this post was submitted on 20 Nov 2023
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wait 100 F is only 38 degrees?
Wow that's funny. I've seen so many people complain about extreme heat below 100 F.
I get that what you're not used to is difficult but like 38 degrees is a relatively ordinary (now) summer day for me.
From how people spoke about it I thought 100 F was more lile 45
I think that if the air is moist enough 38 degrees will overheat the body and kill it. Because the human body sweats to lose heat.
So some regions on earth are probably less pleasant when the temperature rises. While other regions are more tolarable for humans.
So there might be a reason why some people complain that they suffer from the heat. There could also be other reasons like their living conditions. A lack of ac and water, or living in a urban heat hell.
Lets not trivialize experiences of people who suffer.
Oh yeah they open up libraries near me cause otherwise people might cark it.
I'm not trivialising anything, but outside of the tropics you don't need AC to survive those temps. Just keep wetting yourself down and stay out of the sun and you'll be right. Unless you're not in a good state prior.
That's why we're starting to use wet bulb temperature to measure these things. This is the temperature measured with the measuring bulb of the thermometer wet, so it accounts for wind and humidity, and it reflects how humans would feel and survive.
38°C wet bulb is a deadly temperature. Not like you may die if you are unlucky or have specific condition, but like healthy you adult humans die in this weather. Because wind and humidity are such that your body cannot cool itself.
In more temperate or dry places the heat should not be an underestimated danger either. But indeed the danger comes more at 40°C and higher and specific circumstances (stupidity being one of them).
you could still survive by immersing yourself in cool water but yeah.
I think we had a 48 the other year with like 70% humidity and that was interesting. At one point I tried to get something done in the sun and almost immediately started experiencing heat stroke. I ended up going into the bush and lying down in a creek for a while. A surprising number of people had the same idea, it was almost nice except for the whole "wow the Apocalypse is starting" thing.
You can survive with many external means. But that's the thing: you need external means to survive because you cannot survive otherwise in this environment.
And yes, even in dry weather doing work in direct sun when temperature is over 40C is madness. Even a healthy adult can die in this environment. You should at the very least have proper garments and drink a lot.
Keep in mind that a large chunk of the United States is considerably closer to the tropics than Europe is. Washington TC is on roughly the same latitude as Lisbon or Ibiza is. It's not tropical, but climatically it's still considered sub-tropical, and large chunks of the country have the summer heat and humidity to prove it.
I'm not from Europe. I'm from Australia.
ATM I live in temperate rainforest, have spent time in tropical heat up in northern QL.
Until the air gets saturated a lot of ability to cope is a combo of adaptation and conditioning. I wear jeans all year round pretty much and generally don't run into problems as long as I'm drinking water. People less use to heat don't move as much blood to their perpheries, probably don't drink anywhere near enough water, and aren't used to feeling comfortable in wet clothing (from sweat or from wetting yourself down).
I spent some time in Thailand and felt like I had found my people when it was a 30 degree day and I put on a jumper, went outside and saw many others doing the same!
Actually Europe's weather is pretty analogous to the Midwest, thanks to an ocean current dumping lots of warm water to their north. Although that might be changing soon idk
Fun fact. -40 degrees is the same in both C and F, and is also called "January" where I live.
I live in a place that has -40°C winters and +40°C summers now 👍
God I sure do love global warming
yikes. My house is about 6 degrees in winter and that's cold enough for me
You shouldnt let the house go below 14-isch degrees since that would create kondensation that might hurt the structure or promote fungal growth. My house is between 15 to 20 degrees in winter and at 15 I can feel my body stiffen due to cold
If I had a choice mate I wouldn't let it haha. I live in Australia, we make houses that don't qualify as tents in the rest of the world.
No real insulation (tiny amount in roof but downlights punch a hole through it), single glazed windows, doors that don't seal. Power costs too much to run heating :') it's good shit.
When I moved to Los Angeles, I opened a bank account and while chatting with the bank employee, I found out she'd never seen snow up close. She'd only ever seen it on the mountains in the distance. That boggled my mind.
I have had friends from colder places come stay and say they've never felt as bitterly cold as winter in Sydney.
When I spent some time in the snowfields in aus I was actually warm. Turns out if you build houses properly you don't even really need much heating. Residual heat from cooking and body heat hangs around for a long time, we'd only light the fire mornings and evenings.
Montana, here.
Nothing quite like when it hits -45°F and you have to start closing off rooms and stuffing blankets into registers and doorway cracks.
Any kind of outdoor airflow can burn so bad that skin necrosis can begin in just 5 minutes.
Summer in Arizona is shitty. Winter in the Northern Rockies will straight up murder you.
Ah yes the obligatory smug comment whenever anyone brings up temperature even tangentially.
Oh relax, it's just funny. You're welcome to have a giggle when I bitch about it being 18 and you're like 18? that's 64! I only heat my sauna to 66!
100F in Houston is a completely different beast than 100F in San Diego. Shade will actually help you San Diego. Nothing will help you in Houston.
Leaving
Leaving will help you in Houston.
I have no more idea where those places are than you have about port Douglas and Jindabyne ;)
Had to do a double take when I read Jindabyne. Nobody ever mentions Jindy online
There are like 1000 permanent residents :p
Nice place but, good lake, near good mountains, pleasant bushland around.
I stay sometimes, it's very timeless. Doesn't feel like it's changed much from when I was a kid.
Houston is the opposite of all those things. Its beaches consistently rank as having the highest fecal contamination in the country. Be glad you know nothing of it.
95 in Denver feels like 75 in South Carolina
It really depends on humidity. Humid heat is typically worse and can be really draining both mentally and physically. Dry heat is much more tolerable for humans. As a person who's experienced both I can concur, the 100F humid heat was borderline horrific.
38C/100F is probably fine (relatively) in Arizona but in Florida it'll be pretty terrible. Like when I was in the south for a week it was 98F and the walls were sweating.