Now the met office is giving red alert for the extreme heat forecast is anyone actually seriously worried about the heat alert or is it doom mongering? Got an email saying my kids school is closing monday and Tuesday due to the heat and advised to not drive anywhere and wfh by my employer (fine with that!)

Can’t help but think media are making a big deal of it unnecessarily… But interested to hear other opinions! It’s unusual for the UK for sure and I guess due to the fact most of us don’t have aircon at home / swimming pools / beach / sea to enjoy (unless you are lucky where you live) these kind of warnings hit harder at home….

We are British, we love news about the weather.

It may seem like Doom Mongering now, but the tarmac will melt when it gets hot enough. Then the roadies will turning to mountain bikers for advice while the car drivers are all stuck.

Think potholes are bad, wait till most of the roads have melted.

*Heat warning. Still time to edit.. please do…. 😉

Can’t help but think media are making a big deal of it unnecessarily

People are going to die of heatstroke in this. Old and vulnerable people. So yeah, you might be ok, but it’s not aimed at you.

We’ve got 30 forecast from Met Office and 35 from the BBC. I’ve never seen it over 30 here in Cardiff, I don’t think.

Haa thanks molgrips! Obviously another issue with heat = sausage fingers 🙂

Cardiff seems pretty cool to where I am in SE. Was at my folks yesterday on the bay and quite pleasant compared to home! Guess it’s a good time to be living by the sea.

I’m not sure folk in this country have an appreciation of just what 40 Degrees feels like. Low 30’s can be pretty uncomfortable, it’s going to be really quite hard for the fit and healthy. For the young and vulnerable, those temps are really quite serious.

Having told you all to take it seriously, I am considering going for a ride. I’ve done many over 30C rides in other parts of the world, but I would look like a right tit.

Think potholes are bad, wait till most of the roads have melted.

Nah. Best thing for potholes. Tarmac melting fills ’em innit??? 😂😂😂

Molgrips – ha managed about 40 mins round swinley yesterday before I headed home in a ball of sweat / tears / thirst and disappointment

I got to experience 3 or 4 days in the south of France in a caravan a couple of years ago, with temperatures hovering around 37 degrees. I had taken my bike but at no point did I feel like riding it. Let us know how you get on Molgrips 🙂

What tyres for melted bitumen?

Fire XCs

It’s forecast 37 for here on Tuesday and we’re just on the edge of the red zone. I’ll be at work in my south facing, all glass, non air conditioned office.

I might get away with wearing shorts but only if the big boss is working from home.

Us normals have just got to suck it up haven’t we.

We’ve barely reached 20 degrees at all this year in the Western Isles, plus we’ve had record rainfall. What is this ‘extreme heat’ you’re getting all hot and bothered about?

I’ve ordered 5,000 bottles of water for the bus stations I’m responsible for. I might even need to order more on Monday as never had to deal with this kind of temperature over more than 24 hours here in Sheffield.

It’ll be the elderly who get hit by this for definite. I’m just waiting for news of pensioners passing out on buses and trams through work next week too.

The challenge with the UK is these temperatures are also often accompanied by relatively high humidity too. I worked in Riyadh once for a while in August which was insanely hot (50+ degrees some days) but was actually quite tolerable as humidity was almost zero.

Our kids are being sent home at 12:30 to be at home in the highest temps (London).

Our old cat is already sprawled on the floor tiles rather than his favourite cushion, I’m wondering if this’ll be the end of him. My daughter – not know to sugar coast her words says “he sleeps in shapes like his practising dying “ 😳

Oof limbo jimbo! I spent 6 months out in UAE a few years ago. That was heat I NEVER want to experience again. 42 deg every day plus… But at least I had air con! No one walks anywhere ever! Within one minute of walking out the nice cool apartment I was dripping with sweat and seriously considering my life choices. Hated that place.

Can anyone tell me why our train tracks give up when it gets a bit warm? I don’t recall this happening when travelling on the TGV…

Yes I’m worried about my daughters cat. He is a ragdoll and looks like a small fluffy sheep…he is also a big part of her emotional support right now

Any tips on keeping a congenitally stupid ball of fur cool in 35 degrees?

Any tips on keeping a congenitally stupid ball of fur cool in 35 degrees?

My kids have suggested shaving ours!

What mogrips said, heat causes fatalities mostly in the older population, and people with underlying conditions. Excess deaths from heat are probably the biggest ‘environmental’ killer. Over 36°C (in the shade temperature) becomes very, very difficult to deal as you need latent heat from evaporation of sweat/wet hair/towels on your forehead to reduce your body temperature, and of course metabolic heat from moving around makes it worse. We have over a 1,000 extra deaths each year when the night-time temps are high, e.g. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heat-mortality-monitoring-reports/heat-mortality-monitoring-report-2021

Definitely something to take seriously if you are a workplace with people outside/in the sun or people who have to do manual work. Otherwise just be sensible. As with the pandemic, the main thing for the fit and healthy is to avoid unnecessary risks to make as much capacity in the NHS as possible for emergencies. Most NHS hospitals are under severe strain already so they probably won’t cope and there will be avoidable deaths unfortunately.

Been hotter abroad, in Spain and Turkey, however i didnt have to do anything i didnt want to and could retreat to either the pool or aircon when i wanted.

Old and vulnerable people. So yeah, you might be ok, but it’s not aimed at you.

Given the demographic on this website it probably is aimed at us

Can anyone tell me why our train tracks give up when it gets a bit warm? I don’t recall this happening when travelling on the TGV…

Because they weren’t originally designed and specified for the higher temperatures more commonly experienced in other, hotter, countries?

I’d think the offset gaps are smaller in college countries.
Spain may have bigger gaps and no offset.

Expansion gaps that is.

Having worked in 45*c and 80%+ humidity in Myanmar, after I’ve put my waving willy away, I will be enjoying the warmth* that makes it as far as Scotland.

Stumpy – I think that’s the crux.. On holiday you expect it and have pools / air con etc. And can just be like a cat and do naff all

Kona girl – nice reply. Thanks for the info. I am indeed a little worried about older folks and people forced to work in this heat. I am not downplaying it at all.

Richie – yeah that’s so true 🙂 42 red head and balding. With a bmi increasing every week… I am not built for sun and this heat for sure! (but I still do ride my bikes regularly he he)

I’m not sure folk in this country have an appreciation of just what 40 Degrees feels like

Being English we always get up late and end up riding mid day when on holiday abroad. One year, in Portugal, we were thinking this is flipping hot – passed a pharmacy and the temp thing read 40C!

It was like riding into a hair dryer….

I think it’s entirely sensible to make a point out of someone unusual for us Brits.

After all we are very stupid a lot of the time. There’s plenty of evidence.

I’ve ridden before 10am in 40 degrees in Vegas and the guy who took us said plenty of people die out here.

So yeah worth a heads up.

You can work with the weather, go early, drink, stay in shaded areas where possible but it’s good to know it’s coming.

Any tips on keeping a congenitally stupid ball of fur cool in 35 degrees?

Lots of those gel pet cooling mats on Amazon? The dog has a paddling pool she sits in, but guess not much use for a cat.

Tarmac melting! I hadn’t thought of that. If it is then I prob would have to not work…

Lots of those gel pet cooling mats on Amazon?

Our cats refuse to sit on it!

However, we did buy an Aircon unit the other day – £250 from Homebase..

Now gone back to full price….

https://www.homebase.co.uk/portable-air-conditioner-8000-btu/12826720.html

Paddling pool not a silly idea – ragdolls like water

So serious question for those close to roads… What makes our tarmac melt at such a low (comparable) temp compare to other roads in Europe / international? I guess there is a cost saving associated with lowering the melting point and saving on various fillers etc. (reducing cost).

I do remember in the last heat wave (2019 ish?) picking slabs and stones off melted tarmac off the driveway. Fun at the time… But still looks crap now!

I’ve experienced 40+ heat many times, only once worked in it, that was not much fun. Will be working all next week in a big field with no shade, we’ll reschedule as much as possible so working at 5am and avoid the middle of the day… but there comes a point where you just have to down tools

but guess not much use for a cat.

depends on the cat we had one that would just wade in to mouth level before drinking. Nice cool down for a black long haired moggy.

Any tips on keeping a congenitally stupid ball of fur cool in 35 degrees?

Sudocrem?

It’s only 19C in the GeordieLand now … just rained too.

but there comes a point where you just have to down tools

Pretty much, the wording is risk of illness and death in ‘the fit and healthy’, so not much point in trying to be the big man

The pureist.. One of my all time favorite threads on here.. Posting for others to enjoy 🙂

Sudocrem Cat, We Salute You

It’s weird that there are minimum working temps in the UK but no max. Would have thought max would be more of a problem due to the inability to cool down? Cold temps you can just layer up… But you can’t remove skin.

https://www.gov.uk/workplace-temperatures

Some years ago, I was riding Sun Peaks bike park (in the BC interior) in 43°C whilst wearing full body armour and a matt black full face helmet. Can’t say I enjoyed that, but having booked the accommodation and lift tickets, I wanted to get my monies worth…

Have also rode around Kamloops, Kelowna and Penticton in same area in slightly lower temps as well as various areas of SW USA but all these areas have much lower humidity which helps.