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.
Looks like the German Margarethenplätzchen, the quickest and simplest cookies recipe I know. baking is 15min (max!) at 190°C. With a bit of patience you probably CAN bake them in a hot car. (Recipe: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/161061070292197/Margarethenplaetzchen.html&prev=search)
Sure here in Ireland, if it’s not raining in at least one of the counties something’s wrong
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?
apparently it's all in Russia. We have +14 degrees and raining all week here in mid-Volga region.
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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.
I feel the same way as a Canadian when I read about record cold temps that would feel like a warm summer day compared to what I deal with every winter. I have to try to keep in mind those temps are not the norm everywhere and there can be consequences.
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Have in mind that European heat is always humid. Current humidity is 50-80%, which makes 40C heat feel like 55-83C! (131-181F)
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?
apparently it's all in Russia. We have +14 degrees and raining all week here in mid-Volga region.
Load More Replies... 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.
I feel the same way as a Canadian when I read about record cold temps that would feel like a warm summer day compared to what I deal with every winter. I have to try to keep in mind those temps are not the norm everywhere and there can be consequences.
Load More Replies... Have in mind that European heat is always humid. Current humidity is 50-80%, which makes 40C heat feel like 55-83C! (131-181F)
