Americans accustomed to sweltering 35°C temperatures back in the US have been left feeling 'humbled' by the UK's oppressive heatwave, with some resorting to visiting corner shops just to bury their faces in ice. Yanks living or visiting across the pond have also been forced to seek refuge in air-conditioned hotel rooms, admitting they 'simply can't do it anymore'.
Social Media Reactions
'I'm about to pass out,' @melissasmanual said in a TikTok. 'At least in Florida we have AC. I'm sweating everywhere. I'm literally just wearing a swimsuit at home. There's nothing else that I can wear.' Comparing Britain to the Sahara desert, others admitted the heat has left them feeling 'like a shirt getting ironed'.
'I am never doubting a Brit again when they tell me that the UK sun hits different,' influencer Red Bus Russ said. 'I feel like I'm in a sauna.' Floridian @bojackhorses**t admitted the temperatures were making her feel 'sick', while TikToker Shaye said she couldn't hack the heat in her flat, which reached 31°C. 'I haven't slept since it got hot,' she recounted. 'I started to literally go insane.' In the end, she sought the refuge of a hotel.
Social media creator Stacey in the UK called for more Brits to invest in ACs, adding: 'I'm so hot. There is no air flow... I'm suffering. The fans are not cutting it.'
Scientific Explanation
Temperatures in parts of the UK hit 34.8°C this week, provisionally setting a new UK daily temperature record for spring and May. Scientists have revealed why heat feels so much more intense in the UK – high humidity and lack of facilities are largely to blame.
Professor Hannah Cloke, Regius Professor of Meteorology and Climate Science at the University of Reading, said: 'The UK is simply not built for sustained heat.' According to scientists, Britain's intense heat comes down to three key factors – humidity, lack of infrastructure, and climate change.
Firstly, the UK has relatively humid air – especially during heatwaves, which are fed by warm southerly flows over the Atlantic. Professor Cloke explained: '30°C in the UK can feel surprisingly oppressive because heat is not just about the number on the thermometer, it is about how efficiently your body can cool itself. Humidity slows the evaporation of sweat, which is the body's natural air-conditioning system, so a 30°C day can feel much stickier and more exhausting than the same temperature in a dry climate like southern Spain. What is unusual right now is less the absolute humidity and more the persistence of the warmth, including overnight.'
Dr Akshay Deoras, Senior Research Scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science & Department of Meteorology, added: 'In drier climates such as parts of the Middle East or South Asia, even at similar or higher air temperatures, low humidity allows sweat to evaporate more easily, improving natural cooling.'
Infrastructure and Urban Heat Island Effect
Unlike the UK, other countries have measures in place to beat the heat, including air conditioning. Professor Cloke said: 'Our homes are designed like thermal flasks to keep warmth in during winter, not release it during summer. Many buildings trap heat overnight, and because air conditioning is still relatively uncommon, there is often little relief indoors. In cities, concrete and brick can store heat through the day and re-radiate it at night, creating an urban heat island effect where nights stay uncomfortably warm. That is why a British heatwave can feel relentless, especially when temperatures stay high after dark.'
Dr Laurence Wainwright, a senior lecturer at the University of Oxford, added: 'Less than 5% of UK homes have aircon, and only around 35% of offices. The intense heatwave of July 2022 was a sobering reminder of this fact, and during those hot days portable air con units sold like hotcakes. As climate change continues to cause hotter and longer summers, we may have to address this.'
Climate Change and Future Outlook
Worryingly, Professor Cloke says the painful heat could become the norm in Britain, thanks to climate change. 'Unfortunately, this is a glimpse of the future. Climate change is making UK heatwaves more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. We are now seeing temperatures in late spring that would once have been exceptional even in mid-summer. The atmosphere is effectively being loaded with extra heat energy, raising the ceiling for temperature extremes. What once felt extraordinary is steadily becoming the new normal.'
Ben Clarke, Research Associate in Extreme Weather and Climate Change at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, added: 'While hot sunny weather has always happened occasionally and always will, climate change is making it much hotter and more dangerous when it does happen.' Dr Wainwright concluded: 'Scientific modelling predicts that by 2070, summer temperatures in the UK will be on average 5°C hotter than today. While perhaps 2070 sounds far away, and 5°C doesn't sound like much, it is starting already, and will as the years go by have a profound impact on the way that we live our lives.'
