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Posted: 17-07-2013 21:38 Post subject:

I think the main problem is we don't tend to have air con as it just wouldn't be worth it, some years you wouldn't even need to use it once. I've been in shops recently that were ovens, don't know how people work in them.

Posted: 17-07-2013 22:16 Post subject:

I'm with Ryn, his comment was meant jokingly as a fair response to a patronizing post.

Posted: 17-07-2013 22:24 Post subject:

Posted: 17-07-2013 22:27 Post subject:

Posted: 17-07-2013 22:42 Post subject:

It's OK, Rynner - I did have the idea you were joking, but I couldn't resist the chance to waggle a righteous finger. Laughing

Posted: 18-07-2013 05:34 Post subject:

It does depend what temperature you are used to as well - when its barely reached double figures for 8 months and suddenly goes up to 30 and stays there it does take the old body a little while to adjust.

Posted: 18-07-2013 07:32 Post subject:

Interesting piece:

10 ways the UK is ill-prepared for a heatwave
By Vanessa Barford, BBC News Magazine

The UK is sweltering but with disrupted railways and hot homes, is it really ready for a heatwave?
Here are 10 ways the UK is ill-prepared.

1. The design of modern flats
The average UK one-bedroom home is a compact 46 sq m (495 sq ft), according to the Royal Institute of British Architects. And as well as being on the small side it's also increasingly very insulated.
This can be a good thing when it's cold and damp outside but not always helpful during a heatwave when a nice draught could make all the difference. There are even fears that homes insulated under the government's Green Deal could actually lead to deaths.

And then there's the fact that the typical flat only points one way.
"The problem with British housing provision is there's no legislation to ensure residences have double aspect," says Ellis Woodman, executive editor of Building Design magazine. "This means you get a lot of new flats in cities that only have one room orientation, which means you can't have cross ventilation, or a draught."
...

2. No air conditioning
The UK is a country of radiators, not air conditioning. A Mintel report in 2008 found that just 0.5% of houses and flats in the UK had any kind of air con.

That contrasts with the US, where nearly 100 million homes have it. It has even been suggested that air con accounts for as much as 15% of total American energy consumption.

Air con is more common in the workplace in the UK, which might avoid some problems. A Nasa study, cited by Mintel, suggested that productivity falls by 3.6% for every degree over 22C.

3. Rails expand
As anybody who has ever sat through GCSE or O-level physics knows, metal expands with heat.

On railways there are traditionally expansion joints, using small gaps in the rail. But once the rail has expanded to fill those gaps you are in trouble.

At London's Waterloo station on Monday one track buckled, causing chaos. Elsewhere, controllers have had to use speed restrictions to avoid damage occurring on hot rails. Last week, 200 ScotRail services were cancelled or held up because of the heat. In temperatures of 30C the rails themselves can easily reach 50C.
...

4. Roads don't handle heat well either
Most road surfaces in the UK can start melting at 50C. Just 5% are resistent up to 80C.

With temperatures just into the 30s celsius, that might not sound like much of a problem, but temperatures are typically measured in the shade and black roads absorb heat. Roads in direct sunlight can regularly reach 50C.

Motorists on a stretch of the M25 experienced the knock-on effects on Sunday. Traffic came to a standstill before the road was closed while emergency re-surfacing took place over night.

5. Old people are too isolated
The very young and the elderly are physically more vulnerable to the effects of hot weather.

But the ongoing problem of growing social isolation for older people in the UK, where many live alone and far from their families, is particularly serious during a heatwave. The fact that many families are away on foreign holidays exacerbates it.

It's also a problem elsewhere in the West. In the European heatwave of 2003, 14,800 people died in France, most of them elderly.
...

6. No cooling centres
The US has been using ad hoc "cooling centres" to cope with heatwaves for some time.

Cities such as New York, Chicago, Boston, Toronto and Seattle will set aside an air-conditioned public community centre or library to offer people relief from the heat, as well as water and often medical attention.
...

7. Too few swimming pools
Another US tactic is extending public swimming pool opening hours. In the UK, the ideal place for many people to cool down might be an outdoor pool, or lido.

These large pools were built from Victorian times until the 1960s. But finding one isn't easy, especially outside south-eastern of England. Lido numbers in the UK have fallen drastically, from about 300 in their heyday to under half that today.
In 1951 Greater London had 60 lidos. Today the capital has 13.
...

8. Lack of outdoor seating
Cafes, restaurants, bars and drinking holes aren't always geared up for soaring temperatures.

Take beer gardens. The British are renowned for loving their pub culture almost as much as the Germans. But whereas Germany - where beer gardens originated, and which boasts the largest beer garden in world (the Hirschgarten in Munich seats 8,000 people) - still has plenty of outdoor pub spaces, the UK has far fewer.

9. Not enough drinking fountains
There was a time - especially when British cities' water was heavily polluted with industrial waste - when drinking fountains were literally a life-saver.
...

10. No siesta
The typical British working day isn't conducive to summer sun. Britons work a variety of hours, but the 9-to-5 is still the most common way to make a living.

For office workers, that means sticky, cramped commutes and days spent at the desk wistfully looking out of the window. And for outdoor workers such as construction workers and builders, it probably means long hours labouring in an uncomfortable heat.
...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23341698

Posted: 18-07-2013 17:40 Post subject:

Another hot day:

Posted: 18-07-2013 18:17 Post subject:

Posted: 18-07-2013 21:46 Post subject:

Sainsbury's is a wonderful place to get some respite with its freezing cold, filtered air con. Just wander around looking at the clothes etc, you don't have to buy anything.

Posted: 18-07-2013 23:20 Post subject:

Yep, we did that today and we did buy stuff, only problem it's like walking into a sauna when you go outside.http://www.anchoredbygrace.com/smileys/sky3.gif

Posted: 19-07-2013 08:05 Post subject:

Heatwave: 100 people in Wales could have died so far, according to study

Up to 100 people may have died in Wales as a result of the heatwave so far, according to a study.
A leading public health research centre looked at the number of possible extra deaths due to the hot weather.
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) estimated 60 to 100 mostly elderly people may have died from 6-14 July.

Meanwhile, a hospital specialising in injuries that require plastic surgery has seen a 100% rise in trauma cases.

Ben Armstrong, a professor in epidemiological statistics at LSHTM, said the deaths were likely to have been "overwhelmingly among the elderly, especially those over 75".
He said some of the deaths may have been "among people who would have died just a few weeks later if there had been no heatwave".
He also estimated that between 540 and 760 people may have died in England in the same period due to the weather.

The figures were produced using Met Office temperature data, which was compared to studies conducted after previous heatwaves.
The estimates are based on the assumption the risk of death increases for every degree above a particular maximum threshold in individual areas.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Centre for Burns and Plastic Surgery said it had seen a spate of trauma cases linked to the recent hot weather.
The centre, at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, has dealt with 53 cases requiring plastic surgery in a week - double the normal rate.
Dean Boyce, consultant plastic surgeon, said: "Unfortunately we are treating a patient with a very severe foot injury, and this is not the first time this has happened.
"We have seen children who have lost a foot after falling off a parent's lap riding a ride-on mower."

He said DIY was popular in the hot weather and there had been "a number of patients losing fingers with circular saws".
"A patient also cut their finger off with a hedge clipper," he said.
"Another patient lost the top of a thumb shooting an air rifle, and another lost a finger after it got caught in a deck chair."

The centre has treated patients for sunburn - and overheated dogs have caused injuries as well.
Tom Potokar, consultant burns and plastic surgeon, said: "People may give their pet a hug and the dog may snap because it is too hot and the resulting bites can be quite serious.
"So you need to be sensitive of how the heat can affect dogs."

The Wales Air Ambulance (WAA) said the number of missions flown during the first two weeks of July had almost doubled compared to the same period last year.
WAA paramedic and operations manager Jason Williams said: "We've seen a huge increase in incidents that are outdoors, including beaches, mountains and caravan parks."
He added: "The summer months are traditionally the busiest season for us, but the sunshine this month has definitely sent our missions soaring compared to last year."

Figures released by Hywel Dda Health Board, which serves Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, show extra pressure is also being put on A&E services.
Health bosses said there was a big jump in new attendances at A&E during the first half of July compared with the same period in the previous two years

--------------------------------------

Staying safe - St John Wales

Keith Dunn, St John Wales chief executive, said: "Sunburn, heatstroke and heat exhaustion can be fatal. If you suspect a friend or loved one is suffering from any of these symptoms, move them out of the sun immediately. If the casualty remains unwell, seek urgent medical attention."

Dehydration symptoms can include dry mouth and dry eyes, headaches, dizziness and confusion, dark urine and cramp.

Heatstroke symptoms can include restlessness and confusion; hot, flushed and dry skin; a full, bounding pulse; and a body temperature above 40C (104F).

Heat exhaustion symptoms can include a loss of appetite and nausea; sweating, with pale, clammy skin; cramps; and a rapid, weakening pulse.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23367459

Posted: 19-07-2013 10:11 Post subject:

Heatwave: Britain faces another week in roaring Thirties
Families can look forward to some welcome respite from the heatwave this weekend before temperatures soar to up to 35C. Shocked

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10189200/Heatwave-Britain-faces-another-week-in-roaring-Thirties.html

Posted: 19-07-2013 13:20 Post subject:

Forecast for today in the Guardian said 27 degrees for Manchester.

I have currently got a reading of 36.8 degrees in my back garden, which tends to be something of a midday heat-trap. I think I'll stay indoors this afternoon. Smile

Blimey! It has gone up to 39.8! The digital thermometer is just part of the display on a clock intended for indoors use so there may be some exaggeration.

Eeek! it now says 41.7 degrees in the direct sunlight.

Whatever the accuracy of my instrument, I have the feeling some records may be broken this afternoon. Smile

Posted: 21-07-2013 01:23 Post subject:

Your turn to pour scorn.