In the hot weather . . .

[joe cassidy]

We all have a definition of hot and cold, having just come back from Darwin, where the ticket collector at the Darwin Tunnel museum was complaining about the cold and wearing a coat as it was only getting to 25c that day, I of course was in shorts and teeshirt.

I once toured the Ice Caves in Austria, that remain frozen all year round, wearing shorts, tee shirt and sandals.

Mad dogs and Englishmen 

[sparky]

It's not the temperature per se but the lack of aircon. I am currently in Gran Canaria and its hot but having pools and aircon rooms etc.. its fine. Not looking forward to returning to ridiculously hot South Wales at the weekend and was hoping for rain to welcome us home. We will now have 3 nights of no sleep to look forward to instead 

[GAD]

I'm a northerner too!

Where abouts are you?  I'm from Sunderland. 

County Durham, mid-way between Darlo' and Durham.

[Bealman]

I'll guess Sedgefield.

[marco neri]

Are you ready for 40/41º..?

Marco

[KevTheBusDriver]

The office where my layout resides reached 27.5c today. Only apparent issue is one road in the fiddle yard is showing signs of buckling. We'll see what happens tomorrow...

[marco neri]

Hi ,
I've just read on Facebook the " red alert" by Network Rail about it
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.networkrail.co.uk%2Fstories%2Fred-weather-warning-east-coast-main-line-to-close%2F&h=AT23BQZlacBVkm9NgxO_AESSTvEJ4HId0N73foiQPrOyFbBJsVBZoktmOwIj80rdSxTGxFck_BprRQj5jEHV3tQkY0gGxxuvBeQtltd-5bUCjiherfobGpClWLxi&s=1

[Newportnobby]

Now reached an equilibrium with the temperature both out and in at 25 degrees.
Looks like a sleepless night tonight 

[Gordon]

Hi ,
I've just read on Facebook the " red alert" by Network Rail about it
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.networkrail.co.uk%2Fstories%2Fred-weather-warning-east-coast-main-line-to-close%2F&h=AT23BQZlacBVkm9NgxO_AESSTvEJ4HId0N73foiQPrOyFbBJsVBZoktmOwIj80rdSxTGxFck_BprRQj5jEHV3tQkY0gGxxuvBeQtltd-5bUCjiherfobGpClWLxi&s=1

Yes, typical Britain. We'll close a major railway because the overhead wires or track might bend a bit...  hmm.. electrified railways in Moroccan deserts come to mind...

[Bealman]

The heatwave has actually hit the news here! Must be real! 

[Newportnobby]

I always remember my dear long departed Gran telling me not to partake of a cold drink in hot weather. It's OK at the time but all that happens is your body works frantically to bring that drink to the same temperature as your body and that makes you even hotter. She said it was far better to have a brew. Whether there's any veracity in this I don't know, but it does sound plausible
@Railwaygun

[Steven B]

Yes, typical Britain. We'll close a major railway because the overhead wires or track might bend a bit...  hmm.. electrified railways in Moroccan deserts come to mind...

We do get laughed at for our lack of ability to cope with high and low temperatures but I think it's a little unfair.

The average winter temperature in Marrakesh, Morocco, is about 12 degrees C (about 54 F), peaking at around 30C in the summer so a much narrow spread than the UK.

Our temperatures are also less stable over longer periods. We don't see the heat continuing at similar levels for day after day. We get temperatures over 30 for today and tomorrow before they drop to the low/mid 20s on Wednesday. Next week it may be back below 20. That's a big swing in temperature in very few days and harder to engineer around that more stable temperatures.

Higher temperatures are easy to live with if they're their all the time - you build to minimise the effects. Compare a typical Mediterranean house with white walls to our heat absorbing brown bricks. Add in the ability to cope with sub-zero temperatures for several weeks of the year and it's a bit tricker.

We see similar issues in the winter. Scandinavia gets on with live under several feet of snow whilst we grind to a halt with a couple of inches. The big difference is ours keeps melting and re-freezing. If it stayed below freezing for weeks or even months on end there'd me much less of a problem.


Steven B.

[AdrianC]

I always remember my dear long departed Gran telling me not to partake of a cold drink in hot weather. It's OK at the time but all that happens is your body works frantically to bring that drink to the same temperature as your body and that makes you even hotter. She said it was far better to have a brew. Whether there's any veracity in this I don't know, but it does sound plausible
@Railwaygun

I'd agree with this actually. I had a cup of tea round a mate's yesterday and it was very refreshing, even as we sat in the garden at 4pm. 
I guess it won't apply to everyone though 

[dannyboy]

It is a scientific fact that, in the right circumstances, a warm drink can cool you down in summer.  There is a lot of information on the net, including -
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2018/0702/975770-hot-drinks-summer-heat-cool-down/

So, like a lot of 'old wives tales', there is an element of truth there.

[Papyrus]

It's not the temperature per se but the lack of aircon. I am currently in Gran Canaria and its hot but having pools and aircon rooms etc.. its fine. Not looking forward to returning to ridiculously hot South Wales at the weekend and was hoping for rain to welcome us home. We will now have 3 nights of no sleep to look forward to instead 

Our daughter-in-law comes from Gran Canaria, currently lives in Hove. She spent yesterday afternoon on the sofa with a blanket over her knees! Go figure...

Cheers,

Chris