To my northern neighbours suffering from the current heat wave.
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Are you sure about those numbers? 38C with 90% humidity is 36.5C wet-bulb.
That is not survivable by a human and sweating does not cool one down at all in such a temperature. Also, according to Wikipedia, the highest recorded wet bulb temperature ever was 36.3C in UAE.
@vriesk @Remittancegirl yes and no.
We have 80-90% humidity even in this heatwave in the UK- but yes you are correct during the day when it's hiting high 20's - 30'sC the humidity goes down to 40-50%.
BUT if the temps don't lower at night, which they didn't in May when we hit a record 35C, and will go over that tomorrow most likely....then you have 20-25C at that humidity.
That might be 'survivable' but you melt.
I think only people in really humid places like Durban know why our heat 'hits different' - it seems that the US has more dry heat...and before some wag says 'Florida!' as if it's some gotcha, been there in Summer, It was fine, there were coastal breezes, maybe in the middle of a swamp it would be bad, but don't forget the UK is an entire country of bogs, marshes, lakes, rivers....that rains a lot.
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@Remittancegirl @svenscholz yeah, that's extreme.
BTW, do fans still help at those temperatures and humidities?
I'm always surprised how big of a difference sitting next to a fan makes in the somewhat less extreme 35C with low humidity, maybe even a bit better (but very localized) than just AC.
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz also we don't have AC in Europe.
Not going to get into a big argument about why, because some entitled Yanks think their wars for oil are a good trade off for subsidised energy/oil costs.
We have really high energy costs, so even if the AC is cheap to install (it isn't but not the highest cost) then the energy cost will burn you, even if you're cool.
Also...most of our building were built before A/C was a thing, so hard to adapt, more expense.
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@Remittancegirl @svenscholz Which makes me really wonder why on Earth the floor-mounted internal AC units are so popular in the US.
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz I think the floor vents in southern homes are a combination of a hold-over of older houses that had a heater for the winter but relied on open windows and air flow in summer, people bringing northern building practices south without considering the local climate (more than half the US is in climates where heating is more important than cooling), and slow cultural change where floor vents and ceiling fans are seen as normal or classic and upper wall vents are seen as unsightly.
Also, many older houses built with floor vents are poorly insulated, and at least in Florida, many people *suffer* when it gets to 50-55 F (10-12C).
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@Remittancegirl @vriesk @svenscholz
Fans still help at 40+ if you're wet, the problem is you dry off fast enough that things get right back to hair dryer. I think at a certain temperature, with the fan on you can't sweat fast enough to keep it cooling you down.
It's like hand dryers in bathrooms. The air in them is hot but they still feel cold until your hands dry off.
@gbargoud @Remittancegirl @vriesk @svenscholz then you need a plant sprayer to make yourself humid again.
Or a wet towel.
Then you don't need to sweat that much. -
@UkeleleEric @GraziosiSergio @Remittancegirl I don't subscribe to that one, hot drinks make me feel like I'm having a hot flush in this weather. No thx
@noodlemaz @GraziosiSergio @Remittancegirl cold drinks lower your core temperature, kicking in the body's heating response. At the very least, you should avoid ice and iced drinks.
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@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz also we don't have AC in Europe.
Not going to get into a big argument about why, because some entitled Yanks think their wars for oil are a good trade off for subsidised energy/oil costs.
We have really high energy costs, so even if the AC is cheap to install (it isn't but not the highest cost) then the energy cost will burn you, even if you're cool.
Also...most of our building were built before A/C was a thing, so hard to adapt, more expense.
@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz but we absolutely do.
Italian, Spanish, or Greek cities are all humming with AC in the summer.
Even for Poland, having a balcony was a major point in choosing my current apartment, so that I could install an AC unit there without hassle, even though I try not to use it unless I really feel like I have to.
AC power consumption is one of a really few things that synergizes well with solar panel output, especially in the north.
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@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz but we absolutely do.
Italian, Spanish, or Greek cities are all humming with AC in the summer.
Even for Poland, having a balcony was a major point in choosing my current apartment, so that I could install an AC unit there without hassle, even though I try not to use it unless I really feel like I have to.
AC power consumption is one of a really few things that synergizes well with solar panel output, especially in the north.
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz in the UK - which is in Europe BTW - Ireland and nordic countries, it's rare.
Italy, Spain and Greece are not the entirety of 'Europe'
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@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz but we absolutely do.
Italian, Spanish, or Greek cities are all humming with AC in the summer.
Even for Poland, having a balcony was a major point in choosing my current apartment, so that I could install an AC unit there without hassle, even though I try not to use it unless I really feel like I have to.
AC power consumption is one of a really few things that synergizes well with solar panel output, especially in the north.
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz solar panels? In the UK? LOL.
So much rain means cloud...
Yeah....wind is more likely.
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To my northern neighbours suffering from the current heat wave.
I lived in approx 38C with 90% humidity for 20 years, and I have a few pieces of advice.
1. Don't do anything fast that you can do slow.
2. Umbrellas aren't just for rain. They work for sun, too.
3. Sweat is your friend. Drink lots of liquid, eat and drink things that trigger sweating.4. Cold showers and baths trigger your body to warm up. Room temp showers work best - and don't bother drying off.
@Remittancegirl Sadly, this will be dismissed by most, but here it goes anyway...
There's... no 'saving' the Northern Hemisphere. The majority of the fossil fuels abused masses are in this hemisphere, and we scientists kindly ask, if your progeny shows #permaculture talent, and understand root infrastructure at an early age, help them scout countries in the Southern Hemisphere for #sustainability.
Unfortunately, the rest of us are being rendered obsolete, far faster than our average surmises.
Quite the peak though!
*sigh*
Thanks #TechBros and #FossilFuels #oligarchs! Such 'great' leadership.
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@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz but we absolutely do.
Italian, Spanish, or Greek cities are all humming with AC in the summer.
Even for Poland, having a balcony was a major point in choosing my current apartment, so that I could install an AC unit there without hassle, even though I try not to use it unless I really feel like I have to.
AC power consumption is one of a really few things that synergizes well with solar panel output, especially in the north.
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz
It's shit for the environment anyway. That's the thing the AC freaks pass by. You're just making everyone else hotter.
Open a fucking window, build your houses for heat and with water features, keep the shutters closed, and drink cold drinks!
Islamic countries know how to do this, it's an ancient art.
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@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz solar panels? In the UK? LOL.
So much rain means cloud...
Yeah....wind is more likely.
@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz solar is like 30% of UK's energy generation on sunny days, so not exactly "lol"
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@gbargoud @Remittancegirl @vriesk @svenscholz then you need a plant sprayer to make yourself humid again.
Or a wet towel.
Then you don't need to sweat that much.@fietsria @Remittancegirl @vriesk @svenscholz
Yeah, the point is that keeping yourself wet enough for the fan to help is something you have to actively think about at those temperatures
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@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz solar is like 30% of UK's energy generation on sunny days, so not exactly "lol"
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz I am with a provider that tells me exactly the times the solar is on, and yes it's 'LOL' cos most of the time it's off.
When they have surplus - i.e. a sunny or windy day - I get free/very cheap electricity, but usually that only happens once maybe twice a month.
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@UkeleleEric @GraziosiSergio @Remittancegirl I don't subscribe to that one, hot drinks make me feel like I'm having a hot flush in this weather. No thx
@noodlemaz @UkeleleEric @Remittancegirl
That's fair enough. If they do, they do. So does "room temperature drinks" work for you (it is my own default, TBH)?
(Asking because bodies are complicated and not all the same, so I genuinely don't know!)
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@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz solar is like 30% of UK's energy generation on sunny days, so not exactly "lol"
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz 'on sunny days' is doing some heavy lifting here.
Do you know how many those there are in the UK? Not a lot. More nowadays, but most of the year, it's dull and grey.
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@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz solar is like 30% of UK's energy generation on sunny days, so not exactly "lol"
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz do you make a habit of talking over direct experience of those who ACTUALLY live in these places, like a pedantic green ink sealion - or this a recent occurence?
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@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz do you make a habit of talking over direct experience of those who ACTUALLY live in these places, like a pedantic green ink sealion - or this a recent occurence?
@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz what kind of "experience" you mean? "LoL" vs data?
UK has literally 20GW of installed solar capacity which produced some 6.5% of total electricty in 2025. Sure, it works better in more sunny places, still not "LoL".
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@radioclash @Remittancegirl @svenscholz what kind of "experience" you mean? "LoL" vs data?
UK has literally 20GW of installed solar capacity which produced some 6.5% of total electricty in 2025. Sure, it works better in more sunny places, still not "LoL".
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz - direct experience of watching the import prices of my green supplier and noting when the solar and wind is on and I get free or very cheap electricity yes.
Do you do that every day for UK green electricty prices? I do.
Pretty sure you don't....
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@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz do you make a habit of talking over direct experience of those who ACTUALLY live in these places, like a pedantic green ink sealion - or this a recent occurence?
@radioclash Hey, let's not get that way. There is meterological theory and climate science and it has its place. I get that. I know the principle of the point at which heat and humidity kind of crash into each other. But actually, just after a short rain during monsoon season in HCMC, it can be both 38 and that incredibly humid. It doesn't last all day. But your walls drip for a reason.
@vriesk @svenscholz -
@vriesk @Remittancegirl @svenscholz - direct experience of watching the import prices of my green supplier and noting when the solar and wind is on and I get free or very cheap electricity yes.
Do you do that every day for UK green electricty prices? I do.
Pretty sure you don't....
@radioclash @vriesk @svenscholz
I'm going to beg you all to be civil. Because what does it achieve not to be?
What I know for sure is that we have worthy common enemies that are better targets for our anger.
