Europe is sweltering under record-breaking temperatures this week as a heatwave, caused by a giant bubble of warm air from the Sahara, wreaks havoc across the continent. Temperatures have reached as high as 43 degrees Celsius (110F) in France, leading to deaths and catastrophic crop failures.
For those of you from hotter climates, at the ready with your "meh, that's just a normal day here" comments, remember, Europe is not used to these kinds of extreme weather conditions! Houses are insulated against the winter cold, and air conditioning is rare. It hit almost 40C in Poland for goodness sake. Poland. This is not a country you would usually associate with such summer heat!
Europeans are dealing with the hot summer temperatures in a variety of ways, from the typical deadpan humor to more practical solutions. Scroll down to check out the reactions for yourself, and if you're in Europe right now, keep yourself and your animals cool and safe!
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Statistics show that heat waves like this are becoming more frequent due to climate change, and are something that Europeans are likely going to have to get used to. “Monthly heat records all over the globe occur five times as often today as they would in a stable climate.” Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research told AP.
"This increase in heat extremes is just as predicted by climate science as a consequence of global warming caused by the increasing greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil and gas.”
I live in France. I'm dying from the heat. If you wonder why is there a 😱 face, it's our face currently due to the climate. Edit: Thanks for the upvotes, I never got so much! 😄
The controlling force of the weather is the Jet Stream, a fast-flowing wind-river that loops around the northern hemisphere at a height of 10 kilometres. The Jet Stream's behavior is linked to Arctic ice cover, which has decreased in recent years.
"The forecast from climate change models and the actuality of the last few years has shown a change to this Jet Stream," Al Jazeera's Rob McElwee said.
"It now has much greater loops, draped over North America and Eurasia, whereas a tighter, straighter flow used to be the norm. A looped Jet Stream induces long-lasting, low-pressure circulations and high-pressure domes," he added.
Such a set-up has drawn air up from North Africa, in a southerly breeze, to cover Western Europe. Over the coming days the hot weather will be increasingly confined to France, Italy and Spain as a cooler breeze flows across northern and central Europe.
Dim Coumou, a scientist at the Free University of Amsterdam, also said that melting Arctic sea ice is affecting atmospheric circulation, which in turn makes extreme weather more likely.
“Data analysis shows that the normally eastward travelling summer circulation of the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes has slowed down, including the Jet Stream,” he said. “This favors the buildup of hot and dry conditions over the continent, sometimes turning a few sunny days into dangerous heat waves.”
Heatwaves can become really dangerous when they take place in early summer. Europe's 2003 heatwave resulted in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 people, let's hope that this year people are better prepared for the incoming inferno.
i've got no air conditioned in my car. figure that in 40+ degrees
Our cats saw this and liked your suggestion for a bird trap. They're trying to push their water bowl to the balcony now :-)
coconut oil melts at 24-25 °C so not very hot weather/water is necessary.
For other people who use Fahrenheit instead of Celcius, that's 122 degrees!
As an Australian most of this advice is good BUT you should reapply sunscreen every 2 hours on scorching days. Always better to be safe than sorry. This is the best motto Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade and slide on sunnies. It’s a simple as that.
Well then moving forward the stores need to change their setup or this is just going to get worse every year and her worry will be justified. They should expand that section.
Note: this post originally had 44 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I'm reading this while starfishing nekkid in front of my fan. We Europeans aren't built for this nonsense! Where's the rain? WHERE'S OUR RAIN HUH?
Whilst in a way these posts are funny, I do hope the vulnerable can find somewhere cool especially coz a lot of residents wouldn’t have air conditioning and are at risk of severe heat stroke and sadly it can be fatal. Also beware of seatbelts, they can become a good branding iron.
Have in mind that European heat is always humid. Current humidity is 50-80%, which makes 40C heat feel like 55-83C! (131-181F)
Anyone wanting to know what these temperatures are in Fahrenheit, (Cuz we here in Europe use Celsius) 20 degrees becomes 68 degrees F and 50(!) degrees becomes 122(!) degrees F. I can tell you, it got REALLY hot, also here in Holland.
Aussie living in Paris here , currently melting . Here’s the difference - in Australia there’s aircon in the shops/ theatres and some homes . In Paris - whilst the gorgeous Haussmann style sandstone buildings look lovely, , they retain heat- and aircon units aren’t allowed to disrupt the pretty facades. Consequently, it’s worse living in a Parisian heatwave than the more common ones in Australia. At least the French are taking action . Today , only electric and some petrol vehicles are allowed to drive in Paris .,
As an Australian, I can empathise. We are used to it here, we have air conditioning, and know in general how to keep ourselves cool. It has been freezing here this week, I've struggled with trying to stay warm because we are not used to this kind of weather either.
Aussie here, came on to laugh at these folk but I take it back, I take it back!
Points about pet and wildlife care are very important too! So glad people are sharing that.
I discovered this week that my air conditioner only fans hot air. If I open the window, more hot air. It's a nonscape trap!
This is nothing to what we deal with in India every summer.. Our tar roads melt,chicken eggs get fried in daylight on the roads,droughts in several places all over the country. Some TIPS : 1)Sprinkle water on your bed sheets and covers before sleeping. 2)Ground is much cooler than the above surfaces,shift from upper floors to ground floor rooms,especially at night. 3)Sleep on the floor. 4)Wear loose and light clothes. 5)Eat and drink light,avoid Alcohol,Caffeine,spices and meats of all kinds. 6)Also,use water judiciously,what if you get a scarcity of it if the heatwave re-occurs? Regards, Fellow Indian who has gone through this many times before.
Pfffft. At least in The Netherlands we have some cooler days in between the hot ones. :P And to people saying "in my country/state we have this every year!". Yeah, the climate is different here. The air is more humid, the landscape different. And your body gets used to the heat eventually. Most people are able to sleep in the hot humid nights after just a few nights of acclimatizing. I'm one of the lucky ones in that regard: I can ALWAYS sleep. :P Less lucky in another regard: just had surgery earlier this week and recovering in 35+ degrees Celsius SUCKS. :')
Europe's burning and I live in "Sunny San Diego" and we've had no summer at all. It's been cool and overcast all year. This is the first weekend that's remotely like a summer day .
Cost £400 to fit air con in my bedroom... will never regret spending that. Cheap as I fitted it myself.
Knowing air conditioners aren't common place in European homes makes me very sad for them
WARNING SIGNS OF HEAT STROKE: if you have any of these conditions, you are in big trouble. Do not ignore warnings. How to know you are about to have a heat stroke: 1) look down on your arms & see blue dry skin OR, 2) you are dizzy, hot, & exhausted, or you are soaked in sweat OR 3) You look straight out, & it looks like the walls are closing in OR 4) You look out & see blue bubbles (small & large) floating in your field of view OR 5) Your urine is dark golden color or even almost brown, a sure sign of dehydration... if you have any or all of these symptoms, run to the shower or garden hose, drench yourself with cold water, start stripping all layers of clothes, stand wet and stripped in front of an oscillating fan, drink water.... REHYDRATE: make up a saline solution with one teaspoon of table salt mixed in a quart (or liter) of COLD water.... if you can't keep it down, GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IMMEDIATELY!!! This is all very serious. A heat stroke can easily turn into a real stroke. If you go down outside and nobody helps, you can die. SO BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!!
All of these are funny. But I think all of us should start having concern about global warming are carrying out activities to decrease it rather than just watching meme, having a laugh and later forgetting about it. this heat will keep on increasing each day until Earth would be unlivable one day.
Yeah, it's kinda hot in Europe. And if everyone stayed cool it would be easier to deal with it.
Portugal is so lucky, they dont get affected by this heatwave. How's the weather in your country, Europe fonts? I'm worried all them stray cats or dogs out there. Please don't take your animals out/hiking, if we can't take the heat, imagine how closer they feel on the ground. Your animals would not make it.
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece are used to hot weather and gess what? They are all European countries
Do most European homes usually not need air conditioners in summer? I hope everyone stays safe and make sure your kids drink lots of water !
We had a small, short and very local tornado in The Netherlands not too long ago (this is also very VERY rare). Just in and around my hometown. It ripped some HUGE trees from the ground, just because the deeper and more superficial layers of the surrounding ground were too dry, due to the chronic lack of rain this past year or so. RIP old trees. :'(
Major heat waves with even higher temperatures in fact occurred in France in August, 1930.
Southern Spaniard here. Apparently, the problem is that it's hot in places where it's not usual. Where I live, we are used to much more than 40º during summer but these days it's no more than 32. So yes, it's a problem since people and houses are not ready for this temperature. The only good thing is that maybe now they'll stop laughing at us calling us lazy because of "siesta". Now they can see it's not possible to do anything else in this weather.
So, looking at these temps I am wondering why everyone is freaking. So what? 33C? that is 91/92F....which I have been in for the last two months, and am in for 4 months per year. 44C? Ok, now we are getting warmer, 111/112F...again I have a full month in this YEARLY...minimum. Hot years it goes up to 3 months. So this isn't something people cannot live in, rather just a change for the area I think. edit: this is not intended to sound crass or insulting. Just, confused. Why is THIS such a big deal when there are so many people who live in this constantly? Instructions on how isn't hard to find.
The worst is that the nights do not give any relief. Yesterday was 27 (80K) degrees Celsius about 1 a.m. :(( And fyi it is still prohibited to install AC in many places in my country (blocks of flats in Poland or especially older tenement houses like 100 years old or so). Only owners of single family houses can install them without problems.
Awe. I'm in ct USA an at 830 am its 82* in my shop. It gets up to 94* outside but inside it's about 120-130* and I have to wear jeans and steel toe boots and in a girl so add bra an undies and work socks. So by end of day everything is melted to my skin. Just stay inside and move slow and drink water. If you don't pee or sweat you are getting heat stroke. That's the first big sign.
The part about Poland is true. Last week we hit a new record of temperatures in June - 38.2°C. Last record you ask? 38.0 in 1935 - in a city I come from and I still live here. Yikes. We are not build for that.
"Houses are insulated against the winter cold..." Well, actually insulation works for both conditions. Just as a thermos bottle will keep liquid either hot or cold, an insulated house will stay cooler than one with little to no insulation.
We've just had the wettest June in the UK that I can remember for a long time and I've been relishing it, becuase we all know it's going to change and be hell to sleep for a couple of months. This last Saturday in June has been pretty hot and we're already complaining about it. I dread the hot more than the cold, at least in the winter I can put on more clothes and jump about to get warm.
Look what happened in Sweden last winter... 120204-kal...844d6b.jpg
2 years ago it was over 110f for more than 200 days of that year where I live. This year we haven't yet hit 100 and allergies are horrible. L.A. can be fierce or dumb.
I can confirm that living in old, stone made house has some advantages. Sure, in winter it is nearly imposible to have there more than 17°C but now we have 20, maybe 22. About the garden, I do not mow it much (except for a bit just in front of the house) so it is full of life now. There is small pond under trees (damn cold), long grass, at least 50 kinds of herbs (and lots of needle. The only thing I hate there). Last week few bucks were hidding there from the heat. We, Europians, are responsible for this heat, it doesn't take much to keep environment colder. Protecting water (creeks, ponds, lakes) with trees is important, dividing fields with bushes and trees is important (wind can do things with humidity too), putting trees and bushes in cities, especially on roofs and long streets. There are tens or hundreds small ways how to help which add together. Europe used to be quite good in thinking, just look on all the technology we have. What happened?
I live in Australia and 30 degrees isn't that hot, it's a normal summer day but I found that it is like the fires of Hell in Europe when it reaches in the 30-40 degree range.
The permafrost is melting... We're in big trouble in the Alps...Because if it's continue and if you add a big storm -which will probably occur, due to a temp change, it will be like acid on cement !
My hometown in India hits the mercury par 50 degrees every summer..and that's in celcius.. I won't say it doesn't trouble us..but we sure miss our winters when the temperature is -2..so basically we are trained to live even in hell 😁
I live in Arizona, USA and during the summer it'll easily reach these temperatures, grew up in this little slice of hell. Sorry you have to go through with it with no ac, stay cool and stay safe guys
I'm not sure how hot it is there, but I've lived through some heat! 128 degrees in Az 1994.
Summer vacations in Europe seem more appealing now to this Persian.
Hahahaha An piece of advice from an Egyptian who is currently having his regular 40 to 46 C summer days Hydrate a lot and before switching on ur A/C in ur car, splash the part of ur car through the car brand in the front grill with a bottle of water and then switch it on. The A/C efficiency with the cooling will be immediately
I am sorry, but I praise the heat. I absolutely hate it when it's cold and rainy/snowy because I can never get myself warm and dry and I am always ill. At least I can always find a way to cool myself.
I'm reading this while starfishing nekkid in front of my fan. We Europeans aren't built for this nonsense! Where's the rain? WHERE'S OUR RAIN HUH?
Whilst in a way these posts are funny, I do hope the vulnerable can find somewhere cool especially coz a lot of residents wouldn’t have air conditioning and are at risk of severe heat stroke and sadly it can be fatal. Also beware of seatbelts, they can become a good branding iron.
Have in mind that European heat is always humid. Current humidity is 50-80%, which makes 40C heat feel like 55-83C! (131-181F)
Anyone wanting to know what these temperatures are in Fahrenheit, (Cuz we here in Europe use Celsius) 20 degrees becomes 68 degrees F and 50(!) degrees becomes 122(!) degrees F. I can tell you, it got REALLY hot, also here in Holland.
Aussie living in Paris here , currently melting . Here’s the difference - in Australia there’s aircon in the shops/ theatres and some homes . In Paris - whilst the gorgeous Haussmann style sandstone buildings look lovely, , they retain heat- and aircon units aren’t allowed to disrupt the pretty facades. Consequently, it’s worse living in a Parisian heatwave than the more common ones in Australia. At least the French are taking action . Today , only electric and some petrol vehicles are allowed to drive in Paris .,
As an Australian, I can empathise. We are used to it here, we have air conditioning, and know in general how to keep ourselves cool. It has been freezing here this week, I've struggled with trying to stay warm because we are not used to this kind of weather either.
Aussie here, came on to laugh at these folk but I take it back, I take it back!
Points about pet and wildlife care are very important too! So glad people are sharing that.
I discovered this week that my air conditioner only fans hot air. If I open the window, more hot air. It's a nonscape trap!
This is nothing to what we deal with in India every summer.. Our tar roads melt,chicken eggs get fried in daylight on the roads,droughts in several places all over the country. Some TIPS : 1)Sprinkle water on your bed sheets and covers before sleeping. 2)Ground is much cooler than the above surfaces,shift from upper floors to ground floor rooms,especially at night. 3)Sleep on the floor. 4)Wear loose and light clothes. 5)Eat and drink light,avoid Alcohol,Caffeine,spices and meats of all kinds. 6)Also,use water judiciously,what if you get a scarcity of it if the heatwave re-occurs? Regards, Fellow Indian who has gone through this many times before.
Pfffft. At least in The Netherlands we have some cooler days in between the hot ones. :P And to people saying "in my country/state we have this every year!". Yeah, the climate is different here. The air is more humid, the landscape different. And your body gets used to the heat eventually. Most people are able to sleep in the hot humid nights after just a few nights of acclimatizing. I'm one of the lucky ones in that regard: I can ALWAYS sleep. :P Less lucky in another regard: just had surgery earlier this week and recovering in 35+ degrees Celsius SUCKS. :')
Europe's burning and I live in "Sunny San Diego" and we've had no summer at all. It's been cool and overcast all year. This is the first weekend that's remotely like a summer day .
Cost £400 to fit air con in my bedroom... will never regret spending that. Cheap as I fitted it myself.
Knowing air conditioners aren't common place in European homes makes me very sad for them
WARNING SIGNS OF HEAT STROKE: if you have any of these conditions, you are in big trouble. Do not ignore warnings. How to know you are about to have a heat stroke: 1) look down on your arms & see blue dry skin OR, 2) you are dizzy, hot, & exhausted, or you are soaked in sweat OR 3) You look straight out, & it looks like the walls are closing in OR 4) You look out & see blue bubbles (small & large) floating in your field of view OR 5) Your urine is dark golden color or even almost brown, a sure sign of dehydration... if you have any or all of these symptoms, run to the shower or garden hose, drench yourself with cold water, start stripping all layers of clothes, stand wet and stripped in front of an oscillating fan, drink water.... REHYDRATE: make up a saline solution with one teaspoon of table salt mixed in a quart (or liter) of COLD water.... if you can't keep it down, GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IMMEDIATELY!!! This is all very serious. A heat stroke can easily turn into a real stroke. If you go down outside and nobody helps, you can die. SO BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!!!!
All of these are funny. But I think all of us should start having concern about global warming are carrying out activities to decrease it rather than just watching meme, having a laugh and later forgetting about it. this heat will keep on increasing each day until Earth would be unlivable one day.
Yeah, it's kinda hot in Europe. And if everyone stayed cool it would be easier to deal with it.
Portugal is so lucky, they dont get affected by this heatwave. How's the weather in your country, Europe fonts? I'm worried all them stray cats or dogs out there. Please don't take your animals out/hiking, if we can't take the heat, imagine how closer they feel on the ground. Your animals would not make it.
Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, Greece are used to hot weather and gess what? They are all European countries
Do most European homes usually not need air conditioners in summer? I hope everyone stays safe and make sure your kids drink lots of water !
We had a small, short and very local tornado in The Netherlands not too long ago (this is also very VERY rare). Just in and around my hometown. It ripped some HUGE trees from the ground, just because the deeper and more superficial layers of the surrounding ground were too dry, due to the chronic lack of rain this past year or so. RIP old trees. :'(
Major heat waves with even higher temperatures in fact occurred in France in August, 1930.
Southern Spaniard here. Apparently, the problem is that it's hot in places where it's not usual. Where I live, we are used to much more than 40º during summer but these days it's no more than 32. So yes, it's a problem since people and houses are not ready for this temperature. The only good thing is that maybe now they'll stop laughing at us calling us lazy because of "siesta". Now they can see it's not possible to do anything else in this weather.
So, looking at these temps I am wondering why everyone is freaking. So what? 33C? that is 91/92F....which I have been in for the last two months, and am in for 4 months per year. 44C? Ok, now we are getting warmer, 111/112F...again I have a full month in this YEARLY...minimum. Hot years it goes up to 3 months. So this isn't something people cannot live in, rather just a change for the area I think. edit: this is not intended to sound crass or insulting. Just, confused. Why is THIS such a big deal when there are so many people who live in this constantly? Instructions on how isn't hard to find.
The worst is that the nights do not give any relief. Yesterday was 27 (80K) degrees Celsius about 1 a.m. :(( And fyi it is still prohibited to install AC in many places in my country (blocks of flats in Poland or especially older tenement houses like 100 years old or so). Only owners of single family houses can install them without problems.
Awe. I'm in ct USA an at 830 am its 82* in my shop. It gets up to 94* outside but inside it's about 120-130* and I have to wear jeans and steel toe boots and in a girl so add bra an undies and work socks. So by end of day everything is melted to my skin. Just stay inside and move slow and drink water. If you don't pee or sweat you are getting heat stroke. That's the first big sign.
The part about Poland is true. Last week we hit a new record of temperatures in June - 38.2°C. Last record you ask? 38.0 in 1935 - in a city I come from and I still live here. Yikes. We are not build for that.
"Houses are insulated against the winter cold..." Well, actually insulation works for both conditions. Just as a thermos bottle will keep liquid either hot or cold, an insulated house will stay cooler than one with little to no insulation.
We've just had the wettest June in the UK that I can remember for a long time and I've been relishing it, becuase we all know it's going to change and be hell to sleep for a couple of months. This last Saturday in June has been pretty hot and we're already complaining about it. I dread the hot more than the cold, at least in the winter I can put on more clothes and jump about to get warm.
Look what happened in Sweden last winter... 120204-kal...844d6b.jpg
2 years ago it was over 110f for more than 200 days of that year where I live. This year we haven't yet hit 100 and allergies are horrible. L.A. can be fierce or dumb.
I can confirm that living in old, stone made house has some advantages. Sure, in winter it is nearly imposible to have there more than 17°C but now we have 20, maybe 22. About the garden, I do not mow it much (except for a bit just in front of the house) so it is full of life now. There is small pond under trees (damn cold), long grass, at least 50 kinds of herbs (and lots of needle. The only thing I hate there). Last week few bucks were hidding there from the heat. We, Europians, are responsible for this heat, it doesn't take much to keep environment colder. Protecting water (creeks, ponds, lakes) with trees is important, dividing fields with bushes and trees is important (wind can do things with humidity too), putting trees and bushes in cities, especially on roofs and long streets. There are tens or hundreds small ways how to help which add together. Europe used to be quite good in thinking, just look on all the technology we have. What happened?
I live in Australia and 30 degrees isn't that hot, it's a normal summer day but I found that it is like the fires of Hell in Europe when it reaches in the 30-40 degree range.
The permafrost is melting... We're in big trouble in the Alps...Because if it's continue and if you add a big storm -which will probably occur, due to a temp change, it will be like acid on cement !
My hometown in India hits the mercury par 50 degrees every summer..and that's in celcius.. I won't say it doesn't trouble us..but we sure miss our winters when the temperature is -2..so basically we are trained to live even in hell 😁
I live in Arizona, USA and during the summer it'll easily reach these temperatures, grew up in this little slice of hell. Sorry you have to go through with it with no ac, stay cool and stay safe guys
I'm not sure how hot it is there, but I've lived through some heat! 128 degrees in Az 1994.
Summer vacations in Europe seem more appealing now to this Persian.
Hahahaha An piece of advice from an Egyptian who is currently having his regular 40 to 46 C summer days Hydrate a lot and before switching on ur A/C in ur car, splash the part of ur car through the car brand in the front grill with a bottle of water and then switch it on. The A/C efficiency with the cooling will be immediately
I am sorry, but I praise the heat. I absolutely hate it when it's cold and rainy/snowy because I can never get myself warm and dry and I am always ill. At least I can always find a way to cool myself.