I realise that the elderly may not be included in this, but is anybody else a bit baffled by what looks like hysteria over 35⁰, when at the end of next week many will choose to jet off in seek of such temperatures?
Because people don't change their behaviour to take into account of conditions.
The same way that we don't stay at home in winter, but instead insist on driving on ice. Badly. So when the temp starts to increase, we insist on packing ourselves on public transport. On working during the heat of the day. Of wearing the same clothes we did when it was 15°C. The same way that when we get 3 days of ice, the best thing to do is stay home with netflix and a warm stew. When it's bonkers hot and humid, like it will be this week accepting that the thing to do is to stay in the shade, not try to do strenuous labour, etc...
The headline's are all about temps of upto 40°C, but the thing that is being massively over looked it the impact of humidity. We need to talk about things like the wet bulb temperature, and heat index. Here in .NL the humidity in my flat has been between 45 and 50% all day, At 26°C that's ok, But at 40°C, 50% humidity is going to feel more like 55°C. Even 36°C and 50% humidity feel more like 42°C. These are not insignificant conditions.
"But people in $location have 40+°C temps in the summer". Yes this is also true, the thing with a lot of those places that we all like to jet off to for a holiday, is that the locals get to acclimatise. It doesn't go from 20°C highs for a month or two, to 38°C the next day in massive wild swings, and then 3 days later, back to 20°C. The locals get a chance to get used to it. We brits are largely adjusted to 10°C with mild drizzle.
This is the point where people also make claims like "buildings in the UK aren't designed for the heat, they are designed to keep us warm in winter". Which is half true. They aren't designed for the heat, but also we have the worst insulation in Europe. Many live in draughty, poorly insulated homes that are expensive to heat. Our housing stock is awful. But retrofitting it is going to be painful.
In short. Temperatures this coming week are going to be high, this is a serious health concern for all of us. Be careful. Drink more water. Stay in the shade. And stop extracting and burning fossil fuels.
J