Hugh humidity and high heat simultaneously- when we do occasionally get hot (30 degree + ) weather for 10 days a year or so- these are also amongst the least humid days we have.
damegloria@reddit
I'm so glad people are saying this. I'm sick of reading this myth.
scarabx@reddit
Instead of spamming that on everyone's post why not provide the correct answer then?!
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
There isn't a correct answer, because I don't agree with the premise of the questin. I don't find 30C here worse then 30C abroad.
loveandpeaceandunity@reddit
Moan, moan, fucking moan.
ODFoxtrotOscar@reddit
It’s because you have a different mindset on holiday
MacyTmcterry@reddit
It's definitely not just that though. I've heard from loads of people working and living abroad that the heats worse here, even at lower temperatures
cozycrafts@reddit
I lived in Asia for 3 years and it reaches 40 there in the summer. You’d open the door to outside and it was like opening an oven. I didn’t even sweat and spent a lot of time outside all day. Here though, idk it’s torture. Don’t wanna be out, don’t wanna be in 😩
Life_Put1070@reddit
Yeah, when I'm on holiday I can shape my day to the conditions. Things stay open late in hot countries, so there's no rush to go about in the heat of the day. Living here in the UK I have to work through the hottest part of the day, and things don't stay open past 11 so if you want to go do stuff you're going out when it's still hot.
Auntie_Cagul@reddit
It's the humidity. We almost always get hot and humid. Dry heat is a lot easier to deal with.
Also, it's generally easier to deal with when you are relaxing, not working.
Adept-Woodpecker2776@reddit
It is generally so humid in the UK, unlike dryer heat of the same temperature, wetter heat is more difficult for the body to deal with. I hope the last few days aren't a taste of things to come, but it is probably going to get worse in the coming years. We are being steamed like cabbages.
AffectDangerous8922@reddit
Humidity.
GreyFoxNinjaFan@reddit
The insulation in the roof of this new build is 2ft thick.
Fean0r_@reddit
I've lived for nearly a decade in my life in hot countries.
In all of them, I had A/C at home, at work, and in the car.
When I'm on holiday I have A/C in the hotel room.
The UK is also humid af. So I'd absolutely choose a hot country with A/C over the UK summer with no A/C.
At some point we Brits will need to stop acting all surprised each time it either snows or is hot and start spending money on equipment for being comfortable and safe in both types of weather. Especially the heat.
berty87@reddit
Cloud cover, UK houses built to retain heat. Humidity from the sea.
Accomplished_Gold_72@reddit
Now I'm not 100% sure of the science but it's James Corden's fault. When he moves back the USA then our summers will become bearable
MinecraftCrisis@reddit
Humidity and AC.
GiraffePlastic2394@reddit
I got out of the car in the Badwater Basin. 135°F but zero humidity. It was quite comfortable.
Goldf_sh4@reddit
Because it's easier to stop working/completing life tasks and easier to swim in a cold pool/sit in the shade drinking a cool drink and losing yourself in a good book/ siesta.
cookiesnooper@reddit
Humidity plays the biggest role in heat perception. At 30 degrees your body will use evaporation to regulate its core temperature. So, at 30 with 60% humidity, you're feeling as if it were around 36 which is your body temp. The higher the humidity goes the less able your body is to cool itself by sweating. So, you're sweating but not cooling, so you're sweating more and still not cooling. Now you have a swamp in your pants and the only way to cool yourself is to move some cooler air around your body, but you can't because the air at that temperature with this humidity feels warm on your skin.
Crafty_Material6718@reddit
Buildings in the UK are designed to keep heat in, insulation, carpets & curtains rather than hard floors and blinds. I spend a fair amount of time in China where it is much hotter in summer, but buildings there are designed to keep you cool.
Plus the lifestyle in hotter countries is different. People tend to avoid direct sunlight, have a nap in the hottest part of the day and go out more in the evening.
treble_twenty@reddit
The UK has a dark and evil energy and that's what we're feeling. Other countries are just 30 degrees and we're feeling the fires of hell.
trailofcheese@reddit
People ask me why I moved here from Australia. Well imagine 100 days in a row over 30 degrees and you still have to go to work 5 days a week, and even the air con can’t save you all the time. Much prefer the changing seasons here.
Mavisssss@reddit
It's also a myth that everyone has air con in Australia. I had it in one house out of the many houses I'd lived in.
1kBabyOilBottles@reddit
Yeah I lived there 25 years never lived somewhere with AC.
These_Money5595@reddit
Humidity.
gborato@reddit
no ac
houses badly built that keep hot air inside
bigmonmulgrew@reddit
Be used when you are abroad you can usually do things to cook off like relax in the shade or swim in a pool.
Back home you just have to go about your day.
But it's also just how houses work here. I had the AC on last night. Bedroom was 18 degrees. Around midnight it was 24C outside and due to fall to 18C.
I figured I'd turn the AC off. Since 24 is reasonable for me and the temp was falling. Woke up through the night with the room around 28C
I'm not sure I even fully understand why.
-Lifeisanillusion-@reddit
I was in Hungary last year and it was 30 degrees and I was not coping well. Literally never felt worse while trying to relax. Was just so hot and sweaty
ninepasencore@reddit
there is nowhere in the world i could enjoy 30 degree weather
RayaQueen@reddit
The international tennis tour has heat limits in each venue where they will stop play if it goes over.
In Melbourne Australia the limit is 42°C. In Wimbledon, London the limit is 31°C!
People from much hotter countries often find they can't cope with British summer heat and get really confused and annoyed.
It's the humidity.
lurechucker82@reddit
For me it’s the lack of anything resembling breeze. To even get up that high it needs to not be very windy, and then add humidity to that 🤷🏻♂️
Tasty-Egg-8682@reddit
humidity is the biggest difference
ToeOk5223@reddit
I want to know as well.
You go to Florida, it feels hot for sure, but in a nice way. What is it that makes the same temperature worse.
dontwannabecovidiot@reddit
It's down to the UK being so humid, I really struggle and sweat buckets here, but when I was in Menorca in almost 40 I was burnt to a crisp but didn't sweat once there.
ThomasEichorst@reddit
Menorca is far, far, far more humid than the UK
dontwannabecovidiot@reddit
As someone that lives on the South West coast I disagree
Charming_Honeydew_91@reddit
As someone with asthma and on ssri's I really dont like the UK when its hot its unbearable. Work is ok they have good air con but in general Its our buildings they built for cold but to keep heat out.We can be high humidity too compared to Spain etc so theres excess moisture in air even before we sweat lol. No air con, pools, black out curtains etc is the main difference though. Few weeks ago I invested in a a portable air conditioner for my bedroom. Need another for the livingroom and hall yet but for 69.99 what a difference to my overall comfort and sleep. Here's the budget air con in bought if anyone is interested 》 https://amzn.eu/d/2qYcgGN
CynicalGodoftheEra@reddit
Anywhere above 30 is unbearable.
fleck57@reddit
Humidity.
M1fourX@reddit
lol it’s not humidity. A 30deg day is warm anywhere. But your mindset is different on holiday.
A 30deg day with humidity is when a cold drink makes a pool of water under is with condensation
MiniMagicz@reddit
There is no escape. It's not just the humidity it's the relentlessness. On holiday you do get very hot and it can also be very humid, but at some point you'll go sit in an air conditioned, bar, restaurant, museum, hotel etc... In the UK, unless you work in an air conditioned building, you will never escape it. I remember when we had the 40°C day and my place of work said we could all work from home rather than commute, everyone came in, busiest I've ever seen the place.
Bilya63@reddit
Its the quick swift between high and lows of temps.
If you are for weeks on20s, the 30s and then 40s the body adjusts.
In Edinburgh on Friday was 28-30 and today rains with 14. In couple days we might have another 10 deg jump.
TSotP@reddit
Generally no AC, a more humid atmosphere because of proximity to the sea and an abundance of both wetlands, and general rain, plus buildings that are designed to be warm and keep the heat (brick Vs drywall).
That's 3 of the main reasons.
DoctorNerfarious@reddit
Every building is air conditioned and you’re not at work.
OkayTimeForTheTruth@reddit
I tell you what I don't get.
Our pool is like 28-30 degrees but it just feels fine most of the time. Not too hot. Sometimes, in the winter, almost chilly if towards the lower end.
Yet, come out into the hot sun on a 28-30 degree day and it BURNS and feels horrendous.
Even a hot bath at 40 degrees feels nowhere near as hot.
Can someone explain this to me pls!
GiftOdd3120@reddit
It's the humidity, it makes heat feel hotter and cold feel colder. The joys of being on a small island
heyhey922@reddit
Builds in the UK are made to hold heat and keep winter heating costs downs at the expense of keeping cool in the summer.
This used to be ok because it was only once a decade we'd have a properly hot hummer, but due to climate change, most UK summers hit the point where it's uncomfortable at the peak.
In the long run, we're probably gonna need AC to become widespread, which will jack up energy costs, so we need to get them down before it gets to that point.
broken_freezer@reddit
This is the most repeated misconception anytime this question gets asked. Houses that are designed for keeping heat in are also very good in keeping the heat out
And houses in the UK are horrendous at both jobs
heyhey922@reddit
That's interesting, do you have a source?
Vurbetan@reddit
They're wrong.
hiperdino-@reddit
Correct them then.
Vurbetan@reddit
Okay.
The reality is that really old buildings/homes in the UK suffer from really poor insulation, and there are a not insignificant number of homes that fit in to this bracket. There are however, plenty of older buildings that have been insulated to a good standard, and the number of these homes is increasing, albeit slowly. These older buildings generally stay fairly cool in the summer (lived in a flat in an old Maltings building that was build in the mid 1600s). It was cold as fuck in the winter, but stayed cool in the summer.
Modern builds are far more efficient at keeping heat in, but do not keep cool easily in the summer. The home that I now live in (typical red brick mid-1990s build) stays decently warm with short bursts of heating every few hours throughout the winter. In the summer however, it's so hot.
A key problem we have in the UK is that people leave the windows and curtains/blinds open to try and get air through the house not realising that it doesn't help at all. We should keep the doors/windows/curtains and blinds closed during the day, then open everything up at night to let the cooler air in. It works a treat.
broken_freezer@reddit
In physics terms there is no such thing as 'keeping the cold in' as something such as 'cold' doesn't exist - it is just a lack of heat
The heat is what travel through materials and being able to keep it from going one way also means you're able to keep it from travelling the other way
I'm with you on the last paragraph though
Vurbetan@reddit
Your comment about the physics terms while technically correct, is also nonsense.
You can keep a house cool in the summer by preventing ot from getting warm. It's not easy to do in the UK because most modern homes are good at keeping heat in.
broken_freezer@reddit
Preventing the house from getting warm is achieved via good insulation
Houses in the UK are unfortunately decades behind some other European countries when it comes to thermal efficiency
Vurbetan@reddit
I don't disagree entirely. Scandinavia and Germany in particular are undeniably ahead of us.
British Houses are still good at retaining heat. But they could and arguably should be easier to cool down, however.
There needs to be a revolution in Heat Pump tech and ACs.
detailsubset@reddit
I'm willing to bet your flat from the 1600s had significantly thicker walls or wattle and daub. Thermal mass keeps old homes cool because the heatwave won't be long enough to fully heat the mass of the wall and in winter that thermal mass absorbs the heat from the heating making it chilly unless it's being actively heated.
Vurbetan@reddit
Yep. The external walls were 17 inches thick.
If only it weren't also a listed building and we were allowed double glazed pvc windows that didn't leak.
P2P-BSH@reddit
That's just how insulation works.
alphahydra@reddit
It isn't just insulation at play though.
Windows and doors are a big wildcard. In hot countries, home designs often favour shading medium and large windows with overhanging sections of roof or awning, or whole sides of the house will be taken up with shaded porches. Often there will be shutters, and screens which also cut down some percentage of gain.
In the UK, windows are designed to (or shall we say, aspire to) maximise light and warmth. Since solar gain is a net positive for most people for about two thirds of the year, they are usually completely unshaded, and so in the few weeks of hot weather we do get, they become the entry point for a lot of heat and then the insulation comes into play, helping keep it trapped.
broken_freezer@reddit
Pretty sure my physics GCSE book covered that
deep8787@reddit
THANK YOUUUU...why do most people not get the simple concept that insulation (when done right) works both ways. Ugh,
deep8787@reddit
THANK YOUUU...why do most people not understand this simple concept...insulation doesnt just work in one direction...
lurking2be@reddit
I think this is the correct answer.
I recently moved to the UK from a VERY hot country, and I can't stop complaining about the heat. I feel disingenuous because I know for a fact the weather in my country is way, way hotter all year round. It occurred to me that UK buildings are bad at dissipating heat. Also, the lack of ceiling fans and air conditioning compounds the problem.
idk7643@reddit
Actually it's just bad for both. In Germany houses are well insulated, which keeps them warm in winter, and cold in summer. In the UK houses are just poorly insulated, mouldy and crafty victorian brickwalls, so in winter the cold seeps in, and in summer the heat does too.
Uk housing is horribly cold in 5°C when you're completely fine in - 15°C in other countries
steviecmitchell@reddit
I find It’s humid and heavy in the UK…oppressive heat…unsure what the reason behind that is but I work with a Greek lady who says the same thing…she says she can work and sleep in Greece in 38 degree heat, but when it hits 29/30 in UK she can’t cope!
LumpyTrifle5314@reddit
It's honestly just British bullshit, it's a myth you've all decided to indulge in.
Hot days are hot days, when you're on holiday you're in a positive mindset, when you're home you're being a negative bunch of arseholes.
Get good summer clothes, keep the curtains closed, put the fan on, take it easy, hydrate.... and STFU.
Electrical_Carrot152@reddit
I’ve actually looked this up. As an American living in the UK I find “moderate” temperatures unbearable, both in summer and winter. Two reasons I discovered: humidity and angle of the sun. In fact, I always tell my friends before visiting that they shouldn’t let the temp numbers influence how they pack; it’s a different sun.
Maleficent-Cost1948@reddit
Humidity is the killer, hot and dry is easier to live with. I live on the coast, there is usually a breeze, it's easy to live here even when hot. Using the London tube is however horrendous, hot sweaty and simply yeuch, I avoid it when I can.
mcgooporn@reddit
The air temperature is different than the sun temperature, that is certainly one
MrRWhitworth@reddit
Humidity 90% of British people live further north than 90% of Canadians
Conscious_Leading_52@reddit
Europe is generally less humid, especially in Spain, whereas the UK is pretty humid. Also you're often by a beach. Try walking around a city in central France in 30+ degrees and you'll also feel really hot.
The best comparison I have is Florida vs Spain. 35°C in Spain usually feels like 35°C. Still ridiculously hot don't get me wrong. 35°C in Florida, with 70-80% humidity as is common, feels like 50-60°C. A whole new level of ridiculously hot. Although the UK isn't quite as bad as Florida, the effect is still the same.
Also, air conditioning and the fact when it's hot here, it tends to be very stagnant air
Dismal_Foundation_23@reddit
Attitude probably plays a big role, on holiday you are on holiday, thus you are wanting to relax, enjoy stuff, have fun etc. your mental approach is probably more positive to cope with the heat better. At home you have to do stuff, go to work, get the kids to school, make dinner, sleep so you are not knackered for work and the heat makes all of that more difficult and you don't necessarily want to do all that stuff you just have to, so if you have to do a load of stuff and it is even more annoying in the heat, you are going to mentally notice the heat more.
Plus you know on holiday most hotels are air conditioned, most bars are, you go in pools or the sea to cool off, rental cars are air conditioned etc. so you are probably finding times of more coolness.
Personally I don't enjoy hot weather wherever I am and find a lot of places unbearable. I mean there is a reason like places like Spain or France shut down over the lunch/afternoon period and you often dont see the locals out.
'mad dogs and englishmen in the midday sun' as the song goes.
Thebirdsandthe-b@reddit
Mate try visiting Singapore. Surprised the weather here hasn't killed me yet given that I've been dealing with it my entire life
QVRedit@reddit
“Relative Humidity” is the answer - if the air is “dry” (Low Relative Humidity) then you can easily sweat and cool down, and your skin remains dry.
If the ‘Relative Humidity’ is high, then you still sweat- only it fails to evaporate as fast, and you get wet and sticky and clammy and hot !
Positive_Wiglet@reddit
Because you don't have to work on holiday.
SatchSaysPlay@reddit
Humidity humidity humidity , not all heat is the same and it's the humidity that does you in, see these fools suggesting all that matters is the temperature and it just doesn't
TimeNew2108@reddit
I used to live in a stone terrace. It was freezing all winter even with the heating on but when the weather was boiling it was lovely and cool inside. I never realised how much better brick is at retaining heat until I moved. Much better in winter but in this weather it's boiling.
cooky561@reddit
Humidity, Sweden is also a high humidity country, and it feels like 40c when it's 20c outside there.
Also: in the UK I am usually working, or doing chores, which is much harder (and feels warmer) than lying next to the pool with a Pina colada, as I do abroad.
Herak@reddit
Humidity, a lack of ventilation in our buildings, and the lack of relief from the heat and humidity because we do not have enough correctly set up AC.
Helenarth@reddit
Everybody always says "our buildings are made to keep the heat in", but keeping heat in also means keeping heat out.
It's not that our buildings are insulated. It's that they're not. That's why our pensioners all freeze to death in the winter.
weavin@reddit
I don’t know, I thrive in the heat weirdly because I’m very much Caucasian. I have more energy and feel more relaxed at the same time. The only place I’ve been that was too hot for me was the jungle in Sri Lanka which was 40 degrees with 99% humidity.
jaanku@reddit
Because people love to complain.
MetallicBaka@reddit
Humidity. UK is a sticky mess a lot of the time.
hook-happy@reddit
✨humidity✨ Also we don’t have air con anywhere
capnpan@reddit
It's the humidity!
Adventurous_Meal7054@reddit
Humidity
Invanabloom@reddit
I’m so excited for tomorrow’s 24 degrees !
Chizlewagon@reddit
The answer is simply air conditioning. When you go abroad, you get a natural break from the heat (largely) every time you go indoors (not everywhere of course, but usually at night).
There's a sense of a disconnect. An on or off button. It's the never endingness of it which is why it feels so much worse in the UK, you literally can't escape it
MagnificentTffy@reddit
this is due to perhaps the differences in the climate. in the UK, it's hot and 'humid'. it may not feel humid, but the air is already full of water, making sweating less effective.
If you are in a tropical area, it may feel humid but the air still has capacity for water, so sweating helps you cool
there is also the difference between hot air and hot climate. the UK has hot air, tropics has hot climate. the difference is sunlight. The UK often is still hot even in the shade, whereas in the tropics the air itself can actually be quite cool so being in the shade will be instant reprieve from the heat.
AntiDynamo@reddit
I think a lot of UK buildings have a bad mix of bad insulation and bad airflow. So when it gets hot, it’s not easy to get air moving inside. And when it’s sunny and hot for more than a day, the bricks soak up the heat and radiate it throughout the night so the building never really cools down. It’s not humid (outside) as much as it is stagnant (inside).
Chaosblast@reddit
And tiny windows because yes.
detailsubset@reddit
Many are also built with the main rooms south facing to maximise sun light. Then people open the curtains and windows letting all the heat in.
Cover the windows, preferably from the outside and keep the doors and windows shut until the sun goes down and pretty much any house will be 5-10 degrees cooler than otherwise.
AutomaticInitiative@reddit
I don't have north-south windows only west. Keeping the windows closed during the day just means it's about 1 degree lower than it could be, which is invariably 5 degrees higher than outside
LeoFoster18@reddit
Everyone is talking about relative humidity, but comfort is more dependent on dew point. Dew point measures the actual amount of moisture in the air. If dew point is 15°C, then even 30°C can feel fine – dry and manageable. However, 28°C with a dew point of 25°C can feel absolutely unbearable – sticky, suffocating, and exhausting. That's why two places with the same relative humidity (%) can feel drastically different: the dew point tells the real story of how much moisture your body has to deal with. Next time you check the weather, ignore the humidity % and look for the dew point. Above 18-20°C starts feeling muggy, and anything over 22-24°C feels oppressive, regardless of the air temperature.
Serious_Question_158@reddit
You have to work. On holiday you can sleep when you want, here you have to try and sleep on a schedule, even if the heat is making it difficult, so it's tough.
Tom_Bowler@reddit
Because it’s 30 degrees a maximum 2 weeks a year so we’re not used to it and it’s more humid and overcrowded here
gorradeh@reddit
On holiday you have air conditioned rooms, food and drinks are made for you. You're running around in swimming shorts chilling around the pool or beach. You don't have to do your everyday tasks. That makes things more bearable.
I'm actually relieved coming back to the UK after 2 weeks of holiday in a tropical country. I prefer the cooler climate.
NakiFarmHER@reddit
It isnt unbearable, its the same weather we get in New Zealand over summer (yes I'm in the UK on holiday at present) - you simply haven't adapted to humid higher temperatures.
trypnosis@reddit
Air con, is what I was missing now when I’m out it’s super nice. When I get home I cool down. Then I go out again and it’s not so bad.
Master-Quit-5469@reddit
Humidity.
Ok-Elderberry5703@reddit
Humidity and houses in the UK are all built to be as hot as possible
mmm_I_like_trees@reddit
Honestly found it better yesterday than previous days as lower humidity
RedDotLot@reddit
Humidity.
Heat in the UK is pretty humid. I live in Australia now and 40 degrees in Sydney on a dry heat day (usually accompanied by a hot wind blowing from the interior) is far more bearable than 25 degrees in the humidity. Also you're generally not having to do your day-to-day stuff when you're on holiday.
Able-Jello5177@reddit
Essentially our architecture and culture is not built on the basis of a hot country. We were more concerned with keeping heat in than say Baghdad where houses for literally thousands of years were built with the complete opposite in mind.
lickyagyalcuz@reddit
I’m currently in Vietnam. Every day is 35+. It’s so hot. Feels far hotter than anywhere else I’ve been. The main thing is that every building I go in to has air con on full blast and is a lovely break from the relentless heat outdoors.
Robynsxx@reddit
Humidity.
Most of the places you go on holiday aboard have nice sea airs that keep humanity down.
Then on top of this, UK houses are built to trap heat, unlike most hotter countries, so it gets more humid, and remains hotter for multiple days after the heat. Then of course, we don’t have air conditioning, while other countries do.
chronicallyunhelpful@reddit
As someone who was raised in 40° Naples heat and can't stand 20° in the UK, there's few reasons.
Their infrastructure (buildings, air con, even public transport) is better designed for hot months cos they have more of it.
The humidity (it's not a myth it can be tested)
What you're doing on holiday. You're more likely to be bothered by heat when cleaning, working, doing your responsibilities than when you're in a pool or whatever.
Surprisingly, what you're eating/drinking. You're more likely to stick to your usual routine at home and try new stuff abroad, resulting in more hydration and snacking, and less heavy meals.
Location. Are you at a resort or in the middle of the country abroad and in the city/suburbs at home? That's gonna make a huge difference.
Melian_infp@reddit
Because is not. Just came back from my hometown in Madrid and 30° in the UK is pure bliss.
NothingAndNow111@reddit
Maybe cos we're often by the sea or pools and not in humid, pollution heavy cities, in houses that are built to retain heat?
That's my guess.
And we don't have to take public transport. That's a big one. Bloody 48c on the fucking Central Line should not be any part of any day, ever.
sinkpisser1200@reddit
Humidity is your awnser. Same with cold weather. Dry air insulates better.
Aphr0dite19@reddit
We don’t routinely have air con here.
You don’t go to work on holiday.
You can walk around in a tiny thong (bikini, speedo) on holiday. Kinda get frowned on wearing that around here in public
CurrencyIll9145@reddit
Lived in London for six years, but come from Cornwall. Sorry, this is specifically about these two places..
You seldom find Cornwall reaches those sorts of temperatures in the first instance, but if the temperature creeps up, there is always fresh air and a sea breeze
London is SO awfully polluted and muggy. There's barely any wind, most places don't have adequate air con - hell, the Tube (bar a couple lines) is like a greenhouse! England wasn't built with this type of heat in mind - from the structure and materials of the buildings, through to more modern technological intervention (like air con)
AbdulHassan_96@reddit
30°C in the UK can feel hotter than in hotter countries because the air is often more humid, pollen levels can be high (causing hay fever), UK buildings trap heat inside, and people’s bodies aren’t used to hot weather—so it’s harder to stay cool.
_debowsky@reddit
Humidity and what not is certainly a factor yet, with that said, I don’t know on which planet do you live but when it’s 30+ anywhere in the world (and I traveled a fair it in my life) I personally cannot walk around and relax.
Liam_021996@reddit
Ignore the temperature and look at the heat index. Here it was 31c but the humidity was at 85% which gives a heat index of 43c. So, essentially it feels like it's 43c instead of 31c when you have humidity added to it. When you go on holiday to a Mediterranean country, the humid is usually 30-40% often it can be even lower than that which means it feels much closer to a true reflection of that temp and your body can cool via sweat properly
Haunting_Average5784@reddit
I have carers. They are all African and all, to a man hate the English heat. They say it's much harder to work in humid sticky climates.
Jammy-Doughnut@reddit
Currently 1am, 21°C outside and 79% humidity. Indoors with all windows wide open and have been since 6pm, it's 28°C.
I may as well go and run a cold bath and fall asleep in it at this rate.
francisdavey@reddit
Humidity? I can tell you that on some days where I now live (a Pacific island) 30 is pretty bad, when humidity is high, but when humidity is low over 30 is fine for wandering around.
bobsburgers1174@reddit
Fuck knows. It’s 12:50am and I’m laying on my bed and I’m miserable 😂
External-Basket6701@reddit
We need more outdoor pools with sun loungers that can say, be booked in advance during summertime…. I’d even go without an alcohol bar!! 👙☀️🌊🌊
Dragonogard549@reddit
ahem, hold on, i’ve got this
🥁🎤
…
“it’s a wet heat”
Admirable-Usual1387@reddit
Everything in the uk is shit. Even good weather.
volunteerplumber@reddit
It's all in your head. 30c is pretty much 30c anywhere.
Holy shit can we stop complaining about this. It's life. Just deal with it. Not everything needs to be a Reddit post.
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Best thing anyone here can do is invest in air conditioning! Seriously just do it, you would do it for a boiler to stay warm at winter, we are in an environment now because of ourselves where our country will get hotter and hotter! Get an air conditioning system the same you would an air heater, I bought a stand up one, it cost me £200 I swear it's changed my life! It has a dehumidifier also! And a fan. I'm sitting next to it now feeling cool and I have managed to make a nice warming cassorole today and it's great! Try save up :)
Real-Ebb134@reddit
Please may you provide details of the exact one you have please I want to buy it thank you
DeepFrySpam@reddit
Yes of course one second I will get you the link it really does work for me I put mine up onto a small table it seems to go around the room a bit more, also keep in mind you need a pipe to go to an outlet through the window. This is an air conditioner and a fan and a dehumidifier.
damegloria@reddit
I don't understand why people keep saying this. 30C on holiday is hot as balls too. Also has no one here been to SE Asia. Humid as fuck.
Gullible_Channel7308@reddit
as a SE-Asian living in the UK, seeing people here complain about 30C and trying to blame it on “humidity” makes me chuckle.
martinbean@reddit
Because of the difference in humidity. In the UK, it’s humid. Because the air is “wet”, it makes it harder for sweat to evaporate from your skin, so you’re literally being boiled by your own sweat.
czavjdlqgjdqjdg@reddit
I am currently in Italy and the heat and humidity is relentless. It's 1am 27ºc and humidity is 70% nothing about this is lovely I would take a uk summer over this any day!
cut-it@reddit
40C in spain is not lovely - sucks ass
Designer-Computer188@reddit
Too much concrete and built up areas. Parts of the UK are more densely packed than many parts of the world.
Old or poorly constructed buildings that are simply designed for humidity nor hot weather (hello houses that are bith sweaty is summer, and mouldy and cold in winter!)
No air con. An obsession with still using gas at home, which also further links to my point above.
MentalPlectrum@reddit
Air conditioning & the way our homes are built.
We build (& have built) homes for cold climates that are great at retaining heat. In the Med buildings are made with hollow bricks that are great at keeping heat out. External blackout blinds that shut fully prevents heat from getting in too.
Also humidity. Humidity makes everything worse.
GlassCrepe@reddit
It's because houses and flats in the UK aren't built for these types of temperatures. Went for a walk this evening at 10pm when it was ok again and could feel the heat coming off the brick walls, you could literally feel it when touching the bricks outside. Climate change isn't going to help in the coming years.
skaboy007@reddit
London is not the only place in the UK, where I live today was the hottest day yet that was 22, nowhere near 30 and certainly nowhere near a heatwave.
Kinky_Cabbage@reddit
Maybe the humidity, idk?
sayleanenlarge@reddit
Humidity, I think. We can't cool down because evaporation doesn't work.
brakes_for_cakes@reddit
It's the humidity.
The part of Indonesia is the about the same temperature year-round, around 30, but they have wet season and dry season.
In the wet season it's so humid outside that it's oppressively hot, everyone just stays indoors with the AC on.
In the dry season it's not too bad. In fact, it can be 5 degrees warmer than the UK there, but feel cooler
OkWhile8478@reddit
Abroad the buildings are built to keep the heat out. In Britain they are built to keep the heat in.
MiddleEnglishMaffler@reddit
Simple: It's all down to how long the periods of rain and heat are.
Notice how in the UK, if you get weeks of heat and no rain at all, it's perfectly bearable? And then if you get rain and high temperatures alternating very few days, it's often unbearable? That's because of the humidity. More humidity, the harder it is for your sweat to evaporate and cool your body, so you really start to struggle. (Wet heat) In dry heat where you have very little rain, your sweat is able to evaporate better and cool you off.
Hot, dry places like the Mediterranean, Nevada, etc, tend to have long periods of heat without rain, so it's easier to deal with until you reach really stupid temperatures. But if you look at places lie.the Amazon rain forest, rural Mexico, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc, they are incredibly humid in certain seasons and it becomes hard to cope with.
harrietmjones@reddit
I think it’s for a couple of reasons tbh.
One is that, we tend to have carpet over cooler floor choices in general.
The other, is something that a couple I kept bumping into when I was in Venice several years ago.
It was so painfully humid in Venice that, though it wasn’t much hotter than a comfortably warm British summer, it was so unbearable because of this humidity!
Anyway, this couple, who were from Arizona, they kept mentioning how the weather was like back home and that visiting Italy, ending up in Venice, they had never experienced such a feeling until then. They mentioned that what they were used to, was heat that they described as a hair dryer on all the time, which wasn’t like it was where we’re were. So even they struggled!
I’m going to say it’s things like humidity, which we’re currently experiencing a bad case of too.
Sea-Opening3530@reddit
I lived in Australia, north queensland for a year, almost every day was 32 degrees and sunny.
Sometimes the ground was so hot you couldn't walk on it.
But for the most part it was still really great, enjoyable nice weather. Mostly due to every room having a ceiling fan and or Aircon. Almost every night I would sleep with the fan on a timer for 2-3 hours to cool down, and the majority of the time you use Aircon inside.
But also, when you live there you get used to it, 6 months in if it hit 25 I was in jeans and a jumper. I would still go running in 32 degrees heat.
Fyi humidity was like 98%.
Substantial_Craft_95@reddit
All this business about not having to do anything when on holiday and such is rubbish. I haven’t had to do anything today and it’s felt hotter than the sun
Genre-Fluid@reddit
Cause you don't have to go to work. I live in Spain. Everyone says they're jealous, they don't collapse from dehydration. Siesta isn't fun, it's survival.
Uncle_Loco@reddit
Humidity?
drivingagermanwhip@reddit
Nine_Eye_Ron@reddit
It’s the way the buildings are constructed. And no, the insulation of your hours isn’t going to keep the heat out. Heat transfers in through many different ways.
Closing windows and curtains works to an extent but we go from days where it’s best to keep your windows open to best being close so quickly your house is already warm and very little will cool it down.
AuroraDF@reddit
Because we are working. And I am working in a room full of small sweaty children.
Akash_nu@reddit
This is why
https://youtu.be/mMqkuAb-HYg?si=v60jBDVwjLUMkLER
avatar8900@reddit
British homes are designed to hold heat, we’re essentially all living in giant ovens, fan assisted if we have a fan on
brownie627@reddit
Air conditioning and building structure. Most countries who regularly have hot weather have their buildings built out of materials that keep out heat. Not only that, but they usually have air conditioning in their buildings. The only time you have air conditioning in the UK is in a shop or restaurant.
BI01@reddit
This is like some Mandela affect tbh, when I visited Florida.... That was real heat and humidity compared to the UK lol
Codon00@reddit
Because abroad comes with a pool, a cocktail, and zero responsibilities. In the UK, it's 30 degrees and you’re stuck melting into your office chair with a lukewarm Tesco meal deal and no air-con in sight.
just_some_guy65@reddit
Whinging: at home it is the default state, on holiday even world-class whingers have trouble with whinging that they booked a holiday in a hot climate . . . and it is hot.
ExcitementKooky418@reddit
HUMIDITY
FuzzyPalpitation-16@reddit
UK infrastructure is not built to handle this heat - I grew up in Southeast Asia and it was 30+ degree weather all year, humidity high and cool seasons are the monsoon ones. Yet being there, handling the heat is nothing compared to here, as infrastructure is built to withstand/repel heat + guaranteed ceiling fans and AC in most places
TheCocoBean@reddit
Our houses and buildings are designed to keep heat in, in places where it's regularly that temperature they are designed to keep heat out, and/or have AC.
mOiSt
DeeKneeDeenoo@reddit
A big part of it for me is that I don’t mind being hot and sweaty when I’m dressed for it (flip-flops, shorts, tee shirt, sun hat) and expecting to be hot and sweaty without having commitments such as meetings. Trying to crack on with an average day while hot and sweaty and not in holiday attire is what makes it harder!
Ancient_phallus_@reddit
We can never acclimate to the weather because it’s so up and down. It goes from 18 to 30 degrees in a few days and the same down.
Nomoreorangecarrots@reddit
That’s like pretty normal where I am from. The swings in temperature between seasons is MUCH bigger and you can have snow the day before and summer sunshine the next day.
I really don’t think it’s that
sideone@reddit
You're not on holiday here.
IcedEarthUK@reddit
You've clearly not read the Daily Mail. Apparently the whole of Britain has skived off work and currently sat on a beach.
ANewStartAtLife@reddit
Hey, not everyone! The brown ones are robbing everything! Very industrious.
ikariw@reddit
I thought they were too lazy to rob anyone and were just sitting around scrounging benefits. Whilst simultaneously taking all the jobs.
real_justchris@reddit
Coming over here, bringing their hot weather with them 🙄
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
It's just the next-gen ploy to steal all of the jobs.
If it's too hot for the good, hard-working Brits to work, there'll be no more resistance!
itsaride@reddit
And so they should!
sideone@reddit
Why would I do a thing like that?
Steenies@reddit
Masochism
O_D84@reddit
I went to Paris . I was walking around the whole day . 36 degrees was fine . Uk heat is just worse .
BuckfastAndHairballs@reddit
Exactly. When im on holiday I'm relaxing and can jump into the pool. Or i can have a lie down in my air-conditioned room and wait till it's cooler out- i have all day free. Or if I'm walking about on a city break and get too hot i can stop in a shady spot and have a cold beer. I'm likely wearing light holiday clothes. I'm usually not on public transport in work clothes trying to get to the office or sitting in teams meetings at home having to think about boring work stuff.
Digitalanalogue_@reddit
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/weather/nhs-doctor-explains-heat-uk-29432187
MaximumTiny2274@reddit
Also it's not at all comfortable when it's 35 in a foreign country either.
Such-Squirrel-9830@reddit
I went to Hong Kong once. I couldn't breathe it was so fkin humid.... I had to keep stopping every 5 minutes to sit down... horrendous it was.
LadyEvaBennerly@reddit
Humidity.
Honest_lamentations@reddit
Humidity
ampersandist@reddit
It’s the humidity, because we’re on an island
Classic-Scarcity-804@reddit
30 is horrible wherever. Hot country beach holidays suck.
_ThePancake_@reddit
Our lack of AC. When I lived in Montreal for a few years, it got to like 40 in summer and was pretty much 30+ for 3 months. It was much more bearable because air conditioning is just standard.
TonyBlairsDildo@reddit
1) No one acclimates to it; physiologically, or in how they act and dress. The heat will be 35c+ and you'll see these old men dressed in full suit, coat and hat.
2) No AC. Americans love to bang on about Phoenix, Arizona being 75c+ in the shade, but they never experience it. They go from their AC house, to their AC car, to their AC supermarket, to their AC office, back to their AC house.
TheInconsistentMoon@reddit
It’s deffo an infrastructure issue. I live in a 9 year old house. It’s insufferably hot 7-8 months a year, the airflow is so poor and it traps the heat because of the insulation required for its EPC and to get through the winter affordably.
That being said our climate is getting warmer, it will be necessary to improve airflow in new homes soon. I must be the only person who is moving to a house with a lower EPC/SAP to the one I live in now and is happy about it!
If we had air conditioning in our homes we wouldn’t have this issue. Then again, my Dad’s house is 270 years old and he doesn’t need air conditioning because the insulation isn’t so extensive.
RoboJobot@reddit
Humidity
_queuebits@reddit
It’s because of humidity. Hot and dry feels much nicer than hot and humid (even less hot, but more humid). It hangs in the air and feels heavy on the skin and feels hotter that way.
pm_me_boobs_pictures@reddit
Buildings in the uk are designed to retain heat
Meridellian@reddit
Big reason many people miss: The latitude and the length of the days. We have far more hours of peak-heat than most other countries which reach similar temperatures, and sometimes at night it stays just as warm as in the day. We never get a break from it.
Revs111@reddit
South Wales here and bloody loving the sun, the heat, the humidity…all of it!
Public-Guidance-9560@reddit
Currently sat as still as I can in my living room. Literally sweating...it's rolling down my face and arms as I type. It's a disgusting heat.
vorbika@reddit
Not enough lidos, and the ones that are there only have 1 swimming pool
Veles343@reddit
Places with extremely hot temperatures also have different lifestyles. In Italy most places like factories shut down over August, they structure their working days differently as well. We just have no idea how to deal with heat in the UK. Most people will think you need to open up all your windows during the day to let the air in. Yeah let that nice cool 32 degree air in to cool you down.
SmurphieVonMonroe@reddit
Humidity.
Flat_Revolution5130@reddit
The UK is not built for heat. Most of the houses are dated and poorly ventilated.
shadowharv@reddit
Apparently it's the humidity, it makes it harder to sweat/ for the sweat to evaporate, that means you can't cook down. Also fun fact about heat and humidity, if it's hot enough and humid enough, your body will be cooler than the humid space, causing the water vapour to condense in you and you will drown. You'll also probably die from hyperthermia.
I got an Uber to avoid walking in the heat today and the driver was from a very hot country in Africa. He complained to me that it was too hot here but back in Africa he was fine in 40C+ weather
iamcode101@reddit
That’s how the monarchy keeps you under control.
Proud_Nail_1537@reddit
Humidity?
Background_Ad8814@reddit
i worked in nissans battery plant, the air had to be super dry,less than 27 percent if i remember, the shop floor was at about 24 to 28 degrees centigrade, now for reference, im pretty big, and very sweaty normally, but I didnt feel overheated at all at nissan,and didnt actually feel like i was sweating, the drier air supercharged your bodies natural cooling system(actually evaporation rather than actual sweating) and helped you feel way cooler to an amazing amount, im estimating at least 10 degrees, maybe more
gholt417@reddit
Fark it was degrees today in north eastern Italy and it was sticky as hell. As soon as that humidity rises, everyone just drips and melts (apart from the mosquitoes).
GavUK@reddit
It's the humidity. As I understand it, the higher the moisture in the air, the harder it is for your body to get heat out (i.e. through sweat).
FootballPublic7974@reddit
Humidity.
Crazy_Willingness_96@reddit
UK doesn’t have heat discipline.
First reaction when it’s hot? Open doors and windows wide open. 100% to get hot air in…
Shutters? Let’s put them inside the windows, so that the full sun blasts the surface of the windows…
Where I’m from, you get 35+ as normal in the summer. NOT on the sea side(more continental climate). I grew up with windows open at night in the summer. By 8am, all shutters and windows shut, until 9pm. No light, no sun.
Still was hot, but at least behaviour was adapted to the heat.
Educational_Pay8560@reddit
I lived in Brisbane and 30°c is terrible anywhere
Background-Unit-8393@reddit
I live in Myanmar. Regularly 35 degrees plus 90% humidity. The difference is fucking air conditioning. I can sleep with AC on and it will pull the heat down from 27 to 20. Same in my office. Here the fans do nothing.
stoatwblr@reddit
Spending time in Yangon was the only place in the world I found myself literally dripping sweat and it was all day/night
You quickly learn not to exert yourself in such an environment
Background-Unit-8393@reddit
Nah. You get used to it. I walk a kilometer to the coffee shop but by the time I’m home from there I’ve sweated through my suit trousers and shirt haha
NortonBurns@reddit
Right now I'm in Portugal. It's 34°.
In the shade it's slightly less humid than London, but in the sun it's bloody unbearable.
I'm typing this from my fabulously air conditioned holiday apartment. I will not be going outdoors again until sunset.
I'm back in the UK Weds night, when hopefully we should be back to something sensible.
Stay chilled chaps.
vikingraider47@reddit
And that's another point that people often forget. What time does the sun set in Portugal? Where i am in the uk the sun doesnt actually set until the 21st of July. But if you mean darkness, it wont be dark here until about 10:30pm
NortonBurns@reddit
Sunset here is 20:56, London where I live is 21:20.
Not a huge difference.
I used to spend alot of time in Tenerife where basically it was 9 in summer & 7 in winter, very small swing so close to the equator. I note right now it's cooler than both London & the Algarve.
vikingraider47@reddit
Still over 30c in my back garden and no darkness for another 3 hours
CheekyYoghurts@reddit
What was the point of going to Portugal if you're staying in your room and not going out until the sun has set?
NortonBurns@reddit
The point was to go on holiday. Being able to guess that we would have a Europe-wide heatwave in June when we booked it back in March was beyond the capabilities of my crystal ball, I'm afraid.
At least we have aircon. Do you?
CheekyYoghurts@reddit
A wonderfully snarky comment, but I will never understand the mentality of people that book a holiday to a known hot place, in the summer, and yet are surprised and suffering when it's actually hot.
and yes, I do. It's 18°c in my home office and I'm loving it 👍🏻
Due-Tell1522@reddit
It’s the abundant greenery. Plants reflecting the UV around the ground level atmosphere. Obviously exacerbated by the general infrastructure, including housing, being set up to deal with 5-20 degrees Celsius
AppointmentTop3948@reddit
Because Brits still don't understand that aircon is attainable for all but the brokest. They sell aircon units in the middle of lidl fgs
Sad-Bag3443@reddit
Our houses are designed to keep heat in and do not have aircon.
Also unlikely to have a swimming pool.
We also have to work and normal things like digging a hole in garden or taking the bins out becomes major tasks in this heat.
zwd_2011@reddit
It is the level of humidity. Humidity has an impact on the amount of sweat you can lose by evaporation. The more dry the air is, the easier sweat evaporates, the more comfortable you feel, because it's the evaporation that cools you.
So the level of humidity is not a myth at all.
By rule of thumb: the greener your environment, the higher the humidity levels. Plants keep soils more wet. Plants evaporate moisture as well.
That's why the UK is more humid than the Spanish Islands, and rain forests are even more humid than the UK.
beefboxer84@reddit
Houses/apartments abroad have AC, or have mable floors and white walls . In the UK we build to insulate the heat in.
Also your on holiday and relaxed . Your not worried about getting no sleep at night before work
stoatwblr@reddit
We don't just insulate the heat in, we maximise solar gain and don't design for airflow. THIS is what makes the difference indoors
ActAccomplished586@reddit
Humidity
Humidity
Humidity
explorer9898@reddit
London today - 32 degrees 45% humidity, Barcelona today 33 degrees 48% humidity. The hottest days in the UK are our least humid- we normally have 80-90% humidity all winter but high humidity and heat simultaneously is very rare - it’s only really the tropics where you get both
stoatwblr@reddit
Yes, but....
The buildings in Barca are generally designed to ensure that hot air can setup a draft which keeps the occupants cooler
The concept of thermal chimneying is alien to British houses and it's the lack of airflow which is the biggest problem. Desk/floor fans are a very poor substitute for designed airflow
explorer9898@reddit
I completely agree- my original point was the UK is not particularly humid and hot simultaneously- such conditions only tend to occur in the tropics.
Meowskiiii@reddit
Hasn't dropped below 70% humity where I am for a while in the SW
explorer9898@reddit
But presumably the temperatures are also much much lower than they are in south east London currently? If your temperatures were the same as in SE England the relative humidity would likely be quite similar
ThomasEichorst@reddit
And for our next lesson we’ll teach them about dew point
Davski88@reddit
Same. I'm in Plymouth and Met Office have the current humidity at 74%
ProtoplanetaryNebula@reddit
Firstly our humidity is normally much higher than 45%, that is abnormally low for the UK. Secondly, Barcelona is famous within Spain for being humid.
damegloria@reddit
It's not really. I'm obsessed with looking at the weather and it's pretty straightforward. Hot and no cloud: 40ish humidity (so not humid). With cloud: 60+ (so humid). 40%, which it is today, is very normal with full sun or only a little cloud.
explorer9898@reddit
Yes it’s normally much higher than 45% and it’s also normally much cooler- but our temperatures and humidity are strongly negatively correlated. That means our hottest days (like today) tend to be our least humid , if it were really the humidity that was the problem then days like today would feel cooler/more pleasant than normal days but they don’t- hence the heat is the primary factor not the humidity. Later in the week temperatures are dropping back to normal levels for the time of year and humidity is increasing but people will presumably find those lower temps more comfortable - if humidity were the primary issue we’d see the opppsoite effect
vishbar@reddit
Why does this myth keep spreading? The UK isn’t especially humid.
stoatwblr@reddit
Buildings with no air circulation become surprisingly humid even with windows open. We, our animals and plants are all potent water vapour producers
Right now my mesh of temperature/humidity sensors is saying that it's 5-10% higher humidity and a couple of degrees warmer indoors than out and that's with all windows wide open. The sunward side of the house is 4 degrees hotter than the shaded side and what little breeze there is, isn't doing much because it's coming from the sunward side
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
wrong, wrong, wrong.
P2P-BSH@reddit
Why why why?
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Because it's not humid here. It's 50% humidity today. That's nothing.
damegloria@reddit
Not even that. Less than 40% in London. That is not humid.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
There you go.
Davski88@reddit
Sorry, I forgot everyone on this sub lives in London.
Eh-Beh@reddit
Pretty sure it was 79% in Manchester on Friday.
Conscious-Ball8373@reddit
Added to lack of air conditioned spaces.
GreenLion777@reddit
This is interesting q because just other day in restaurant a Saudi girl (waitress) said this to us. Feels hotter here than back home (and not in a nice way)
So what is that about ? 🤔
Seems it's not us Brits that can't handle it,(although we really can't once it goes beyond 25C continuously 😂) there's something about the weather in UK
Wheresmymindoffto@reddit
Because when it comes to weather, we are complete fannies.
Wolf_Cola_91@reddit
Humidity and lack of air conditioning.
waynownow@reddit
What are you wearing? If you're on holiday you'll be in flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt or whatever. Any more than that and you'll be cooking.
stoatwblr@reddit
I'm wearing less than that in my typical British home (150 years old) and I'm cooking anyway
British houses tend to maximise solar gain but don't use it to setup airflow (thermal chimneys etc) and stagnated hot air is uncomfortable
Flat_Development6659@reddit
This is the main answer imo. Yesterday me and my cousin stopped at the pub while walking the dogs and despite the place being packed we were the only ones with our tops off, a few people were even wearing jeans.
Being able to go back to your air conditioned room for a nap or take a dip in the pool also helps. I unfortunately don't have air con or a pool at my house lol.
thrillho111@reddit
No aircon here. Everything here is small and built to keep heat in. You have to do stuff like work, commute etc whereas you don't have to do anything abroad if you're on holiday.
I'd also say vehicle exhausts make things so much worse. Just returned from China where there were more EVs, and it was so much quieter and less polluted.
Waytemore@reddit
Because the humidity tends to be higher here. Also, you're at work.
Evening_Traffic2310@reddit
"My brother had his first holiday in Florida with his new in-laws. He woke up in the middle of the night, sweating like a crocodile in a handbag factory. His mother-in-law had set the air conditioning to heat! She complained of feeling too cold."
ApprehensiveTrade819@reddit
I disagree. 30° anywhere is too much. Went to Turkey, last year 33°c average and whilst I planned on leaving the hotel to explore the town, in the end I chose not to. Merely because of how hot it was. If I wasn’t in the pool/sea, or inside with aircon, I was sweating my tits off. Won’t be going back unless it’s during the end of the season when it’s a little cooler.
1000dayslocked@reddit
30 degrees is never lovely.
Scatterheart61@reddit
I feel like none of the reasons people give really explain it. Why do people come here from hotter, more humid countries, without air con etc and STILL say the heat hits different? I used to work on a ward with a lot of nurses from different countries, I remember one woman from Vietnam i think it was showing me videos of her house where it was so humid it literally had water running down the walls, no air con, much hotter than here. And she was just like 'omg I want to go back to our heat, it's unbearable here when it's hot'
buy_me_a_pint@reddit
I been to countries with my parents where it been 30c-40c+, and is more bearable sleeping, last year me and my parents did a coach tour of Italy, and was like 38c+ in Rome in June, the walking tour was scrapped
I remember when it was like 40c in the United Kingdom a few years ago.
Stewart_Lee_@reddit
A lot of it is the houses in UK - they're built to keep the heat in. Nights in the summer are unbearable
GoldKey5185@reddit
I'd say its down to Humidity.
DazzlingClassic185@reddit
The nights are shorter here, so the days are longer,
Depending on where you’re comparing with, it’s damper here, so more likely to be muggy, which is horrible,
The houses provide no respite! They really are difficult to keep cool in the heat - the focus is retention not dissipation. On holiday especially in warmer climes, they’ll be designed to achieve the opposite effect
Subsyxx@reddit
It's a bit of everything. Some will quote humidity, but that's a small fraction because if you're considering non-infrastructure points then you have to consider the latitude of the UK compared to something like Spain.
You've also got to consider the infrastructure — we're built for lower temperatures. Think of everything from buildings built with insulation in mind (rather than passive air flow), buses/trains without proper airflow, blend of construction materials used are for colder weathers (concrete-heavy, densely placed buildings), focus on heating rather than air conditioning, lack of siesta, etc
I agree with the consensus that abroad we're on holiday, and here we're working, but I know people who come here for holiday from a warmer climate and complain about the heat.
DataPollution@reddit
Because you are prob working and while you go on holiday you are not working and chilling on beach. 🤣
Lime_Soda5555@reddit
Well if I'm abroad I'm on holiday and not wearing my work uniform alongside safety boots and a bump cap.
I'm also not stuck at work if I'm abroad, so it's unlikely that I will be drinking tap water which has warmed up a bit due to my bottle not being insulated.
There's a distinct lack of a sea or a swimming pool or indeed any body of water at my place of work.
There's also no form of air conditioning here, except for in the offices and meeting rooms (I'm a machine operator btw) and I rarely have any business being in those areas.
And the list goes on...
surfrider0007@reddit
Humidity
snackl3pop@reddit
I'm from the south of Tunisia, so I'm used to 40°C summers. I haven't started work yet because I was finishing my master's thesis, and now I'm on a short break before I start looking for a job. That is to say that I'm not stuck in an office or doing anything strenuous these couple of days. Believe me 20° ~ 25° in the UK feels completely different. I find it difficult to breathe, and last year it even caused me some back itching (a thing that rarely happened back home even at 40°). Now back home, we only use AC when the temperature goes above ~38° (almost the same thing at my friends', uncles' and neighbours' houses). So yes, I guess it is really the humidity. Also last year my husband, who is from the north of Tunisia, visited the south with me for the first time in his life. He found our 40° more tolerable than the heat in Tunis. Usually in tunis when it gets too hot he has that back itching thing, and he has to lie down on something cool. But in the south he found the sun intense but manageable, he was able to go around and sit outside without AC even around 12pm to 4pm. Also I would say how the houses here are built, and I'm no expert, I think they are built to retain the heat.
StrictDelivery6462@reddit
It's actually never lovely
Ellieperks130@reddit
I do think it is mainly an acclimation and infrastructure issue. Y’all aren’t used to the heat and the homes aren’t built for it either
I’m on holiday here from Texas and it really hasn’t been that bad for me. Shame bc I was looking forward to experiencing what people were talking about :/
My family from here are all dying but I have thought this 85f/30c weather has been great. To be fair we are in the New Forest so it’s a bit less muggy than other part of the country. The house does get hot, especially upstairs tho (rip my melted chocolate) but nothing unbearable so far.
OldManHavingAStroke@reddit
There is a hole in the ozone layer above the UK
Silly_Ad_201@reddit
H u m I d i t y
VastYogurtcloset8009@reddit
Air con. Makes all the difference
bizzys92@reddit
Humidity and our buildings aren’t designed to deal with heat very well.
Big-Teach-769@reddit
Because when you’re abroad you’re generally on holiday and feeling relaxed, not rushing around, and you are strolling along leisurely. You are also probably dressed for holiday, shorts, t-shirts etc. And you’re probably dipping in and out of a pool all day, or drinking cold drinks in the shade, feeling good.
In the U.K. you’re more likely to be rushing around, stressing, and going to work on a hot bus/tube, etc, dressed in work clothes. Coming back, and then cooking dinner or whatever, feeling all hot and bothered.
aurora_ethereallight@reddit
It's the humidity.
Seth-73ma@reddit
Mainly cause UK houses / buildings are designed to trap and keep heat. In most European countries is the opposite.
elby___@reddit
Because the UK isn’t built for this kind of heat? Because you’re not lying by a pool?
Left_Reach2020@reddit
Take off your socks for a start
YourNameHeere@reddit
Our buildings in the UK aren't built to deal with hot weather.
I'm a BEMS engineer - most of the kit/design that we specify is rated for the UK market, for instance unless you have a very long run or a very large building with a split ducting system, you likely won't have a secondary chilled water batteries on your ventilation system like you would in Spain, France, Japan etc.
Even the buildings themselves are designed to trap and recirculate heat!
When we design these buildings we don't really consider the 2 months of hot weather we enjoy and focus almost exclusively on air quality, humidity and energy reduction.
I have noticed a marked increase of DX systems in domestic and small businesses though!
Furthermore humidity in the UK (80 - 90% in winter, 50-65% in Summer) does make everything feel sticky! Without proper conditioning, weeks of high humidity will drain you!
cbrownmufc@reddit
I think there’s 2 parts to it.
Firstly, I think there’s humidity here makes it harder to cool down.
Secondly, when on holiday we don’t have to deal with normal life. Work, gym, cooking, shopping, household chores etc. which are crap to deal with in hot weather.
BTZ-25@reddit
Maybe because you can easily pop in and out of facilities with air-conditioning. It's not so common here.
ikonoqlast@reddit
I'm going to guess humidity. I live in Phoenix. 105F and dry? No problem. 100F and humid? Death.
Aggravating_Speed665@reddit
Russian heat ray.
When the skies are clear, a heat ray is deployed and cooks us. It's in the same position as the sun so we can't see it.
Zossua@reddit
I kinda like the odd 30c day tbh. I went on a walk at lunch , you go on long walks in the evening or early morning. It's nice. It gives me a nice holiday vibe.
WuhanLabVirus2019@reddit
It's all these foreigners bringing their weather with them on dinghies.
/S
😂🥵
Used-Flamingo-4320@reddit
Carpets and bricks.
TwizzleShnizzle@reddit
Humidity levels are very different, tis a bit moist here
Apprehensive-Lack-32@reddit
We've done this
seven-cents@reddit
High humidity inhibits the body's ability to cool itself by sweating.
The drier the air, the more moisture it can take up beyond what is already in it, and the easier it is for extra water to evaporate. The result is that sweat evaporates more quickly in drier air, cooling down the skin faster. If the relative humidity is 100%, no water can evaporate, and cooling by sweating or evaporation is not possible.
slliw@reddit
I think a lot of it is also to do with our houses. Most old houses in the UK are insulated to keep the central heat trapped in during the cold months. Unfortunately the same principle applies during the summer months. It also explains why the next day if it’s cool outside your house is still a sweat box.
hydrgn@reddit
A lot of it comes down to housing and building design. 1. Continent - houses have shutters which block out the sun. UK - as soon as the sun appears people open all their curtains and the windows to let all the infrared in. Even shutting curtains doesn’t block out infrared from entering windows. 2. Continent - houses painted light colours and walls made of stone, concrete or tile. UK - houses made of brick which absorbs and holds heat better and for longer. 3. Continent - walls have good insulation keeping out the heat and roofs have less to let heat out at night. UK - most houses don’t have insulated walls so heat gets in but is then trapped by insulation in the loft. 4. Continent - theres AC in houses and buildings. 5. UK houses are oriented mostly south/north meaning the windows face directly at the sun. Probably a lot more I haven’t thought of.
Fun-Pen5713@reddit
Im on holiday now 32c the difference is im not at work and drinking a cocktail
WarDry1480@reddit
Humidity.
LaTerreur92@reddit
It is mainly because of oceanic climate and humidity. In UK it is mostly humid, so comparing for example to Spain, which a sub-Saharan climate, with dry, cool air. Even 55 celsius degrees are bearable endure just because of dry air.
chaletbitch@reddit
I’m in Spain for work a the moment. It’s 30C and fucking awful. Sticky AF.
thedummyman@reddit
Relative humidity, when it is hot in the UK it is hot and humid.
KnickebeinUK@reddit
Try Hong Kong, Singapore or Brunei. Been posted there many times and the humidity can be unbearable.
CartoonistNo9@reddit
Cos usually when I’m abroad and it’s 30 degrees I’m only wearing short, and I’m normally in water with beer not far away.
DaenerysTartGuardian@reddit
I lived and worked in California for several years and I can assure you that 33 was just as shit there as it is here, and it started like that in like March as well. You just get used to it, and also many places absolutely crank the AC. I used to walk to work and I would take a jacket or jumper in my bag to put on when I arrived.
Bennjoon@reddit
Not to be an old lady sitting on her porch but it’s the humidity that gets ya.
crypticcamelion@reddit
Check the humidity, UK is humid ocean climate. I also find Denmark unpleasant when go above 27, but in fine with 35 in Bulgaria due to the dry climate.
Main-Ad5151@reddit
I've noticed it's the lack of hardhat, fireproof overalls and steel toe cap boots that makes the biggest difference.
Anxious-Molasses9456@reddit
when youre on holiday youre outside a lot more, at the pool in air conditioned hotels etc
At home in the uk youre trapped at home or work or public transport, often in work uniform
Adventurous_Quit_794@reddit
And a bloody bra.
LordLuscius@reddit
Our houses are built for cold damp weather and we live on a damp island meaning our sweat can't evaporate as the air is wet.
arielhexen@reddit
54% in southwest dew point is 18 it’s 27 degrees and it says it feels like 29 ( I was 30 2 hours ago)
tops1000@reddit
Life’s different when you’re on holiday at a pool or beach with a cocktail in hand. Also buildings here are insulated and not geared for hot weather
dallibab@reddit
Humidity
dragons-tears@reddit
Humidity and we are working in it and no siesta
appletinicyclone@reddit
It's not a humidity thing
It's that we aren't mentally "eased" here. We aren't a go slow and have a siesta who cares if you're late culture
We are a panic about everything that we feel obliged to do culture
PaulBradley@reddit
I have a big bowl of ice in the room and I'm quite comfortable. Second law of thermodynamics.
Thepowerfulturtle@reddit
You are pissed more on holiday so it's more bearable
Alpha_Apeiron@reddit
It's humid and we have no air con
InSilenceLikeLasagna@reddit
Aircon
bellydisguised@reddit
The sea
SeePerspectives@reddit
All our homes and cities are designed to keep us warm. We have brick built houses on solid foundations, most of which are well insulated. We have large areas of paved surfaces and hard standing. Our buildings are close together, with few open areas in between.
All of this is designed to trap and store heat while reducing wind chill. The brick, stone, concrete and tarmac all absorb heat and continue to radiate it back out even when the air does finally start to cool, and the close quarters means it’s harder for a decent breeze to sweep through and take the humidity away which reduces the efficiency of evaporative cooling and surrounds us in bubbles of hot wet still air.
On top of this, countries that are used to high temperatures also more commonly use air conditioning in their buildings and pools in hotels, gardens, and public swimming facilities, so you’re only actually out in the heat for limited periods of time and fully under your own control. When it gets too much you just go inside or take a swim and the heat becomes more bearable.
Things you can do to help if you can’t afford AC:
Make a tshirt damp and wear it (honestly, this got me through being pregnant through summer during both my pregnancies) you can even sleep under a damp sheet during hot nights.
Put your fans near your windows, have the ones on the shady side of the house sucking air in and the ones on the sunny side blowing air out. Switch them as the sun moves. If you have enough fans to have two in one room, use them to make a cross breeze.
Paddling pools, or if you don’t have outdoor space cold baths or showers
Those cooling pads for pets can be used by people too, bonus cooling if you stick them in the fridge or freezer first
LadyJoselynne@reddit
30 degrees in the Philippines is even more unbearable compared to 30 degrees in the UK.
This year, our summer even reached 45°-48°.
ncminns@reddit
Abroad you are in the pool every 20 minutes and not moving much and in a crap boiling office doing tedious work!
jabber_91@reddit
We invested in a portable air con last summer. Best thing we ever bought, keeps the bedroom cool at 17°C at night, brought it downstairs today and have been chilling in the living room.
Easily worth the £300 initial outlay
Ravens_Fury@reddit
It’s because relatively speaking the UK is actually quite a humid country. Thanks to our damp, oceanic climate. It’s obviously not at the level of tropical regions. It makes hot weather just feel worse.
Forsaken-Tiger-9475@reddit
StereotypicallBarbie@reddit
I can enjoy this raging heat much more laid next to a pool… or on a beach than I can when sat in a stuffy office.. with other sweaty bad tempered people! Thinking that when I leave I’ve got tea to cook.. the dog to walk.. and a giant pile of ironing to do.
Emergency_Mistake_44@reddit
On holiday I can do things at my leisure and walk around half naked.
Here, I'm doing the school run, going to work, cooking dinner and don't have AC.
thatcambridgebird@reddit
When you’re over here you don’t have to do anything but relax and enjoy yourself, but as someone living in currently 39 degree heat at 6.20pm (southwest France) I can tell you that everyone hates it just as much when it’s the day to day norm of having to live and work around.
Azyall@reddit
We're an island surrounded by water. Relative humidity is higher here than in a lot of holiday destinations. If it's humid, the natural cooling system of sweating doesn't work as well because the moisture on your skin doesn't evaporate as fast. Or at all.
Plus, as others have said, there's the issue of trying to go about your daily life and chores in the heat.
O_D84@reddit
36 degrees in Paris was completely fine for me .
Rebcatt@reddit
I’m abroad where it’s been over 30° and it’s just as unbearable as home. My apartment doesn’t have air con but it’s actually keeping cool with the curtains shut though, so that’s something.
Dando_Calrisian@reddit
High humidity
Standard_Bit_2569@reddit
The sky is closer in England
MCMLIXXIX@reddit
More to the point why is everyone complaining about the shot weather then complaining when we get a very brief break from that shit weather? 😅
FriendlySociety3831@reddit
Because humidity.
Termin8or9000@reddit
How many times will people start this conversation? Just google it, there are plenty of Reddit posts around.
twister-uk@reddit
Countries which regularly experience hot weather tend to be built around that - e.g. compare the way buildings are constructed, their materials, the way they make use of shade and airflow etc, against the same type of building in the UK. Even seemingly trivially small differences can have a relatively big effect on how we perceive the temperature.
Also consider that if you're on holiday in a hot country, you yourself are more likely to make changes in behaviour to account for the heat - choosing when to venture outside, what to wear, what to eat and drink through the day. If it just happens to be a hot day whilst you've already got things here you need to do, then you might not have much/any scope to adjust in the same way.
Same arguments apply for cold weather - countries which experience this regularly are more inclined to be prepared for it, whereas we get it just often enough to be annoying, but not often enough to justify the expense in preparing for it to the same extent.
Shed_Some_Skin@reddit
I went to Rome a couple of years ago, in the middle of an unseasonal heatwave in late may/early June. It was close to 40 degrees at points. But absolutely everywhere has air con. Bars and restaurants have water misters on the streets. It was still fucking boiling (I almost passed out outside the Vatican museum) but at least you can escape it
Went to Paris the next year in July. Was definitely bloody hot, 25-27 most of the week, but it felt worse than Rome because you can't count on being able to get away from it. Those fucking perspex tubes on the outside of the Pompidou nearly fucking killed me
RECTUSANALUS@reddit
Humidity, and that are houses are built to trap in heat
Green-6588_fem@reddit
The swimming pool next to you where you can go for a dip any time is priceless.....The heat is nice when there's the beach or the pool to cool down!
LordCheeseOnToast@reddit
Humidity. Simple as that.
_ShredBundy@reddit
Surely one person out there actually enjoys this weather? Same people moaning it’s unbearable will be the same ones moaning when it’s pitch black and freezing at 4pm in a few months 🤣
Prestigious-Gold6759@reddit
humidity
Donkerz85@reddit
No aircon at night it probably the biggest culprit. You've also unlikely got a pool or sea to cool off in.
BouncyBlueYoshi@reddit
You don't expect it.
Sillyspidermonkey67@reddit
I don’t know why everyone is moaning so much. I’m really enjoying it even through my allergies.
Fdocz@reddit
Lots of things:
Most people live in housing that was designed to be cheap and quick to build, and thus has limited concessions to thermal engineering or ventilation. If you take a bog standard Victorian terrace, which I believe is the most numerous style of housing in the UK, its basically a (very pretty) brick shed where you can burn a coal fire more or less every room.
As a country we are simply not used to extreme weather either side of the thermostat. I mean this in both a social/behavioral sense, but also in terms of infrastructure, though the latter is changing the the former will as these things become more common. Temperatures in the mid-30s are miserable anywhere unless you take measures.
Humidity can be a factor but to be honest its not a major one.
Urban areas bump the temperature up a few degrees which makes a lot of difference, especially at night when all the concrete and tarmac and brickwork diffuses the days heat out overnight.
Being at home and being on holiday somewhere warm are very different, If you spent a UK heatwave sat next to a lido or on a beach in Devon, reading a book and drinking a cocktail before retiring to an air conditioned room that someone else cleans up for you, you'd resent the temperature less.
We like moaning and complaining, especially about the weather.
asymmetricears@reddit
When you're on holiday, you're never more than 8 feet* from the sea or a pool, and everywhere has aircon.
When you're in the UK your house is insulated to keep you warm in winter, and it's trickier for it to cool down.
As an aside, 30 degrees in Athens earlier this month was pretty tough, the urban heat island effect was real.
*statistic totally made up
Old_Man_Benny@reddit
Your all soft I'm loving it.
Heathy94@reddit
I think it's a combination of things, on holiday we are dressed to enjoy the weather, have time off to relax and the buildings abroad are built to keep heat out, places have AC too.
Here we are going about our daily lives in normal work clothes, going in buildings that are designed to retain heat and lack AC, we don't have a pool we can just dive into either. Still though theres something about the UK heat that hits different on my dinner today I went out and it was 29C but it honestly feels pretty much like it did when it was 40C in Italy the other year, the sun is just blazing hot.
I can deal with the heat in the day but on the night it's the worst, I don't care what country you come from a nd how hot it gets, trying to sleep in a UK house in the summer is torture, it was 27C in my bedroom this morning at 7am, it was 21C outside, not to mention the humidity sky rockets on the night to like 80-90% humidity, it's just a warm wet sticky heat that is uncomfortable and all you have is a lousy shitty fan to provide any comfort (barely provides any).
Max-8001-23@reddit
I've just been having this chat in the car home. I have travelled back from Scotland to where I live in North Yorkshire. Set off around 11am this morning from Scotland and it was around 18 degrees and cloudy. Woke up wrapped up in duvet (the thought of that now makes me uncomfortable) Right here now in North Yorkshire it's 29 degrees. It was getting warmer and warmer as we drove south but nice with the windows down with the breeze. We stopped at the services half hour from were I live and was very hot outside. Went into service it was beautiful and cool with the air-conditioning. I think that's the main reason. Also as I type this I'm laying with the fan on full downstairs on my sofa in just boxer shorts where as upstairs is like a sauna!!
Main reasons I think are this:
FantasticSouth@reddit
Houses in UK ain't built to keep cool, they were built to keep heat in during cold winters.
And you are on holiday. The reason should be obvious!
HeartyBeast@reddit
throw-away-doh@reddit
Indoor spaces in countries that reliably have summers in the 30-40s are air conditioned.
Charlie_Yu@reddit
Hot house and no air conditioning
Fast-Concentrate-132@reddit
I've just had a conversation about this with my cousin in Italy, less than an hour ago. Here are the main points we both agree on:
UK houses built to keep the heat in. So if it's 30 degrees outside, it's 30 degrees inside. Not the case in Italy.
British people don't know how to keep the house cool. You close the windows and blinds first thing in the morning, before the bad heat arrives. Make it dark, keep the heat out.
It's never that hot for that long at the time. It takes time for your body to acclimatise to changes in temperature - like 2-3 days, minimum. Usually temperatures change again before you're able to. It's cooler for a few days, then it might start again - and again, not for long enough for you to acclimatise.
Brits aren't used to it.
Apprehensive_Ad4172@reddit
You can wander round an ac cooled hotel room in your undercrackers, or wander up and down a beach in speedos and flip flops on holiday. I’ve discovered this is frowned upon at work, regardless of the weather.
Asleep_Strategy_6047@reddit
UK houses are designed to retain heat and also rarely have air con. This isn't the case in a lot of holiday destinations.
LostJD-@reddit
For most Being on Holiday in an air conditioned room , pools , beaches etc is bearable , being at home is not that(for most)
Succotash-suffer@reddit
Also, buildings are designed for hot climates and you’re usually by the sea when abroad which means a nice breeze.
NervousDetail2678@reddit
Tell me about it I'm sweatn like a f pig ffs
TulipTattsyrup99@reddit
A couple of weeks ago, at 4.45 in the evening, on holiday 35 degrees in the shade, so hot I could have melted, I bobbed around in the sea for an hour to cool down, husband bobbing along.
Today, 4.45, I’m getting the evening meal ready, the washing has been pegged out to fry in the sun all day, I’ve vacuumed, cleaned, fan working overtime, so hot I could melt……but there’s no sea to jump in. Husband has been at work all day in thick safety clothing and work boots. That’s why it’s different
F_DOG_93@reddit
Because you're working and you're not by the pool/sea 24/7
Apprehensive_Art6921@reddit
There's a level of stickiness to the heat you experience in London that I have yet to experience anywhere else in the world. It's gross.
Dystopianita@reddit
Clothing.
I wore a beach dress to Morrisons earlier. Felt lovely.
underrated_prunes@reddit
Aircons….abroad people have aircons…
wils_152@reddit
I blame Hugh Midity.
RedWife77@reddit
We just got back from a holiday in the tropics in April. It was humid as hell and as hot as it is in the UK right now, but we were right by the beach, with several pools to choose from, an air conditioned room and all we had to do was lie around. Any time we felt too hot, we got in the pool or the sea or went back to our room to nap in the air con. It’s not comparable with trying to work in our hot box room study.
lovinglifeatmyage@reddit
I ask that question myself constantly
nabster1973@reddit
I’ve been to hot and humid places such as Orlando, New Orleans (32°C in June), New York (in July and August) and Mumbai.
I’ve also been to hot and dry places such as Rome (38°C in July), Cairo (35°C in April) and New Delhi (44°C in April).
Hot and dry is as bad for me as hot and humid. The sun tends to feel way more intense. The only plus for hot and dry is I tend to sweat less than when it’s humid.
SoggyWotsits@reddit
When I’m on holiday I’m not in work clothes or having to do work!
missyesil@reddit
I live outside the UK now. It's just as unbearable here. I go to work, buy groceries and get public transport, and regularly feel like I am going to faint as it's up to 40 degrees. It's most certainly not lovely.
PlaneAsleep9886@reddit
Humidity.
It hinders your body's sweat evaporation, so you can't cool down like you would in a drier heat.
rhyithan@reddit
Currently visiting my folks in the south of France. It’s 27 overnight. It’s not lovely. The local mayor has had to use the village community centre as an air conditioned shelter for anyone who cannot afford/unable to cool their homes during the day.
Ritushido@reddit
Humidity is a big part of it. I lived in Spain for years before moving back but somehow even though the hot periods are shorter here, they are far more stifling.
NetRelative3930@reddit
Cause we aren’t sitting pool side with a pina colada and no work of any shape or form to do
Prize-Ad7242@reddit
Humidity mainly, our buildings don't help either.
Express_Landscape_85@reddit
It IS different. It’s not just a mental thing. I live in south China and when it’s 15 degrees I need 3 layers and I can even see my breath, but if I’m in the UK if it’s not that windy and the sun is out I might just put on my shorts and a T-shirt.
Weather feels different in different parts of the world and I think it’s down to the humidity levels.
MercuryJellyfish@reddit
Three factors: Humidity - you can’t cool yourself by sweating Still air - the air is getting baked because it’s in place; normally we get air coming in from Greenland or the North Sea, so we have cool breezes. High Pressure - it only gets horrible like this when two weather systems collide and stack. Really contributes to the sense of oppressiveness.
Skitteringscamper@reddit
Were stuck in work. In offices designed for the cold.
It's hard to type when you're melting over the keyboards
DreadLindwyrm@reddit
It's often quite humid when it's warm here.
Dry heat is a very different experience to wet heat.
ChompingCucumber4@reddit
tbf i was recently in germany when it was 35 degrees and it was really no better than that here, whether it’s different in usually hotter countries im not sure
DaveN202@reddit
It’s fine. Stop moaning.
Mazza_mistake@reddit
The humidity, our houses are built different, we don’t have air con in a lot of places, we still have to work which always feels worse when it’s hot
highlandviper@reddit
Combination of things. If you’re in the Mediterranean they usually have AC, a pool, and siestas. We rarely have any of that here. We do our 6/7am-10pm shifts at life straight up. They break the day down and we don’t drink enough water as a nation.
Sgt_Sillybollocks@reddit
It ain't that bad..I've been in a tractor all day with no Aircon..sweaty as fuck and I'm pissing steam but it's better than the miserable wet weather we always have. Get a solero and relax.
RudePragmatist@reddit
Maritime climate. I just can’t be bothered to explain it to you because I’m too fucking hot.
supertramp1808@reddit
I am abroad and I can tell you, it's no joke here either 😅
Colourful_Q2@reddit
Humidity and the way places are built are different. In hot climates, buildings and cities are designed to funnel breezes down pedestrian areas, offer shade, etc.
Durzo_Blintt@reddit
I don't feel it's hotter outside than other countries, but inside I definitely feel it more because our houses trap heat and not many people have air con. If I had air con in my house I'd like 35c weather outside, but 35 outside means my bedroom is 35 at night which is unbearable when trying to sleep.
Character-Pie-662@reddit
They also trap humidity due to poor airflow.
A person inside a small room is going to increase that room's humidity, so that it's higher inside than outside.
leona1990_000@reddit
I think it's because of how we build our house. We built them good at keeping heat (which is good for winter)
Groffulon@reddit
Would you rather be trapped in a 200c oven alone… Or trapped in there with a big bowl of water? Obviously it’s the first one. Dry heat is much more manageable. This is why.
RenePro@reddit
Air conditioned hotel. Beach side resort? Who wouldn't love that.
If you don't have ac in your home it's terrible. Recently got one for the house and regret now getting it earlier. Meaco air con if anyone needs one.
contrarybeary@reddit
I guess it comes down to a few things really.
On holiday we don't have to do anything, where at home we have our jobs to do.
We're too half arsed about decent air conditioning, because Britain isn't supposed to get this warm.
We don't understand hot weather, so people do stupid things like opening the window to let some air in when it is much warmer outside.
But the biggest one here i think is that as a nation we love whinging about the weather, no matter what it does. And let's face it, it never gets unbearable here. Whether its unbearably hot or unbearably cold or unbearably wet or unbearably windy, it doesn't really happen here. We are a land of weather mediocrity.
Flat-Ad8256@reddit
Other countries are built for heat. Tiled floors, overhanging rooves, white walls. Streets are narrow to provide plenty of shade.
We’re built for warmth. So now the climate is changing our buildings and infrastructure struggle.
WanderingATM@reddit
Pollution (at least in London) and no A/C in brick houses and public transit.
I lived in a bit of Canada where it was consistently hot but more humid. We had AC on transit, in our house, and in most public places. In effect when you have these things, you just think of the heat less and get on with your life.
Makes a big difference to your sleep quality in particular.
Princess_Limpet@reddit
Carpet. Work. Lack of a pool. What type of clothing is considered appropriate. Basically all of it has to do with circumstance and nothing to do with the temperature.
Jazzlike_Quiet9941@reddit
In Valencia right now and it's definitely not "lovely". It's very humid, whereas when we were in Madrid last week it was hotter, but far more pleasant due to the dry heat.
pigeonJS@reddit
Because we don’t have AC in our homes
ComprehensiveBee1819@reddit
The humidity does make a difference in comparison to some areas - though as many have said, if you go to anywhere fairly built up in Europe and step outside in the Summer it is very much like breathing soup. Humidity has a far worse effect in winter here.
We are generally not set up for hot weather, buildings aren't built (even without air conditioning) to facilitate air flow, or to keep cool. We have buildings that are designed to trap heat and keep moisture out.
On holiday, you aren't trying to work, commute or do the school run, so you don't care about the heat as much.
It depends where in the UK. Our cities (and London particularly) trap heat in concrete much more than the countryside does. The more buildings clustered together all getting hotter, the hotter it feels. Generally on holiday we tend to be in areas that are a bit more open.
DotAffectionate87@reddit
The UK is just not designed for it, TBH, its only recently i started to see AC compressors on the side of residential homes
I now live in Jamaica and shaded patios, fans everywhere, AC units EVERYWHERE and AC'd places are the default.
Effective-Pea-4463@reddit
You probably never experienced 30 degrees in north of Italy
CFDyce@reddit
It’s a different kind of heat
miked999b@reddit
When it's 27C in Sydney it doesn't even feel that hot, it's just pleasant. I used to go out for the day and I'd walk miles.
I've just come back from a 10k walk at home, it's 28C and it's like being in a greenhouse.
ItsDominare@reddit
Hot countries have the necessary things to deal with the heat, like ubiquitious A/C. We don't.
Our houses are generally built to retain heat because we're a relatively high latitude country that's historically had more problems with winter than summer. Climate change has fucked with that and, as always, the UK hasn't made the necessary adjustments.
Peterwhite100@reddit
Humidity & the inability of our infrastructure to cope with heat, we are built for the cold.
Our homes retain heat, overseas they have concrete building to prevent them retain as much heat as our homes do.
AC is the norm in most overseas countries (warm ones) it’s not here, so the only AC we encounter is the car or an office building.
LoquaciousLascivious@reddit
We are an island surrounded by almost exclusively ocean. We are not a tremendously large country either, so the air be ones very moist and oppressive compared to drier, hot climates abroad.
I believe that is the case in a nutshell.
The_Umlaut_Equation@reddit
UK has a humid climate, very few buildings have AC, buildings here are typically very well insulated and designed to keep heat in.
Compare that to going somewhere in Europe where it's 35C, but houses are painted white, let heat escape, and windows all have meshes to allow airflow in.
Or in other words, many places abroad are geared up to deal with hot weather. The UK is mostly built with the exact opposite in mind.
Jacktheforkie@reddit
Air conditioning, adapted construction methods, etc, the uk is a hot country built like a cold one, we don’t have the essential infrastructure
N0madM0nad@reddit
The UK simply wasn't designed for the heat.
PlaneWar203@reddit
I like it when it's hot and I can sit out in my hammock
gandhi_theft@reddit
No Aircon
CMDR_Crook@reddit
Wet air
SeagullSam@reddit
Humidity. Most of western Europe is choking at 30+. Whereas the Med etc is drier so it feels lovely.
120000milespa@reddit
Humidity. The UK is surrounded by water.
Gluebagger@reddit
because grifting
Jumbo_Mills@reddit
When abroad there's proper air conditioning and at worst ceiling fans.
Dunkmaxxing@reddit
There is nowhere in the world where 25+ is nice to be in for basically anyone who is moving around doing anything. All the more reason people should take climate change seriously and take some personal action. There will be a mass migration/resource crisis soon because of climate change. The reason the UK feels so much worse is because of a lack of infrastructure to manage the heat. Well insulated buildings with continuous high heat even throughout the night, and no air conditioning in most houses. Even sitting down near stationary I am sweating in my room shirtless because it can reach like 33-35 or so with my PC on for a while. 5-15C with a breeze is much nicer as you can actually move around without sweating so easily and the heat doesn't take the moisture away from you so fast. Also, much easier to insulate your own body than to cool it down with no AC. The only way higher temperatures are bearable is if you aren't labouring in them and even then it sucks.
BellendicusMax@reddit
The way I heard it explained is moisture. We're an island. We're surrounded by water. Whenever its hot or cold there is a lot of moisture in the air, and this conducts more effectively than 'dry' air. So it feels hotter and colder in the UK than higher or lower heats elsewhere.
KindLong7009@reddit
Try Asia
lepan06@reddit
I went on holiday to italy and 31 felt like my skin was burning off! coming back to the Uk after that I could tolerate the heat a lot better
notimefornothing55@reddit
I love it when it's hot here, my house is quite cool though, but generally I love the hot weather
Kwayzar9111@reddit
British Houses designed to keep in heat
British People like to complain
Kindly-Ad-8573@reddit
In summer time the tilt of the earth is such we are closer to the sun at our latitude so obviously closer to the sun much hotter. We are lucky because it's in winter when the earth's orbit is much closer to the sun so that added to the tilt is why Australia is really, really ,fucking hot in the summer so we are kind of lucky. But we are a small Island surrounded by water so we tend to , instead of a dry heat , feel like we are inside a steaming pressure cooker which makes our heat more oppressive along with homes designed for keepin winter heat in and the cold out , than been airy for hot weather. Dark slate /tile roofs, 300mm lagging in lofts , double/triple glazing. The inane ability to wear North Face jackets in summer for the look.
MachineGunChris@reddit
My goooogleberrys get to warm, I hate it
Fickle_Hope2574@reddit
Humidity. We are a island so our humidity is always far higher than most countries plus we are far closer to The north pole which adds to the humidity.
A dehumidifier is a godsend for me.
TMI2020@reddit
No one knows. The question has never ever been asked by anyone before, so it’s just one of life’s great mysteries.
Mgtks@reddit
No respite anywhere. No AC. And when our houses get warm they're staying pretty warm no matter what you do. Hence why there's always health warnings, it can get pretty dangerous.
West_Vanilla7017@reddit
Our homes are built for winter, not summer, and do not have air conditioning.
In window air con units also dont work because our windows don't open horizontally.
Countries where it is usually hot build their infrastructure around it. Here, we don't.
AstroChet@reddit
They’re better equipped abroad, their houses and shops are made for mild winters and hot summers, ours are made for cold winters and mild summers. Air conditioning also, but I would say, the humidity here is relentless, I just came back from Crete where the weather was the same, and even then it was way more bearable than here.
ImpossibleSky3923@reddit
Is it weird that I don’t mind 30 degrees here. As long as I have a fan I am okay. I do not have AC. The sunshine makes me happy it feels like it clears my lungs. However when it is humid that’s when it’s awful hot and cloudy is not good and I can get nosebleeds from humidity.
Helpful_Effort1383@reddit
The humidity thing is largely a myth.
It's primarily because of our infrastructure, it's simply not designed for hot weather because there's no need for it outside of the occasional heatwave.
Of course though, the need is likely to become greater with the effects of climate change coming into force...
GargaryGarygar@reddit
I don't think it is unbearable, I just think there are some very vocal people who love to moan about it being too hot, or claim the humidity here is totally different to anywhere in the world when actually it isn't.
I remember travelling through South East Asia. It was the first time I had ever been outside of Europe, and the humidity in Bangkok/Ho Chi Minh/Phnom Penh/Singapore and places like that and it was definitely worse than here.
Back in July 2018 I went to Vancouver. I left the UK in a middle of a heatwave, when it had been about 32C for two or three days, and when I arrived in Canada I thought there would be some relief from the heat. In Vancouver the temperature was about the same as the UK, but it felt a lot hotter.
I am pretty certain most people here who moan about the temperature haven't felt warm weather or been exposed to it for a prolonged period at least.
Proper_Dot1645@reddit
Indian here , to be really honest , out of the home , it is quite pleasant in shade , also walking out in the sun is not that difficult. Only the homes here are designed to trap the heat , otherwise with all the open spaces and places , it is not that hot. In India , it is the same with temperature between 30 to 34 I guess, it gets tough after 35 , and after that it is literally heat wave, where you mandatorily need ac in the house. Otherwise, I have comfortably enjoyed my day out under the tree shade when it was 32 c
jimjamz346@reddit
We are not set up for it. You can't just nip to the beach or the pool very easily. There aren't loads of on street dining and sun shields everywhere. We don't usually have good or any AC in homes or shops. Etc etc
TheNinjaPixie@reddit
32 in Ibiza, too hot to do anything for me. I love air con which we rarely see in the UK
No-Ferret-560@reddit
Humidity is higher here than it is in many European holiday destinations.
There's a lack of air conditioning here for obvious reasons.
On holiday you're probably sitting around a pool doing nothing whereas here you've got to work, shop, travel etc
Fluffybudgierearend@reddit
It’s sweltering in the UK one part because of the humidity and another part because our buildings are not designed for this kind of heat. The vast majority of people don’t have aircon (get it if you can, it’s wonderful), and combining that with homes that are efficient at keeping the heat in for cold winter nights, you get buildings that struggle to cool down and heat up quickly. This means you can’t really hide indoors from the heat so you’re still uncomfortable when you have to go back out.
My advice is to drink plenty of water with ice in it, maybe shove an icepack down your gooch if you’re really getting too warm, stay out of the direct sun, and also maybe have a cold shower too. Take it easy. Also another thing is you can tape tinfoil to your windows to act as thermal curtains, like I know it’s janky and looks like a drug den, but if you get the air circulating and do it before the heat of the day really kicks in, it helps a lot!
tcpukl@reddit
Humidity.
pm_me_d_cups@reddit
Because you're on holiday
wibble089@reddit
It's 30C today in Munich, Germany and it's also not fun (though better than 35+ we're having on some days at the moment.
Yesterday in the garden was nice, because I sat in the shade, or splashed in the (oversized) paddling pool.
Yep, holiday weather is always more enjoyable!
TheGreenPangolin@reddit
Humidity. I've been to cyprus when there was a heatwave with bad humidity. It was just as unbearable as it is in the UK. We didn't do much sight seeing and mostly just stayed by the pool, because it was too hot to move. Places that are regularly horribly humid are less popular as holiday spots.
The same way our houses aren't built for hot weather, neither are our roads and street furniture etc.
You're well rested and get breaks from the heat. Your hotel probably has aircon so you are able to get sleep and get breaks from the heat. Until it gets to the point of making you unwell, most of the unbearableness is just frustration/annoyance. You get less annoyed if you get breaks and can sleep.
You probably wash off the sweat more frequently, via pools and the sea so the stickiness doesn't build up.
scarletOwilde@reddit
Humidity. That’s what makes everyone uncomfortable.
Logical_fallacy10@reddit
So you are comparing holiday to work ?
LadyNajaGirl@reddit
Because for most people they don’t have to work, and holiday resorts have AC that makes sleeping a lot easier.
mmoonbelly@reddit
Am abroad, France. It’s sweltering here. Atlantic coast, but slightly less humidity than the west country.
_o0Zero0o_@reddit
One word: Humidity.
RaincoatBadgers@reddit
High humidity, hot buildings, no AC
WoodHammer40000@reddit
Good question. Maybe because abroad there isn’t a puce-faced gammon whinging about it at every turn.
Ceejayncl@reddit
It’s down to the humidity. The higher the humidity the less sweat etc rolls off you and the less you can cool down. Going elsewhere where there is less humidity is nice, go somewhere similar and it’s awful.
Vergeingonold@reddit
I arrived yesterday in Oradea, Romania where the temperature is exactly the same as at home in Buckinghamshire. I definitely feel more comfortable here both indoors (without airconditioning) and outdoors. I do think it is lower humidity that makes the difference.
Flimsy-Paper42@reddit
Mindset issue.
shadereckless@reddit
You can retreat into air-con for a break, it's just relentless here
Sufficient-Drama-150@reddit
I think part of the problem is that in other countries it is consistently hot throughout the summer so there is time to acclimatise. Where I am, in N Yorkshire, the temperature went up 6° between yesterday and today, and is scheduled to drop by 9° tomorrow. About 3 years ago there was a massive heatwave in much of the UK, but here the temperature was 25° one day, 40° the next then back to something like 23 the day after. As they say, the UK has weather rather than a climate.
TRFKTA@reddit
It’s still bad abroad. The difference is whether there’s AC or not.
I just spent 2 weeks in Spain. The first week O had AC, the second I didn’t. Both weeks were over 30 degrees.
I just arrived home and it felt just like it did the second week.
I think part of it is knowing you’re on holiday abroad as that automatically puts me in a different mindset.
DiligentCockroach700@reddit
"But in the UK, we use REAL degrees"!
cop1edr1ght@reddit
Lack of breeze and houses built to retain heat rather than expel it.
Flat-Atmosphere-4303@reddit
2 things. The infrastructure is generally better to deal with hot weather in counties where it’s often hot. And you’re not on holiday in the uk, so naturally exert more energy.
maddinell@reddit
Our homes and buildings are built to retain heat for cooler weather
TomVonServo@reddit
No they aren’t. Our houses our horribly insulated and our winter heat performance shows that. We have some of the worst homes in Europe for heat retention. This is something people believe because it’s a convenient mental leap.
Smokedbone1@reddit
Has to do with the humidity. I prefer it when it is hot and dry. Not hot and humid.
DiverseUniverse24@reddit
AIR CONDITIONING. Thats it, it really is that simple lol. Even during a working day I don't ever go anywhere with air con. Maybe a shop, thats it. On holiday the cars, the hotel room, the shops, everywhere has air con. Your body gets to rest.
TomVonServo@reddit
Here come all the “our homes are made to trap heat” myth purveyorsz
MisterD90x@reddit
UK isn't built around hot weather, historically we have a cold climate, but over the last 50 odd years it's got a lot warmer, older homes and buildings built around those times tend to be thick walled and heavily insulated to keep heat in.
You go on holiday to Spain or something, notice how most things are painted white, there are plenty of shady spots and AC everywhere.
ThisIsWhatLifeIs@reddit
It's just our shit houses let's be honest? Well most buildings
Adventurous_Week_698@reddit
It's not actually that much different, it gets way overblown on here, the main difference is that you have stuff to do at home which you don't on holiday so it's easier to avoid the uncomfortable heat.
ofjune-x@reddit
You might wear different clothes on holiday like swim shorts and a linen shirt or bikini with a coverup dress over it, flip flops etc.
whereas here you’re probably either in appropriate work clothes like trousers or thicker/longer shorts or a longer dress, more sturdy sandals or even trainers with socks.
Das_Gruber@reddit
Our buildings are built to hold in the heat because we are normally a cold island. Now that we are becoming a hot island, our buildings are giving off heat during summer nights.
08148694@reddit
Humidity and uk homes built to keep heat locked in
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Wrong, and wrong.
TheNotSpecialOne@reddit
Explain more instead of spamming everyone with WRONG all the time. I been to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and it's a lot drier and not that bad when it's 30. Actually nice.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
The humidity here today is not high at all. It's a total misconception.
TheNotSpecialOne@reddit
Still haven't explained why it's so unbearable at the moment.
damegloria@reddit
There are comments near the top of the thread explaining it.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Because it's hot and you are not on holiday. That's it.
Gubs125@reddit
Could you say what is Right, and right then? Rather than being rude about it? 😂
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Personally, I don't even agree with the premise of the question. I don't find 30C here unbearable. But if people do, humidity is not the reason, as it's not humid.
Gubs125@reddit
The climate in the United Kingdom is defined as a humid temperate oceanic climate, or Cfb on the Köppen climate classification system, a classification it shares with most of north-west Europe. "Peel, M. C.; Finlayson B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen– Geiger climate classification""
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Look at the humidty here today, and compare with other places across Europe with the same temperature.
theraincame@reddit
I've never found this to be true.
Illustrious-Pizza968@reddit
On holiday you have the sea breeze, all buildings would have air conditioning they're built to be cool as well whereas here out homes are built to retain heat, humidity is ridiculous no air or breeze. Plus here not many places have air conditioning. This is why I don't like summer because it's much easier to warm up than cool down.
Equivalent-Pea8907@reddit
Moisture in the air makes it humid
damegloria@reddit
Check the weather. It isn't humid.
SamVimesBootTheory@reddit
Humidity, infrastructure designed for cooler weather, urban heat islands, clothing,
Silver-Appointment77@reddit
Its because of humidity. Its 29c here right now, with 49% humidity under big dark colours.. Its feels like Im under a big heavy duvet. Its suffocating. We have very wet heat. A lot of places else where are dry heat. So much difference. Our makes us sweat constantly and we cant stay dry. Even when juts sitting down
DeadBallDescendant@reddit
Socks.
LordAnchemis@reddit
Buildings not designed for heat dissipation and A/C isn't everywhere
And no 30C in Thailand isn't lovely, it was hell (due to the humidity)
Fukthisite@reddit
It's nice here in the countryside but obviously if you live in a town or city it's gonna suck being stuck in a concrete jungle in this heat.
CurvePuzzleheaded361@reddit
The humidity here is the difference. Even on holiday i am very active, we dont enjoy laying about doing nothing, but in the uk i find walking absolutely unbearable in anything above 25. 30 in italy - no issue!
SpudFire@reddit
Humidity. No pool/sea to jump into every hour to cool off. Less likely to be going in and out of shops that have A/C. Probably don't have A/C at home. Probably don't have shutters on your windows at home. 30C abroad is 'normal' and so it cools down a lot at night, whereas here it's a heatwave and stays a lot warmer overnight. Our houses are designed with winter in mind.
coffeewalnut08@reddit
We’re surrounded by sea
BadGraphicsSendHelp@reddit
People also don’t seem to understand that when we say that our building hold heat, we don’t have to be inside them to experience that. If you’re outside, there’s no real breeze and you’re in a built up area then you’re basically in the middle of a tonne of radiators 🥲
Individual-Gur-7292@reddit
I have lived in North Africa and even 45 degree heat there is more tolerable than 30 degree heat in the UK. It is relentless and doesn’t let up even at night. God knows why but it is so much more uncomfortable here.
CraftyTadpole2488@reddit
Because when you’re at home you still have to do all the things that are needed to be done, whereas on holiday you can relax and just be.
OrganizationLast7570@reddit
Probably cos you're by the sea on holiday. I live by the sea and it's perfectly pleasant today
MossyCrate@reddit
I spent the last few years cycling through most of europe and some of central asia, currently doing UK coastline tour.
But damn, i never sweat so much while cycling as i do here. Not in Bulgaria with 44°. Not in Turkey, nor Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan.
Heat just kinda hits different here. No idea why tho.
JBG0486@reddit
The UK is so badly set up for heat. Homes are built to retain it. Urban heat sinks are a real problem. And with most cities being away from the coast you don’t benefit from a sea breeze.
I live in Sydney, originally from the UK and I’ve seen hotter days in Sydney feel cooler than less intense days in the UK.
LegendaryTJC@reddit
We are far more humid than most of Europe.
coffeewalnut08@reddit
I don’t find it lovely, either abroad or here. At least here we have wind and greenery to cool down. And the sun rays aren’t as harsh.
buckwurst@reddit
Air conditioning, architecture designed for warm places, etc
tptpp@reddit
Are you sure you want to hear the truth???
Sheep mentality and the placebo effect unite a group in shared belief, making them feel the same without questioning why.
So no.. it's not hotter than other places.. UK is not special.
xsorr@reddit
No AC in most buildings and transport
KeyJunket1175@reddit
In Hungary we often have 35C and over, I quite enjoy the 30C living in the UK. I like your mild summers. The only thing is housing quality is quite archaic here, so insulation is not great and you don't have ACs meaning the houses get unnecessarily hot.
Top-Spite-1288@reddit
If it makes you feel any better: same in Germany. I believe there are some reasons for that:
1) experiencing heat abroad on holiday and back at home when one has to work are two different things. On holiday you lie down, enjoy a chilled beverage and take a nap, at home you sweat off your behind as you try to get anything done in your office or even worse on construction outside.
2) Places like Spain, Portugal and the likes have a much lover humidity than North- and central Europe. Both, UK and Germany have so many rivers, lakes and rain - high temperature and humidity is much less bearable than dry heat. Compare dry sauna and Finnish sauna. Huge difference!
Facelessroids@reddit
It isn’t unbearable
DeadliftYourNan@reddit
It's a dry heat today isn't it
SnooGiraffes449@reddit
Because we don't have air conditioning like most countries that get hot.
rubys_arms@reddit
I was in Greece where the temperatures were like this, but I could swim in the pool or the sea every day. For me what mainly makes heat unbearable is when I don't have ready access to water to swim in. Even if I don't go, just knowing that it's there really helps.
I know Hampstead ponds etc, but it's crowded and a bit of a shlep, like every body of water in/near London.
HiHiHipeoples@reddit
I think that our buildings are not really designed for the heat. We tend to be more geared up for the colder conditions. Just a theory!
RositaZetaJones@reddit
It’s very humid here.
Dru2021@reddit
Ma balls was hot - https://g.co/kgs/atWYj8S
Mina_U290@reddit
Concrete jungle and no plants.
whatthebosh@reddit
Because most of the time we're having to work through it
MLMSE@reddit
Our homes are built to keep the heat in. In warm countries they are built to keep the heat out.
So you are already hot and dehydrated before you even step out of the door in this country. It's also a more humid heat in this country.
Mikeytee1000@reddit
Humidity, no air con, no pools to jump in
Opening_Succotash_95@reddit
Humidity. If we were a hot country we'd be like Singapore.
Healthy-Drink421@reddit
ultimately people abroad are often on holiday. So they are not stressed trying to get stuff done. But also air-con.
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
wrong.
fundytech@reddit
Overseas you tend to go to the seaside where there’s always a cool breeze along with the hot weather. Most of us live inland in the UK so it’s just roasting
Fresh_Relation_7682@reddit
Because you're on holiday
Because it's less humid (probably)
Because they are used to it and have infrastructure designed accordingly
iwantmuscle@reddit
It's the humidity here in the UK. Plus, the infrastructure is designed for a cold climate...which it is much of the time
PintCEm17@reddit
Humidity
techbear72@reddit
It's in large part that the country isn't built for it. Our homes and buildings are designed to retain heat efficiently, not to keep it out, and we don't have air conditioning as a standard where many countries who have a lot of heat, do.
Spending a few minutes in 30-40°C between your air conditioned home to your air conditioned car to your air conditioned office or mall or wherever is far easier to tolerate than it being hot and opressive all the time.
This video also explains this, and the reverse problem where countries that build for heat will struggle when it's cold because their infrastructure is designed to keep you cool in the heat, not warm in the cold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMqkuAb-HYg
DameKumquat@reddit
Partly it's the contrast - if it was 20 for a week, then 23, then 26, 29 and then 32 degrees for a week each,.we'd get more used to it. But if it's 20 degrees and wet one day, then 32 the next, it's going to be a shock.
And you have to adjust your behaviours day by day - do you want to welcome in the sunlight and air in the daytime, or do you want to keep blinds shut all day? If you know there's going to be 6 weeks of really hot weather, you figure out how to deal. Two days, then it's cold again, then warm for a couple weeks, then another heatwave...
toysoldier96@reddit
Maybe it's cause you're on holiday.
I am from Italy and people complain about the heat there too
Remote-Pool7787@reddit
Because holiday resorts are in breezy coastal areas
Dancinglemming@reddit
I am currently in Vietnam and it was 36 degrees here this morning, which I can assure you, is also unbearable!
mr-tap@reddit
Lots of people will rightly mention the humidity, but you will probably also find that those places that have warm weather more often will make adjustments that you haven't noticed such as:
- making pavements/footpaths from lighter coloured concrete or paving stone instead of black asphalt
- more focus on providing shade to pedestrian areas, playgrounds, outdoor eating areas.
- more focus on being able to block direct sun from shining into homes and buildings. UK has lots of double glazing which is great to stop transfer via conduction (ie. different temp air on other side of window) but not radiation (i.e the electromagnetic rays coming from sun). Best is bigger eaves and/or shutters to stop direct sun hitting the glass, but also heavier curtains to stop sun light getting further in)
Additional-Map-2808@reddit
When humid warms up, you are in a kettle. Cup of tea anyone? Just squeeze your sweat into this cup.
MDK1980@reddit
Humidity. I can bear high 30's in South Africa and Australia, but as soon as it hits 25C here, I know I'm in for a bad time.
TheNotSpecialOne@reddit
Humidity. Some countries have dry heat and 30 is actually lovely. Still hot but no humidity makes it better then here. It's awful when it gets this high here
DoricEmpire@reddit
If you asked me last month I would say humidity. However I’ve just come back from Orlando which had 33-35C and dear God that was oppressive. Right now they are sitting on 90%. So we can’t play that card.
I would say that it’s a mix of: We are not used to it We are not prepared for it - AC is a luxury here, there it’s nearly a human right When on holiday you can shape your day to it - when you are back at work you cannot
Henno212@reddit
Probably cause you may be at work
Im enjoying the hot weather at work though.
Later i’ll be relaxing in it
Flussschlauch@reddit
because you're still in the UK
Piss-Flaps220@reddit
When you're abroad youre on holiday and when you're here you are usually working or doing errands
explorer9898@reddit
People say it’s due to humidity but if you look at the stats our hottest days are our least humid. The main reason is because there a difference between hot on holiday when you’re just chilling by the pool/beach and hot when you have to work, get on a packed train etc. also there’s minimal air con etc. the humidity today is not particularly high- its 45% during the middle of the day, if I go on my phone and check a random place in the med let’s say Barcelona - it’s 48% humidity and 33 degrees, so it’s both warmer there and slightly more humid and yet people will say the heat there is more pleasant etc. it’s simply the difference between having to work/do daily tasks in the heat vs just sitting by a pool/beach not doing anything strenuous + the lack of air con
Vurbetan@reddit
It's the same reason -5c feels a lot colder than it does in big parts of Europe. The amount of moisture in the air.
A German friend of mine that asked "what is wrong with your cold?!" after arriving in the UK. He had woefully under-prepared for how cold the cold is.
IansGotNothingLeft@reddit
I feel like there are a lot of compounding factors. I'm not talking with any authority at all here, I've really got no idea if my theories are true, but....
1 - We are an island, which means humidity is high. I believe we're also more humid than most European countries.
2 - Our infrastructure is not built for this kind of heat. Our homes are designed to keep heat in. The roads in my village are melting. We only have Aircon if we're rich or if we nip to the co-op for a loaf of bread.
3 - We just aren't used to it. Whilst I've seen a lot of UK based Europeans and Americans agreeing with us about our weather, I still think there's an element of us just not being built for it as human beings. And with that and all of the above, we don't really know how to adequately make our homes and lives more heat friendly.
Obvious-Water569@reddit
The vibes.
Visual_Stable3692@reddit
Humidity, and that our houses are often just not built in a way to deal with heat.
Lived in Melbourne Australia for a few years, and you do get 40 degree plus days combined with high humidity. If you venture outside in those temperatures for any extended length of time it becomes "uncomfortable" but because the country is set up for it, it is easily escaped.
BalthazarOfTheOrions@reddit
Humidityyyyyyyyy
Dapper-Message-2066@reddit
Nope.
MASunderc0ver@reddit
Humidity. This morning driving to my first delivery in Telford I was amazed at how foggy it was. Think all that moisture is still in the air and it's also 30°c.
nivlark@reddit
Because you're on holiday and can just relax and take it easy, as opposed to having to carry on doing work, chores, etc.
Personally I really haven't found it that bad though. Down on the south coast it's been consistently warm for several weeks now which I think has meant I've acclimatised quite well. It is currently 34C in my office and I'm sitting here pretty comfortably. Sure I sweat buckets on my cycle in, but that's nothing a towel and a quick change of clothes can't solve. (I am glad I don't have to work outside though!)
Various_Ad2320@reddit
In the UK people point and look at me funny when I have a beer at 10:30am, on holiday they only point. That makes it more bearable.
BlondBitch91@reddit
Humidity and a lack of air conditioning, plus the buildings are designed to retain as much heat as possible as they were built in the days where 30 was a record high.
Now we have passed 40, and 30 is regular in a summer if the Jetstream deems us allowed to have a summer.
BaldyBaldyBouncer@reddit
6 pints with breakfast
snapjokersmainframe@reddit
It's 37°C here in Toulouse right now, and that for me is a country mile away from being lovely 🥵🥵
PigHillJimster@reddit
The 30 degrees is measured in proper calibrated weather station, however as well as humidity your immediate environment may be different. Tall buildings close together, white painted walls, water features, tree cover etc. go along way to bringing that 30 degrees down in local areas.
IncreaseInVerbosity@reddit
Combination of humidity, having to rush around doing things is different to chilling, and building designs - in hotter climates they’re often built to deal with heat and flow better.
cdf84@reddit
Slap on some lotion, grab your sunnies and a cold drink and sit in the garden.. instant holiday!
dvb70@reddit
When I am on holiday I normally have a pool or the sea I can jump into every now and again.
I actually try and replicate this by filling the bath with cold water and jumping in every now again for a 10 minute cool down. That normally keeps me cool for a while after I get out as well.
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