People in the comments describing what it's like in near Wet-bulb event weather
Posted by SandlerCel@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 231 comments
Posted by SandlerCel@reddit | collapse | View on Reddit | 231 comments
Sputnik-overdrive@reddit
It’s April and I’m terrified for this summer in Europe already
SiriHowDoIAdult@reddit
My wife and I are headed to Greece in early July and she's staying through til mid August. Kinda fearful tbh. Thankfully we're a literal stones throw from the med and we have air conditioning but afraid of grid failure.
ToiIetGhost@reddit
Not only is there a risk of heat stroke, but Greece is double the price in the summer. It doesn’t seem worth the risk to me. Stay safe
SiriHowDoIAdult@reddit
Thank you yeah, she's a school teacher so we have to do family vacay during summer months and thats where her family is. Gonna be toasty but we'll be cautious and careful
Mic98125@reddit
I wouldn’t go june - august. Nope.
SiriHowDoIAdult@reddit
Yeah Inkmow but wife is a school teacher so we're limited to summer months for family vacations, and thats where her family is
terrierhead@reddit
I recall reading about the Mediterranean being bathtub temps last summer. Please be careful.
InvisibleTextArea@reddit
I was in the Ionian Sea sailing in October last year. The air temps were 22C (77F) and the Sea temps were 27C (81). It's apparently never been that warm before according to the locals. Lead to some really bad storms being fed from the heat in the water.
PhotographUsed1255@reddit
Do not hike in the afternoon!
kosmovii@reddit
Me too. I'm in Texas. Super hot and humid here. My opinion; there'll be a wet bulb event here this summer
nw342@reddit
Im near philly. We've had crazy temperatures the last month. One day it'll be almost 90 degrees, then it'll drop to the low 50s the next day.
JunketUpbeat9386@reddit
Same in NYC. All of the spring flowers died.
ApesAPoppin237@reddit
I'm in Philly proper, we hit 92 as the high one Thursday then 32 as the low the following Tuesday
AlinaLovesHerCats@reddit
Same thing happened here in Kentucky. I have never seen a 60-70 degree jump in temperature, in MARCH, and the weather here is known for being “bipolar.”
superspeck@reddit
We pulled a texit for the east coast. I lived in fear of a wet bulb event where the power grid went belly up.
There’s a pretty big texodus going on among my friend group. I think half of us have left in the last three years.
MistyMtn421@reddit
I'm in WV and we've already had numerous 87-92 degree days in my area which is wild. It started in March! And so incredibly dry. A 91 degree day at 17% humidity in a temperate rainforest in March should not happen. I am in a valley, although still at 700ft elevation, surrounded by 3 ridges. And we normally stay 10° cooler than in town that's surrounded by concrete and stores, but so far not happening. We've been running 5-10° warmer. I've here 19 years and this is a totally new normal.
Ranzok@reddit
Right but in the context of the thread (wet bulb) it being dry is good, as sweat actually provides value because you can be cooled by it
walkingkary@reddit
In Maryland we’ve already had a few high 80 degree days. It’s now cool again but doesn’t bode well for summer.
liatrisinbloom@reddit
That was wild. I kept thinking, "I shouldn't be liking this, I shouldn't be liking this at all."
Dull-Astronomer6073@reddit
Western Maryland had a few hot ones
DANOM1GHT@reddit
Broke 90 in the Baltimore area multiple days earlier in April.
ElstonGunn321@reddit
Same with central Va.
tipsystatistic@reddit
People in SE Asia experience wet bulb events 88 times a year on average and millions live without ANY electricity. Like a snow storm in the south vs the Midwest. If you use common sense and preparation it’s not a big deal.
saltexas18@reddit
I’m in Texas too but the dry area 😅
Anxious_cactus@reddit
I have a flower and vegetable garden and I had to rethink what and how I'm gonna do this spring and subsequently summer and autmun because it's too goddamn hot already and I see it's gonna escalate so much it's still gonna surprise me.
This temps are what mid to late June used to be, it was a whole week of 26-27 degrees Celsius. Now it's gonna drop to 3 degrees on Wednesday and rise back up to 25C on Thursday
SHOWTIME316@reddit
nightshades love heat and sun. they want all if it
eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes
strategically place a shade cloth to give them an hour break during the hottest part of the day and you should be good
superspeck@reddit
The problem with nightshades is that they need consistent water and consistent heat. If you get outside of the band they set fruit in, good luck. With temperature swings this year on the East coast of the US, my peppers are stunted and I had to pinch all the flowers that got weird when it dropped into the 30s last week. Last year just before harvest when all the fruit was ripening, it rained for three days straight from a tropical storm and all of the fruit split because of the excess water.
degoba@reddit
Yeah spring gardens are getting harder. Lost most of our Brassicas early last year. This year is looking like the same pattern. Rainy humid spring with flooding followed by a hot dry summer with no rain.
Lishio420@reddit
Its already been a rather dry feburary, march and april here in germany (or at least where i live) this year is gonna be such a shit show
vlntly_peaceful@reddit
The apple trees are already blooming, at least a month too early. We are fuuucked.
canisdirusarctos@reddit
It’s okay, when the AMOC breaks down you’ll dream of these balmy warm days.
Ok-Personality-2583@reddit
I'm on the Canadian Prairies and we've had two blizzards in the last couple of weeks. Honestly it's fucking bizarre because the weather the days before were normal for April, and then it snowed a 10cm+ in a day. I don't remember anything like this happening in my childhood.
It's normal to have frost into May here, but not snow like this, and not snow that sticks around either.
Mountain_Fig_9253@reddit
Yup, we get the arctic air while the arctic gets blasted with the warmer that should be over us.
Top_Hair_8984@reddit
West coast Canada, we're already in the 20's. I'm really scared for this summer.
eliquy@reddit
Maybe with the AMOC collapse, the burning heat and freezing cold will cancel out? (or maybe more likely, the four seasons will just become Burning and Freezing)
jambokk@reddit
It's looking more and more like Venus by Tuesday, boys!
Successful-Try-8506@reddit
People who want to imagine what it would be like should read the first chapter of Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future.
Middle_Manager_Karen@reddit
Read that once. It was terrifying. What stands out to me is the underlying assumption power will be available to power my air conditioner.
Reading that chapter made me look around and realize the numerous times per day and per week where a power outage would be crippling.
Soccer tournament outdoors? Traffic jam that doesn't unblock? Brown out because ai is consuming all the power?
The list goes on.
We will die because what we assume will be there will stop being there.
Looking at you natural gas LNG reserves.
Candymanshook@reddit
Buy a house with a basement 👍
Middle_Manager_Karen@reddit
We did three years ago. $200k basement remodel. Now it is 10 degrees colder than outdoor temps with a completely separate ac units (1 head and condenser while another 5 head unit/condenser cools the rest of the house).
My dream is to install solar that does not bother to feed back into the grid. I would remain on the grid with a special switch that allows me to sever from the grid and use my solar during an outage.
Bids are around $40k so I am waiting on that part of the dream.
Candymanshook@reddit
Good plan, when we re-do our roof I plan on investing in a net zero zero as well.
Even without the AC, my basement is cool enough that in a short-term emergency I think we could be comfortable - made the mistake of turning off the AC while down there and losing track of time when we first bought the place, I think the temp in our house read as 29* on the thermostat, and it was still super comfy and cool down there.
tehfink@reddit
At this point in our climate apocalypse, the best roofing you can have is shiny, smooth, and highly reflective (high albedo).
So: Arctic white color metal roof, to minimize solar gain. Bonus points if you put solar panels on it, to provide shade.
Middle_Manager_Karen@reddit
Correct. Ten degrees cooler I noticed on every day of the year. Before I turn on the AC
ToiIetGhost@reddit
$40K to buy and install solar panels? Jesus Christ
PsudoGravity@reddit
I could do a custom system for you for about 20k max but im in the wrong hemisphere unfortunately. That quote sounds like you're getting hosed, though my family consists of one of every professional and we do everything in house so I'm probably out of touch :/
dexter_sinister@reddit
It’s the battery that will cost you, much more than the panels needed to power your home in summer sunlight.
Middle_Manager_Karen@reddit
Correct that added a good $10K to the quote
Middle_Manager_Karen@reddit
Mini split hidden in built in (left) gas fireplace (right) and ceiling hold radiant heat. We live in MN so cold is an issue too.
holistivist@reddit
Sure, I’ll just spend my spare $650k.
MDCCCLV@reddit
That only works in areas that dont get heavy rain or flooding.
RlOTGRRRL@reddit
I'm pretty there was a us military report that if there was a blackout during a heat wave in Phoenix, a lot of people would die.
Like people would get stuck in a traffic jam, be unable to leave, be unable to walk, and it would just be really bad.
I think I found it via a US EMP infrastructure vulnerabilities report. Another nightmare report that's probably worse than the Phoenix one. I'm going to go touch grass now.
Stanford_experiencer@reddit
No one should be living in Phoenix.
larevolutionaire@reddit
A independent solar system, an adaptation of lifestyle ( sleep from 10 am till 5 pm) desert style agriculture. You can adapt to a point . I live in the Caribbean and we now have constant brown out because of hotels and their stupid aircon. I use a back up 12 Walt system with boat style fridge and freezer. I have a wind deep well.
MistyMtn421@reddit
I have scooped up quite a few fans that operate on batteries and during short (a day to 3) power outages in the past, have made an immediate difference! I have a collection of rechargeable batteries that hold a charge quite well while stored, some of the fans are rechargeable with a usb-c also. Two of the fans I have can run for 24hrs on low with a full charge. And seem to charge well with a solar power bank.
ecocommish@reddit
in a true wet bulb event fans will not help
errie_tholluxe@reddit
For that matter even a covered pool would not.
hhgdrums@reddit
This was my very first thought
Causerae@reddit
I reread the first chapter every summer in FL
Esp relevant when the AC at work breaks
theanswar@reddit
had the same thought. I enjoyed the book until it turned into a romance novel of sorts.
demacnei@reddit
Horrifying introduction … good book
RedStormRising17@reddit
Thanks for the suggestion. Have purchased the book.
Sanpaku@reddit
Or go to KSR's sources.
Sherwood and Huber, 2010. An adaptability limit to climate change due to heat stress. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 107(21), pp.9552-9555.
Source of this line:
Murari et al, 2015. Intensification of future severe heat waves in India and their effect on heat stress and mortality. Regional Environmental Change, 15(4), pp.569-579.
Im et al, 2017. Deadly heat waves projected in the densely populated agricultural regions of South Asia. Science advances, 3(8), p.e1603322.
Raymond et al, 2020. The emergence of heat and humidity too severe for human tolerance. Science Advances, 6(19), p.eaaw1838. Supplemental: interactive map of highest observed wet bulb temps.
Justine et al, 2023. The diurnal variation of wet bulb temperatures and exceedance of physiological thresholds relevant to human health in South Asia. Communications Earth & Environment, 4(1), p.244.
Same_Bug5069@reddit
Thanks for the book suggestion!
Ennuiology@reddit
That was a terrifying read.
Effective-Ebb-2805@reddit
Outstanding novel! The beginning is absolutely terrifying, precisely because it's so likely to come to pass.
miklayn@reddit
A megadeath wet-bulb event is imminent.
HolyMoleyGuacamoly@reddit
it’s bound to happen
Barnaboule69@reddit
Nah don't worry they got this
Gyirin@reddit
feels like someone at the US gov might genuinely think like this
Karambamamba@reddit
Freud-Network@reddit
Not enough sharpie.
UserBelowMeHasHerpes@reddit
It's just basic science
BigHobbit@reddit
Cannot imagine the tornados that would come from this...would be amazing.
HolyMoleyGuacamoly@reddit
genius
diedlikeCambyses@reddit
I worked in near wet bulb temp in Australia once. I was working outdoors with a mate of mine. It was so hot it was like being in an increased gravity zone, everything was so difficult. Anyway I remember my mate saying he wasn't even sweating anymore. We were almost finished so we just carried on. A few minutes later my phone rang. It was him! He was panting and saying can't do it can't do it. I was incredulous saying where are you, you were just here, where are you. Anyway, I found him lying under a tree about 10 metres away with ants crawling all over him. I helped him into the car and drove him home. He was sick for a few days after that.
I didn't realise at the time but he probably nearly died.
No_Neighborhood7614@reddit
Yeah stopping sweating is a really bad sign
hikesnpipes@reddit
I can’t sweat it’s a blessing and a curse.
superspeck@reddit
I actually met a guy who had been burned over 90% of his body and could no longer sweat because scar tissue doesn’t sweat. He had to wear head to toe clothing and douse himself when working outside.
baycenters@reddit
I wouldn't sweat it if I were you.
rat_melter@reddit
I prefer dry humor anyway
tobashadow@reddit
I work in a factory with no AC, one summer I was looking at everyone and said huh. Your sweating, your sweating... But I'm not.. oh shit and headed to the break room that has AC. I was in there downing water and standing near the vent for an hour.
ElectroDoozer@reddit
Prince Andrew really lives on the edge eh?
NotAllOwled@reddit
Your body's thermostat officially announcing "well, I tried, sorry it didn't work out."
Boneyabba@reddit
I've given her all she's got Captain, but the dilithium crystals....
kea1981@reddit
Not so much that it didn't work out, more like "I gave it my all and I have nothing left". Why it's so dangerous is that your body will prioritize temperature regulation of the whole body up until it only has enough water to cool the vital organs: usually it's an immediate precursor to death partially because you're so dehydrated by that point your organs are starting to fail.
BoneHugsHominy@reddit
Yep, straight to hospital stuff.
diedlikeCambyses@reddit
Lol yes I've certainly learned alot since then.
miklayn@reddit
Sounds like it. Heat stress is no joke, sounds like he may have suffered from heat stroke. Your friend was probably relatively healthy. Lots of people who aren't, won't be so lucky.
Over-Journalist705@reddit
india is a notably obese country
biscuitarse@reddit
You're being downvoted, but you're right, as it turns out. India has the second-highest number of obese adults globally. Never would have thought that.
diedlikeCambyses@reddit
Yes we were both early thirties and super fit and healthy. I imagine now years later, 3 rounds of covid, bit of weight gain etc, I'd simply die if I pushed myself like that. Neither of us dared to push ourselves in the heat like that again. It was a clear "here's where the line is" lesson.
stillnotarussian@reddit
The problem is the line isn’t actually that high now that it happened once, you can have a reduced heat tolerance and be more susceptible to heat stroke in the future. My daughter had heat exhaustion at a fair in her early teens and she’s always the first one tap out in the summer, even as a fairly fit young healthy adult.
AnRealDinosaur@reddit
Was gonna say exactly this. Once you've had heat stroke, youre more susceptible to getting it again in the future. It also seems to stack. Ive had it a few times, and each time the threshold for what I can handle gets lower.
rosemarylavender@reddit
Something for people to know is that once you’ve had an event like your mate (heat stroke or similar), you’re far more susceptible to them moving forward.
DasBarenJager@reddit
It's true
I got heat stroke as a kid and have not been able to tolerate summer heat ever since, now I just start getting nauseous when I get too hot.
michaltee@reddit
Yep. This happened to me in China when I taught English. Got violently ill from food poisoning coupled with overheating. I almost died. Now anytime in in tropical or humid areas I really really struggle.
Pleasant-Winner6311@reddit
Whoa, thats kinda scary. I had heat stroke about 8 years ago and it put me off the sun for years.. I just cant take it like i used to. I thought that was just me having mild ptsd.
diedlikeCambyses@reddit
Absolutely. Although it didn't hit me as hard, my years working outdoors in the heat has affected my kidneys. Amy one super hot day now and my body struggles a bit
DestroyTheMatrix_3@reddit
Increased gravity zone? That sounds something I'd read in a sci fi book. To be fair, it is Australia.
PsudoGravity@reddit
FYI if you need to do that again, get a chilli bin filled with ice and a big thing of water, fill water bottles with ice, then with water, ice melts into water instantly chilling it. Drink this constantly and refill as needed. It supplements your body's own cooling systems and you can work for way longer in those conditions and be fine.
miklayn@reddit
northrupthebandgeek@reddit
“At least it's a dry heat” in chart form.
miklayn@reddit
Very important article actually has updates to the other image I posted; research shows people are more sensitive to heat stress than previously thought
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70485-1?fbclid=IwZnRzaARbaeRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEelwsU7hZ53fLVec8RzBcKuJGekrdzjRNfWgx5mAiVjPt3pFEzsrKvCc0r2dE_aem_ncUacr0ZYBdSwEd7UfFyMA&utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1dennhawh9kpk
diedlikeCambyses@reddit
Thanks I'll peruse that later today. I am aware though, I have read a couple of articles on this. I definitely would not test myself against this again.
trashmoneyxyz@reddit
Yea people can tolerate some crazy heat in bursts, but when it just doesn't fucking stop the body and mind gets exhausted
Legitimate-Being5957@reddit
What is scary is that is going to happen in one of the more densely populated area on the planet. Death toll could really be huge.
PsudoGravity@reddit
Good band name for the apocalypse
Willybrown93@reddit
I always knew Dave Mustaine was gonna do me in.
slowclapcitizenkane@reddit
First chapter of Ministry for the Future is gonna happen for real, huh?
balls_deep_space@reddit
Is it a good book?
lobsterdog666@reddit
it is... unbalanced. there are a number of very good aspects of the book but theres also a massive part of it hinging on a carbon credit cryptocurrency kind of thing which uh... yeah. terrible.
thismightaswellhappe@reddit
I was thinking to read this but is it like, a story with a narrative? Or just sort of a loose collection of fictionalized vignettes about climate change? I might read it anyway, but if its the latter I might skip around a bit.
lobsterdog666@reddit
It's a story with a narrative, told through the eyes of a couple different people spread out across the globe so it doesn't necessarily follow linearly but it's not just a collection of short stories or something.
PsudoGravity@reddit
No lol. Fun 1/2 then gets progressively more unrealistic until everything magically gets better.
NelsonChunder@reddit
Some of the book's ideas were interesting, like creating ecosystem and wildlife corridors between the major National Parks and forests in the US. Which would be a great idea, but I cannot see anything like that happening in this country's current political climate that is more screwed up than the atmospheric climate.
slowclapcitizenkane@reddit
One of his best climate fiction books, absolutely. I recommend it.
HommeMusical@reddit
The opening was strong; the rest was very weak. The bad guys gave up with little fight; the whole carbon exchange thing was ridiculous and libertarian.
eaterofdreams@reddit
Terrifying.
Here on Vancouver Island, it’s our rainy season and we have no rain in the forecast. Instead, our fire season already started. I watched this wildfire double in size within about 20min.
We’re cooked…
Disruptorpistol@reddit
Lower Mainland here. We didn’t get a single snowfall this winter.
wolfgeist@reddit
Barely got so much as a frost here in Portland
a_dance_with_fire@reddit
Is similar throughout the southern part of the province. Was a super mild winter, and a very dry (and unusually hot) spring. Currently feels more like late May / June weather, not end of April.
Tumbleweed_Chaser69@reddit
And so it creeps into our backyards..
Same_Bug5069@reddit
Pretty dystopian to read through those comments.
JervisCottonbelly@reddit
Almost like it was designed to harm your sense of hope and all of the comments were made to reinforce sadness and despair? It's actually a military tactic 😖
SandlerCel@reddit (OP)
Submission statement:
It is getting really hot India at the moment and reading the comments, its pretty eery, seeing people describe their experience of weather that is just below a Wet-bulb event. Sounds like some people are struggling to stay cool as the fans just blow hot air around, and freezer water only goes so far.
I personally believe that a wet-bulb event / mass heat death, will be the first major climate event that people will actually take notice of, and will trigger a mass migration like the world has never really seen before.
kilometers13@reddit
It is no coincidence that in recent years popular media has been working overtime to dehumanize Indians. When the inevitable happens, only the token few good people will feel sympathy for the mass casualties of my people
Fun-Potato-8664@reddit
HVAC, Dehumidifiers, and Backup Generator and Independent Electric Battery and Power Stations is the current adaptation we have as a species to survive this inhospitable environments. Unfortunately those countries will likely be the first to attempt to update residential and commercial infrastructure to allow people to live in those conditions.
New behaviors will be needed to change in order for people to survive that will come with time and necessity. That research many space agencies have made allowing us to survive in the vacuum of space will be adapted more and more to allow us to live comfortably on earth as we face future extreme weather phenomenon.
Out of any animal on earth we can adapt to survive these changes. However, due to inefficiencies throughout many global governments, it isn't going to be a good time for a majority of constituents in high risk locations around the globe.
We already have had mass migration in the past 20 years due to conflict, more than any movement seen during WWII. Now we compound it with climate moves. Unfortunately it will be harder and harder for people to traverse long distances. Especially with the ongoing expansion of USA surveillance systems being deployed across North and South America with partner nations who align with the current administrations deportation policies. I believe in the next 10 years we will see a checkpoint system unlike any other in the modern era. Sure in the name of national security, but truly in the name of self preservation.
All these risks are already known by the highest level of decision makers. It's all baked into the market my friends.
J-A-S-08@reddit
Well, unfortunately, that "adaptation" is to throw massive amounts of fossil fuels at the problem. Alone, we can't adapt to these changes. We need a HUGE industrial background for steel, motors, plastic, refrigerants, etc to make an AC.
I know you know this but this is for the people who think we can adapt to this. We can't. Our 'fix" is to just burn more fuel and thus exasperate the problem more. It'll but us more time for sure but one day the power will fail and we'll be FUCKED!
dhSquiggly@reddit
Man, I just keep thinking about those ancient architecture styles in the Middle East that functionally kept people cool indoors (like the way the air flow entered and cooled as it went into a tower funnel thing) and how we should have spent time as a society looking at ancient practices to be sustainable. In an alternate timeline, the surface of the planet has amazing covering of greenery and earth compatible structures, like a sci-fi planet where the inhabitants didn’t wage war on everything else.
Then I blink and am sad.
ndw_dc@reddit
In the TV series "Extrapolations" (which was ok, but not great), a future India still persists amid a hot house Earth, but has become a nocturnal society where everyone sleeps inside air-conditioned sleeping bags during the day.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrapolations_(TV_series)
Alex5173@reddit
Even if we find ways to keep ourselves cool we won't last very long when the heat kills everything else.
woodstockzanetti@reddit
I’m scared shitless about this. I live in Australia and where I live has had scary temperatures already. I’m off grid and have enough solar to power ac in two of our cabins. They’re on different setups so if one fails we’re ok. I’ve got a plunge pool under cover and overall about 180,000 litres of stored water. I’m putting in extra ceiling insulation and protection over various areas as the sun can be brutal in “normal” summers. Also putting shading and spray over food gardens. We have fire sprinklers on one cabin and god I hope it’s all enough. I’m getting old and don’t handle the heat well.
DrO999@reddit
Eh gads… how close are you to the forest fires that can potentially ravage through down there? All the solar and AC isn’t worth a hill of beans if you have ot evacuate cause of 50m tall wall of flame. Stayed kind internet friend.
woodstockzanetti@reddit
Yeah we’re currently clearing more vegetation ready for next fire season. We were hit badly by the Black Summer fires in 2019/20. Made it through that and learned some stuff to get through when it inevitably happens again.
DrO999@reddit
Glad to hear t’s going to be a rough few years for sure.
woodstockzanetti@reddit
I fear that’s an understatement 🥴
HappyAnimalCracker@reddit
What you need next is a basement.
woodstockzanetti@reddit
Alas I live in a regular flood zone so that’s not really a thing for us.
Stanford_experiencer@reddit
Just put your basement on stilts.
HappyAnimalCracker@reddit
Ouch. That’s rough. My only other suggestion is, if you can power a mini freezer, to keep it stocked with flexible ice packs. You’d be amazed at what having one of those against just one portion of your body can do to make you comfortable. Placed strategically, they can actually help bring your internal temp down.
The AC went out in my old car and I just tuck one behind my lower back when I drive and it makes it so much more bearable. I also use one in bed behind my shoulders and it keeps me from feeling the need to turn on the AC until temps get extreme. I own around a dozen of them so I always have some ready to go.
woodstockzanetti@reddit
Yeah we have a LOT of those ice pads as well as bricks.
HappyAnimalCracker@reddit
Sounds like you’re as prepared to handle it as you can be! I wish you every success.
ElMonkeh@reddit
@grok what's wetbulb
TurnUpThe4D3D3D3@reddit
Wet-bulb temperature measures both heat and humidity together. It reflects the lowest temperature possible through evaporative cooling — basically, how effectively your sweat cools you. When wet-bulb readings approach about 35°C (95°F), the human body can't shed heat, even at rest in shade. That threshold is considered potentially fatal, which is why "wet-bulb events" signal extreme deadly heat.
^(This comment was generated by openrouter/kimi-k2.6)
Sarah_Cenia@reddit
I was just reading that. Thank you for cross-posting it here!
kishan29j@reddit
Fellow Indian here, we are having places above 40 some places at 45 plus. The worst part is that it's the beginning of summer! And the worst is here to come.
I still remember about 15 years back. We used to play in the hot sun and drink something cool. And in the evening a cool breeze comes up and sleeps on the terrace or windows open. But now I have to keep the ac running for a major part of the day just to survive. It's like I am carrying weight on my head. I'm privileged enough to stay indoors for work, but I am scared to think about the ppl who have to work in the field, blue collared, construction workers, vendors. I do fear for the worse to come.
nw342@reddit
Isn't it pretty early for the indian wet bulb to hit? Feels like i usually hear about it in june-july, not late april
Imaginary_Bug_3800@reddit
It's mid-afternoon in India as I type this, and it is very hot in most places, but the humidity is very low. Not even close to wet bulb temps. But that's only one day, not sure how humid it has been recently.
HomoExtinctisus@reddit
No, India's summer is about now.
buddyinjapan@reddit
Japan is going to start issuing phone alerts for wet-bulb high temperatures this summer.
1MillionSpacebucks@reddit
They also invented a new word to describe the new level of heat - “kokushobi” which roughly translates to “cruelly hot”.
Edmee@reddit
Australia had to invent 2 new heat colours to be able to report on extreme temps.
Ok_Treat_8647@reddit
Jesus Christ
huehuehuehuehuuuu@reddit
North American planting zone shifted last summer. Reality is here, and we ain’t doing jack to adapt or mitigate.
HighDefinitionCat@reddit
We're giving it our all to make it the worst it could possibly be.
hilaritynow@reddit
In Australia when we get multiple days above 40C sometimes the overnight temperature doesn't drop much and will be above 30C all night, the forecast when that happens is often "oppressive night"
Stanford_experiencer@reddit
oh jesus fucking christ
jbond23@reddit
Pre-monsoon India is always stupid hot and stupid humid. But this is extreme. Note, Iran also has very high heat and humidity near the Strait. Nice place to be stuck on a tanker.
Jessintheend@reddit
We’re not even in El Niño yet.
If it happens like it’s very likely to…millions are fucked. Crops are fucked. Infrastructure is fucked.
We like to think we can survive this…most of us can’t. The rich that are causing it well because they can afford the industrial HVAC system for their mega mansions.
The rest of us fall over on the street in the heat
lanch-party@reddit
It’s as hot as south US tbh. I’m sure conditions are different but temp wise it’s around the same
trivetsandcolanders@reddit
Hotter than almost anywhere in the US, even. Nagpur in May averages 110 for a high and 83 for a low.
Voided84@reddit
You know it smell crazy in there
Stanford_experiencer@reddit
haha I get this reference
thainfamouzjay@reddit
What would be the best place to live climate wise if the whole world lost power and we didn't have access or heat.
timetickingrose@reddit
Probably parts of Canada or the Northern United States. I'm really thinking that being around the Great Lakes is a good idea because it has a lot of unsalted water; however, the lakes make it humid.
thainfamouzjay@reddit
Sounds too cold! Lots of snow. How could you survive I was thinking San Diego. 60s at night 70-80 day time. Little humidity unlike Texas or fl
Stanford_experiencer@reddit
San Diego without global warming raping it would be goated.
Stanford_experiencer@reddit
NOAA did worst-case (like, billions dead) scenarios.
Only the West Coast from ~Pismo all the way up to Alaska, and Tibet were safe. That's it, besides fucking Antarctica.
I cannot find the white paper now, but it's seared into my brain.
RunYouFoulBeast@reddit
Yeah laugh it out fuzzball high latitude fella .. wait till june you will know.
ahmtiarrrd@reddit
For anyone who doesn't know the meaning or implications of "Wet-bulb event" (I didn't!), this may help. https://earthsky.org/earth/wet-bulb-temperature-explained-dangers/
MDCCCLV@reddit
It's dumb because it's just calling it a thermometer event. It doesn't mean anything.
vinegar@reddit
Yeah, it’s new enough that we don’t have a good name for it yet.
b4k4ni@reddit
Any idea why india is so much hotter than the other countries around them? Geological part, like the mountains to China? Bad place because of atmospheric reasons? Increased pollution in the air, creating a localized heat dome?
ShyElf@reddit
This is the actual air temperature, by the way, and it's not close to a fatal wet bulb, although hot and dry is still easily capable of killing people if things go wrong, and the coast is still reasonably humid.
Compared to the main peninsula of Southeast Asia, the difference this time of year is mainly land surface feedback. If the air is dry, this lowers the total content of the air, and reduces upward heat transfer, leaving a high pressure at the surface which keeps the air dry. The air gets hot instead of humid, at least not right on the coast.
The Indian Subcontinent is a little bigger, a little higher, with a little worse soil, a little less vegetation, and is a little farther north in a dryer part of the Hadley circulation, and gets a little dry air from the Himalayas. None of these factors are huge, but they all make it stay dry longer than Thailand/Vietnam/etc.
Once it gets hot enough, India pulls in moisture anyhow and abruptly shifts to wet, and you get the monsoon. The temperatures are cooler after that, but you can get some short-term very high wet-bulb temperatures while it's flipping, and they stay reasonably high.
chickey23@reddit
Himalayan in the north create a barrier to air flow
MDCCCLV@reddit
And the Indian Ocean is some of the hottest water around and they're a peninsula so they have it on both sides, there's not a cool side.
TraditionalLaw7763@reddit
I would say, not a lot of trees, lots of pavement, sidewalks, concrete, etc. too many people, too many gas burning autos, not enough shade, ac units running by the millions, etc… all that piled together for over a billion people would probably do it? 🤷🏻♂️
Wolf_6e@reddit
I think a lot of the country still runs on coal
go_neiri_leat@reddit
New Delhi is the most polluted city on the planet.
Captain_Pink_Pants@reddit
I kinda hope it gets to like 115° in Denver this year, just so the monster truck driving "conservatives" will jump out of their pants to explain how, "ackshully, It's getting colder".
Total_Examination297@reddit
2/3 of India be uninhabitable by 2050, that's 1 billion climate refugees..
BangEnergyFTW@reddit
If the power goes, it's uninhabitable RIGHT NOW.
HappyAnimalCracker@reddit
It’s time to start getting serious about underground dwellings. The Mole People will be the only comfortable ones.
Same_Bug5069@reddit
I'll get my shovel
HappyAnimalCracker@reddit
I’ll bring mine and meet you in the field.
03263@reddit
I wonder how those sentinel island people are doing
itwasallascream23@reddit
Oh shit I hope theyre ok
PlausiblyCoincident@reddit
If you think this is bad now, wait until August. This summer is likely to be catastrophic from the Phillipines to Pakistan.
Current-Health2183@reddit
And 2027 is likely to have the worst effects of the Super El Niño.
Drone314@reddit
There are only a few northward directions a billion people could go on the Indian subcontinent, does not bode well if mass migration is triggered by uninhabitable terrain...
Ok_Treat_8647@reddit
Welp it’s been a great run guys. I’m hoping smarter people will be able to figure this out but
DecrimIowa@reddit
isn't this the plot of Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
DrO999@reddit
Prophetic first section for sure.
Ordinary-Web-7077@reddit
Yes, that’s how it starts
Bubbles_sunken_ship@reddit
If power goes out, what are we to do? Even the lakes are going go get warmer (and will certainly be crowded). Is there any way to survive this once the power goes out? Just dig holes in clay or find caves?
tipsystatistic@reddit
For reference, people in SE Asia have 88 wet bulb events per year on average. And this has been going on far longer than electricity and AC. To this day there are millions who live without electricity.
HappyAnimalCracker@reddit
Underground dwellings or homes with a basement are the way to beat extremes of both heat and cold.
Edmee@reddit
I'm moving to the West coast of Tasmania in the near future.
AlwaysPissedOff59@reddit
Buy a house with a basement.
PlausiblyCoincident@reddit
One adaptive measure is to soak in a tub of freshly pumped ground water, but that assumes one has ready access to a bathtub, ground water, and a means of getting dry. While there are ways to create passive ventilation and cooling, most rely on evaporation, which doesn't work at fully saturated air-temps.
Realistic_Pickle_007@reddit
I spent a week in India s frw years back when the temps were 110 and the AQI was 360. I ended up spending the last day flat on my back in my hotel room. One of my coworkers passed out while we were walking to lunch. You could see the pollution in the air in front of you. For some countries the future is now.
nanfanpancam@reddit
You neglected to show the legend of this map. So we don’t know the temperature.
uhmyeahwellok@reddit
You neglected to click the picture so you can see the very clear legend at the top of the image.
citizensnips134@reddit
red = hot, duh
TraditionalLaw7763@reddit
Pretty easy!
HommeMusical@reddit
I see it fine...?
Yikaft@reddit
I see a legend at the top of the pic. Maybe it's your zoom/screen?
HappierHat@reddit
Remember its the capitalists' fault.
Kgriffuggle@reddit
We live in the USA South. It’s spring yet acting like summer, except with a drought. We”re finally in a financial place to travel to the Mediterranean but the only time we could both get off work is July. I’m used to heat….but only with relief of AC. I don’t think we’re prepared for how it will be.
AlwaysPissedOff59@reddit
"It’s spring yet acting like summer"
The USA North says "Me, too"
Empty-Equipment9273@reddit
Climate refugees should start arriving once the super El Niño passes through and makes the floor even higher and new el ninos in the future stack on top
Zero_Overload@reddit
Have been very close to it in India before. Which as a northern european I was not happy about. Until I noticed everyone was moving slowly and consuming vast amounts of water. I know when you go over the top of the humidity temp survivable level it's a whole other bag of woe but it was interesting to feel myself quite literally shutting down until I switched to local mode. One imagines if it does happen people will be quickly beyond being able to help themselves let alone each other.
NightingaleNine@reddit
Wet-bulb, lol. I mean, of course this is terrible. But... wet-bulb, lol.
PhotographUsed1255@reddit
It's a scientific term in meteorology, thermodynamics, etc.
zippy72@reddit
Literally a descriptive scientific term.
aboxofkittens@reddit
What?
PhotographUsed1255@reddit
My dehumidifier has been my best summer friend for many many years. I don't personally like using AC because I want to get acclimated to the heat rather than constantly go in and out of it, but a dehumidifier just makes the heat so much more bearable, assuming there is no power outage of course.
PhillyLee3434@reddit
India is such a disaster in the making, and one they won’t be able to reverse course on. I think they will be a true highlight of what’s to come on a mass scale for global warming.
Every aspect of life will be pushed to the brink, with the largest population on the planet.
humanoidtyphoon88@reddit
Get to cooler weather now before peak temps come mid summer
animatedradio@reddit
Frogs in a pot
UnicornFarts1111@reddit
People know it is hot, they just have no where to go.
SplashTarget@reddit
Does burning gigatonnes of coal annually make the problem worse or does it have zero impact?
reddit_user_2345@reddit
"Extreme heat threatens human life, evidenced by >260,000 heat-related fatalities collectively in the deadliest events since 2000"
Mortality impacts of the most extreme heat events https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-024-00635-w Published: 04 February 2025
SirrNicolas@reddit
And thus begins the end process of ecofascism
Purua-@reddit
The end is nearing
nothankeww@reddit
faster than expected, but not fast enough
ArtShare@reddit
What's it like? Well just imagine being inside of a large sous vide...
Shoddy-Childhood-511@reddit
It's a darker read towards the middle, why? The southern part get cooled by the ocean?
FeintLight123@reddit
Yes the UN just released a large report on implications of heat increases and the various consequences of said increases. They specifically mentioned India where a large amount of rice is farmed, mostly by hand, and how that will likely not be viable in the near future both due to the crop not doing well with the increased heat as well as wet bulb temperatures causing death/stroke/etc for the field workers. Specifically it mentioned the Ganges region
StatementBot@reddit
This post links to another subreddit. Users who are not already subscribed to that subreddit should not participate with comments and up/downvotes, or otherwise harass or interfere with their discussions (brigading)
The following submission statement was provided by /u/SandlerCel:
Submission statement:
It is getting really hot India at the moment and reading the comments, its pretty eerie, seeing people describe their experience of weather that is just below a Wet-bulb event. Sounds like some people are struggling to stay cool as the fans just blow hot air around, and freezer water only goes so far.
I personally believe that a wet-bulb event / mass heat death, will be the first major climate event that people will actually take notice of, and will trigger a mass migration like the world has never really seen before.
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/collapse/comments/1swjrl9/people_in_the_comments_describing_what_its_like/oig3fza/
blackcatwizard@reddit
One year, for Canada Day long weekend, I made a last minute roadtrip to stay with a friend in the Capital for the weekend - never been to Ottawa for Canada Day and would be a good chance to catch up. A couple days before it was looking like it was gonna be pretty hot, but wasn't too worried - I'd be on my motorcycle and could stop for water when needed, and it's only about 4 hours so no biggie. I decided to take the Algonquin route rather than the 401; more sdenice drive and get of off a Boeing and potentially busy highway. I headed out mid-morning. After a couple hours I took my first stop. I could tell the heat was starting to get to me, even though I didn't feel like I was sweating that much and knew I should be getting water into me if it it didn't feel like it. Once I stopped, it really hit me. I walked into a Timmies and it felt like I was walking into a freezer. Took my leathers off, sat down, had some water, and checked the weather app - "feels like" 47°C and 70% humidity. I stayed in there for about an hour. After that cooldown, it really hit how bad it was. I couldn't put my leathers back in. Once I started riding again, in a t-shirt, it didn't make any difference at all to help with cooling . It just felt like I was sitting in an oven. I had to stop every 30 minutes the rest of the way for water and a break inside some place with AC. It was insane.