What’s A Heatwave
Now that I’m in Hong Kong I’m reminded what it means to be a city prepared for hot weather. There is (powerful) air conditioning everywhere and in general the ocean breeze contributes to keeping the city air moving. Back in London they are suffocating under a heat wave and it’s clear the city is not engineered at all for such an occurrence.
Britain adapting, barely, to a record heat wave
“How hot is it? At its peak on Wednesday, it was 36.4C, approaching the record of 37.1C set (one can’t escape this fact in Britain this week) in Cheltenham in 1990.
That’s well shy of any Canadian record, but Britain, better known for its rain and fog, simply isn’t prepared.
The rails and highways were not built for such heat. Most homes and cars don’t have air conditioning. And there’s an element of stiff-upper-lip to it all — it is after all, only weather, not bombs. Pubs like Kings Arms in the historic Shepherds Market haven’t even bothered to change their stew specials — lamb pot pie with rosemary was the featured attraction on Saturday night.”