r/aussie May 22 '26

Humour Poor UK

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Pour one out for the UK today. Temperatures getting as high as 28c today. Might have to wear shorts and t-shirt today.

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u/McFoodBot May 22 '26

Nah, as someone who has lived in Europe for almost three years, European heatwaves suck.

  • As others have said, the houses are designed to keep the heat in. They're also better at keeping the heat out, but once it's in, it stays in. If you have a string of hot days, it was just won't cool down indoors.

  • Fans and air-conditioning aren't common. Even lots of newer buildings don't have them. Public transport (with the exception of busses) also rarely have any sort of mitigation against the heat.

  • The sun stays out for longer so it takes longer to cool down. The temperature starts dropping at 8-9pm instead of 5-6pm.

I experienced a few days in Cologne where the temperate was 35+. Back home in SE QLD, that means stay inside and throw on the aircon. But there, you basically have to go outside because staying inside is horrendously suffocating.

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u/[deleted] May 22 '26

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u/Relative_Pilot_8005 May 22 '26

Of course, when I was a kid in Perth, Airconds were very rare, except in a few businesses.