I've Dreaded Every Heatwave Since 2019 – And It's Only Going To Get Worse

Recently, The Guardian wrote that we should all stop pretending heatwaves are fun – in reality, the author argued, they’re uncomfortable, sweaty, dangerous reminders of increasing global warming. 

I agree on all points, except the main argument of heatwaves being fun. I haven’t been excited to hear about a heatwave for years, and nobody I know has either. 

Friends still talk in horror of the sweltering 40C heat of 2022: a day which took place in a four-day heatwave that caused 1,000 heat-related deaths.

Since then, some loved ones told me, heatwave warnings have reminded them not of sunny beaches and 99 cones but uncomfortable, relentless overheating.

I don’t think most of us have been really excited to read headlines touting “soaring temps” for almost a decade. Personally, I stopped enjoying them in about 2019; others I asked put it somewhere in the mid-to-late 2010s.

We have good reason to react this way. Recent research from the University of East London found 80% of UK homes now experience overheating during summer – an enormous leap from the 18% figure of 2011. 

UK heatwaves are uniquely grim – and getting worse

The Met Office recently shared that the risk of seeing another 40C heat in the UK in the next 12 years is about 50-50, and the possibility of exceeding that temperature has risen too.

This is due to climate change.

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Johan Jaques, chief meteorologist at environmental solutions company KISTERS, said the UK is a uniquely uncomfortable place in these conditions. 

“In the UK, relative humidity is often higher than in countries with dry heat. This makes it harder for our bodies to cool down because sweat doesn’t evaporate as well,” he shared.

“That’s why you feel hotter and stickier. In contrast, in areas with dry heat, sweat evaporates more quickly and cools your body more effectively.” 

Additionally, our buildings are designed to keep heat in, not push it out – this can lead to “stifling” warmth in the summer. 

In urban environments, the tarmac and concrete hold onto and radiate heat, he adds – a phenomenon known as the “heat island effect”.

Richard Millard, senior sustainability consultant at Building Energy Experts, added: “Unlike many hotter climates (and increasingly, northern European countries), air conditioning is not standard in most UK homes, workplaces, or public buildings.”

It can be hard to find relief from the heat 

Because of all these factors, it can be very hard to get respite from the heat, even if you do everything “right”.

Millard advised: “At night, open all windows to allow the cooler air through; come early morning, close all windows and keep curtains drawn. Use fans to move air around within the home.” 

Jaques added factors like climate change, stifling building design, and urban density – which are all contributing to making UK heatwaves “particularly uncomfortable” – aren’t likely to change soon. 

And Dr Mehri Khosravi, lead author of UEL’s study, urged people in the UK to “adapt” attitudes towards extreme heat, from seeing it as an “enjoyable” change to acknowledging it as the public health risk it is. 

If the cancelled plans, fan-surrounded indoor sheltering, and increasing complaints about the endless heat I’ve seen are anything to go by, it looks like we’re well on our way.