I am from Pakistan and have been in UK for last two years and it feels very weird when people start screaming "too hot" on 25C~30C. 25C to me is good weather, hot kind of starts to feel at 29-30 but it requires just a little air from a fan or from outside to feel good.
On the other hand, when I am outside shivering and freezing with cold (in UK), I see people walking around very comfortably wearing t-shirts and other short dresses.
I am not sure if its just me or people coming from hot temperatures feel the same way.
So a lot of it depends on what you are used to. When it hits 45F (7C) in the fall I feel like I need a jacket. Where as 45F (7C) in the spring after being used to consistent 5F (-15C) weather I will head out in shorts and a t-shirt and it feels great. I think people can slowly get used to warmer/colder climates but it takes a long time.
In the last few years we had sudden temperature jumps in spring and autumn. Suddenly it was 25°C (77°F) warmer or colder the next day. Feels horrible especially since when a mediocre acclimatisation sets in the temperature changed again so there is never a nice temperature and it was always too hot or too cold.
Some already predict that 2022 will be the hottest year since we started to collect data. Not looking forward to it too much.
May be. I probably seek jacket on <15C~20C. But I think it also depends on the body mass, and probably this is the reason people from cold climates are often taller/healthier. With that size the the amount of heat that those bodies generate can only be sustained in an environment that cold.
This was very apparent from the dress and shoe sizes available in UK and I have seen the similar from US.
I am from Pakistan and have been in UK for last two years and it feels very weird when people start screaming "too hot" on 25C~30C
I used to be the same when I moved from the U. S. south (OMG hot) to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle), which has a climate similar to the U. K. Oh, how I'd mock the natives as they whined about the oppressive heat of the 25C day. Until about ten years into living here, then I, too, got used to the mild climate. And now I, too, complain when it hits about 27C/80F. ("Complain" is a bit strong; "damn, it's hot today" is more like it, I still like a nice 85F day).
>100F/38F was not all that uncommon in North Carolina, and it was damned hot when I lived there, but I'd still ride a motorcycle in full protective gear (yes, it was kinda miserable). When it went over 100F in Seattle last year, leaving the house was an exercise in survival, and riding a motorcycle in anything other than shorts would have likely killed me.
So give it a few more years, Pakistan native or not, you'll be as heat-intolerant as your neighbors in no time!
100F in North Carolina usually has a higher heat index temperature too due to humidity. I thought we'd be prepared for it coming from Southern California but it really is just a different kind of hot. And it's hot.
As a new rider I was surprised to find that when it's hot enough, going fast on a motorcycle is not cooling; you're just moving through more hot air. The only way to cool off is to ride to the mountains.
You're talking a lot about fans and ac systems which help you bear the heat.
In the UK such protections are installed in almost no homes, as I'm sure you've noticed. Would it still be comfortable in India if such technology was limited?
When does it start to feel cold in India and when do people begin to use their central heating systems? Are central heating systems common in the warmer regions?
Can't tell much about India other than it has be similar situation. In Pakistan though, there is a lot of electric load shedding in summer in peak summer because high requirement. Load shredding means there won't be electricity around 8 to 12 hours a day to use electric fans or coolers or other stuff.
EDIT : Worst time in summer is when it's humid and air speed is 0 and no electricity. It feels like boiling inside and you can only shake so much hand fan to keep yourself cool.
And for the cold we have used blankets and room heaters which burn on coal or gas. Recently the electric room heaters have improved a lot and they are used as well.
I remember that one. We lost power for an entire day in Southern Spain, everyone went out to buy AC units and put too much strain on the grid. I was young so I may be remembering something wrong but that's what I was told.
Looking at that page I see Jerez hit 45.1 °C (113.2 °F). That's the closest city to where we were at the time.
It does not. I typically like KSR's works and appreciate the "dry" technical detail he often injects, but not with MotF. The book stands entirely on it's first chapter. That first chapter is definitely worth the read, and on it's own, a phenomenal short story. The rest is a poorly stitched together series of some of the most interesting and significant events being glossed over in favor of some flat uninteresting characters failing to effect any significant change with some fanciful yet flawed story telling (ever chatted with a photon before?) that somehow manages to make a potential near-future climate catastrophe look dull while simultaneously highlighting just how truly bad it can get. In the end it is a rather optimistic take too, so it's not as if it's some Cormac McCarthy-esque gloom that wears you down, nor am I a climate change, denier. It's a topic I'm quite passionate about and was really looking forward to seeing KSR's take. Ultimately, even with the optimistic conclusion, I was disappointed in the book (with the exception of Chapter 1, which again was stellar).
The potential for a phenomenal book is certainly there. But it feels like a first draft in need of an editor reigning him in a bit. I can absolutely recommend that people read the first chapter, and disregard the rest.
Food prices this year are going to be a doozey. This heat wave plus Ukraine's missing wheat exports and increasing natural gas costs (used for making fertilizer) are a triple whammy. :(
India has a huge wheat surplus that is available for export, and the next couple weeks will be crucial for a good harvest. It will be known whether the crop is good this season, soon. India could very easily step into the breach to supply wheat but the problem is that the country is not set up to move out such massive quantities of grain, i.e., terminals, ports, loading facilities etc. That's going to be the bottleneck, not actual production or existing stores of grain.
Sunflower seeds, on the other hand, are going to be a major problem. They are used to extract cooking oil, and Ukraine was a major supplier.
Supermarkets in the UK are already rationing sunflower oil due to the shortage. A lot of concern about food prices in general as a large amount of our processed food is produced with sunflower oil.
Why would Ukraine's missing wheat exports matter that much? Russia and Ukraine are significant exporters of wheat, but their contribution to global wheat production isn't near as impressive. There's plenty of other major exporters who could increase production to help fill the gap. Prices will probably go up in some nations, but I'm sure it will hardly be noticeable compared to everything else the global economy is going through.
And it's not like Russia is just going to stop exporting wheat. Major importers like China will probably be happy to get a better deal on it than years past thanks to sanctions reducing the demand for Russian wheat.
I'd be much more worried about Europe's dependency on Russian natural gas. There are other major natural gas exporters, but I'd expect the market to be much slower to adapt since the product is mostly transported using expensive pipelines. And other nations will probably be more hesitant to increase production significantly due to environmental concerns.
Wheat is unlikely to be a problem in India. Domestic production is high as are buffers. There's enough surplus that Indian wheat is being exported. If the situation changes, the government won't hesitate in banning exports.
When it gets hot in India, what are ways people like to cool off?
My grandma in Australia would drink hot tea when the weather was hot, because that cooled her down. I would go swim in the ocean. When I was in HK, I'd turn up the Aircon.
Are there uniquely Indian ways of cooling off in hot weather?
I have a desert cooler that runs probably > 8hrs a day. I live in an area that's relatively not humid. My family is kinda lucky that we have a lawn surrounding the house and that's full of trees, so that cools the house a bunch as well.
Sometimes we do hang a bunch of palm mats on the windows and spray it with water, for evaporat-ive cooling.
Other than this, we also have lots of juices during the summer, and have diluted buttermilk to drink!
Most of us wear clothes that are loose around the groin and areas where sweat production/accumulation occurs the most.
Most Indians have darker skin, which helps in hot climates. Light-skinned people (caucasians, for example) suffer terribly in the heat and their skin is more prone to sunburns (although dark skin can also burn in the Sun with enough exposure).
- Drinking water from clay pots. The clay pots cool water down better than refrigerators sometimes.
- "Coolers", which are basically high-powered fans that are surrounded by mats woven from the Vetiver plant, through which water continuously circulates. These do a wonderful job of keeping the room cool and also give off a pleasing smell.
- Watermelons. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan/Ramzan falls in the summer, and watermelons are a favorite for breaking the fast. Everybody enjoys watermelons in this season, and it is a great coolant. There is a notion of 'heating' and 'cooling' foods and drink, and people try to consume the cooling foods in this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxYYn4SBd9Q
- Popsicle-like things, known by various names, but basically ice dipped in juices are very popular with children, who buy them from vendors who sell from their carts on the street. They can be found by the roadside all over the country at all times of the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klnjihAtxGU
- Sugarcane juice: This is a huge favorite in the hot Deccan Plateau in peninsular India. The cane is pressed between rollers that squeeze juice out of the cane, which is mixed with a tiny bit of lemon juice and cooled with ice. Great antidote to the heat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLP4G-PyhU8
- Clothing: Men wear white clothes, in particular those that work outside all day in the Sun. Even if it is soiled, white
clothing keeps you cooler outside. Clothing is also loose-fitting and lets air through (rural men literally drape white cloth around their waists, called dhotis, and hike them up to knee height when the weather is hot).
Wherever the weather is dry people use evaporative coolers. They cost a fraction of what an A/C would cost. People also use curtains made from a local grass called khus. These are sprinkled with water for evaporative cooling. Its unlikely to be unique to India though.
I live in a temperate climate, where temperature goes up to around 35 degrees Celcius in summertime. I don't tolerate temperatures above ~28 degrees well. To my surprise, I have found that if I go for a short run in the hottest time of the day, that will seemingly kickstart my body's thermal self-regulation and I'll only experience a fraction of the heat discomfort for around ~2 days. If anyone is interested in trying this, be mindful of the dangers of heatstroke and dehydration.
As someone who's living in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, the heat is unbearable during the day time despite it being a hilly city. It feels like June even though it's April. I am hearing from those living in rural areas that the temperature is even worse there. I cannot imagine what May and June will bring. The only hope is the annual monsoon rains.
Wow… 50F is quite high! The record high temp on earth was 56F at dearth valley. Given India/Pakistan are breaking records each year, it looks like they are only decade away from vast regions becoming inhospitable. Given the population density, this could become big disaster.
Readit News
In hot cities in peak summer, temperature often goes up to 48C and rarely to 50C even. Air Coolers https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_cooler.jpg are the most common (affordable) tool to bear all this heat.
On the other hand, when I am outside shivering and freezing with cold (in UK), I see people walking around very comfortably wearing t-shirts and other short dresses.
I am not sure if its just me or people coming from hot temperatures feel the same way.
Location: Northeast US
Some already predict that 2022 will be the hottest year since we started to collect data. Not looking forward to it too much.
This was very apparent from the dress and shoe sizes available in UK and I have seen the similar from US.
I used to be the same when I moved from the U. S. south (OMG hot) to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle), which has a climate similar to the U. K. Oh, how I'd mock the natives as they whined about the oppressive heat of the 25C day. Until about ten years into living here, then I, too, got used to the mild climate. And now I, too, complain when it hits about 27C/80F. ("Complain" is a bit strong; "damn, it's hot today" is more like it, I still like a nice 85F day).
>100F/38F was not all that uncommon in North Carolina, and it was damned hot when I lived there, but I'd still ride a motorcycle in full protective gear (yes, it was kinda miserable). When it went over 100F in Seattle last year, leaving the house was an exercise in survival, and riding a motorcycle in anything other than shorts would have likely killed me.
So give it a few more years, Pakistan native or not, you'll be as heat-intolerant as your neighbors in no time!
In the UK such protections are installed in almost no homes, as I'm sure you've noticed. Would it still be comfortable in India if such technology was limited?
When does it start to feel cold in India and when do people begin to use their central heating systems? Are central heating systems common in the warmer regions?
Also in rural areas and where people are poor, we have other means. We spend the day outside in shadow using hand fan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_fan#/media/File%3ABinch... then there is Ghara to cool the water. Also for water there is Nalka in villages to get fresh cold water from earth by hand https://republic-imagekit.azureedge.net/republic-prod/storie... To sit/sleep outside in summer Charpai is used https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charpai
EDIT : Worst time in summer is when it's humid and air speed is 0 and no electricity. It feels like boiling inside and you can only shake so much hand fan to keep yourself cool.
Beginning of that book was downright terrifying.
Looking at that page I see Jerez hit 45.1 °C (113.2 °F). That's the closest city to where we were at the time.
Deleted Comment
But, they sure ought to consider their plans for stratospheric sulfur injection.
(I never got past the middle of the book. Did it pick up?)
The potential for a phenomenal book is certainly there. But it feels like a first draft in need of an editor reigning him in a bit. I can absolutely recommend that people read the first chapter, and disregard the rest.
Tau ceti podcast
Solar Geoengineering
https://podcruncher.co/play/4GTv
Sunflower seeds, on the other hand, are going to be a major problem. They are used to extract cooking oil, and Ukraine was a major supplier.
And it's not like Russia is just going to stop exporting wheat. Major importers like China will probably be happy to get a better deal on it than years past thanks to sanctions reducing the demand for Russian wheat.
I'd be much more worried about Europe's dependency on Russian natural gas. There are other major natural gas exporters, but I'd expect the market to be much slower to adapt since the product is mostly transported using expensive pipelines. And other nations will probably be more hesitant to increase production significantly due to environmental concerns.
Edible oil through is a different story.
My grandma in Australia would drink hot tea when the weather was hot, because that cooled her down. I would go swim in the ocean. When I was in HK, I'd turn up the Aircon.
Are there uniquely Indian ways of cooling off in hot weather?
Sometimes we do hang a bunch of palm mats on the windows and spray it with water, for evaporat-ive cooling.
Other than this, we also have lots of juices during the summer, and have diluted buttermilk to drink!
Most of us wear clothes that are loose around the groin and areas where sweat production/accumulation occurs the most.
Most Indians have darker skin, which helps in hot climates. Light-skinned people (caucasians, for example) suffer terribly in the heat and their skin is more prone to sunburns (although dark skin can also burn in the Sun with enough exposure).
- Drinking water from clay pots. The clay pots cool water down better than refrigerators sometimes.
- "Coolers", which are basically high-powered fans that are surrounded by mats woven from the Vetiver plant, through which water continuously circulates. These do a wonderful job of keeping the room cool and also give off a pleasing smell.
- Lemon Soda. This is sold in various formats by street cart vendors. Basically, lemonade or limeade with club soda as the base. My favorite is the 'goli soda', which is vanishing quickly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLXYNjgOwQEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22RXO6x8z1Q
- Watermelons. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan/Ramzan falls in the summer, and watermelons are a favorite for breaking the fast. Everybody enjoys watermelons in this season, and it is a great coolant. There is a notion of 'heating' and 'cooling' foods and drink, and people try to consume the cooling foods in this season. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxYYn4SBd9Q
- Popsicle-like things, known by various names, but basically ice dipped in juices are very popular with children, who buy them from vendors who sell from their carts on the street. They can be found by the roadside all over the country at all times of the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klnjihAtxGU
- Sugarcane juice: This is a huge favorite in the hot Deccan Plateau in peninsular India. The cane is pressed between rollers that squeeze juice out of the cane, which is mixed with a tiny bit of lemon juice and cooled with ice. Great antidote to the heat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLP4G-PyhU8
- Clothing: Men wear white clothes, in particular those that work outside all day in the Sun. Even if it is soiled, white clothing keeps you cooler outside. Clothing is also loose-fitting and lets air through (rural men literally drape white cloth around their waists, called dhotis, and hike them up to knee height when the weather is hot).
Drink a lot of water to stay hydrated
Eat more carbs and less fat and protein
Drink a lot of buttermilk
Slices of onions, cucumbers, etc. also help.
https://thewire.in/environment/as-indias-heat-waves-get-wors...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaw1838
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=32.4;78.9;3&l=humidity
[0]: https://bookwyrm.social/book/29187
This too reminded my of that terrifying book. It made real something (killer heatwave) that I couldn't even imagine.