this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2025
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I'm British so I totally agree

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 days ago (2 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

Can confirm. Humidity matters a lot.

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago

To anyone who’se curious look up wet bulb temperature.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Factual, actually, since 30 degrees USA will freeze water.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I'm honestly not sure at which angle water freezes.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The bond angle in water is always 104.5° except in some of the more exotic pressure dependent ice phases.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Kurt Vonnegut has entered the chat.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

An angler would know, but it depends on perspective.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

I'm British and I agree.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

late night cafe culture

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

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

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

Good times.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

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

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 days ago

Our friends just arrived from Vietnam, and confirmed it. 35 in Saigon is less obnoxious than 30 in southern uk

[–] corsicanguppy 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Make a new friend with AC. Stay cool.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

Alas it's not worth it for the few weeks a year it's hot enough

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

That must make geometry pretty weird.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

It's certainly different than 30 degrees in the US 🥶

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

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