Much of France was set to experience temperatures of around 40C on Tuesday, after records were shattered on Monday
Forty people have drowned in France over the past days as they sought to cool down to escape record heat, the prime minister said on Tuesday, as a heatwave swept across much of Europe.
Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting on the heatwave, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said: “A sad scourge when it comes to drownings, as the latest figures just reported to us show 40 deaths since June 18, most of them young people.”
Across France, people have been jumping into canals and rivers to cool off. French sports minister Marina Ferrari said she understood the urge to escape the heat but warned against swimming in unauthorized or dangerous areas.
40C is 104F, which on its own doesn’t feel that hot to me. It must be humid too I’m guessing.
Lol, 40°C is insanely hot for humans. Everything over 30 is super hot, over 35 is dangerous.
Add humidity to that and expect people to die from the heat alone.
Above 100F is where it’s considered critical, where the body can no longer dissipate heat through the environment.
Won’t this be related to the humidity/wet bulb temp?
That, but ultimately it’s about time. Like how 100C water gives you a burn instantly, but so does 40C, if you sit in it for 8 hours.
If your body can’t cool itself, you will eventually overheat and die. And the limit for a certain death (eventually) is 35C (95F) wet bulb - at that point even a perfectly healthy person at rest produces enough heat to bring their core temp to over 43C and die.
Humidity makes it even worse.
Can’t truly understand this F language. I speak C.
43C is 109F, which is what the headline says.
Ah was reading the body of the post, which says “around 40C.” 109 sucks but it’s still bearable if it’s not humid. Humidity with that temp is what makes it a killer.
What you’re saying is true, but only under specific circumstances. If you’re conditioned for it and you take precautions, if this is your daily, it’s doable. 109 with very low humidity, a nice breeze, in the shade, with dessert clothing, and a healthy supply of clean water, is ez if you are used to it and know what to do.
If you aren’t used to it, or don’t know what to do, or it’s 40% humidity, or there is no shade and you’re letting the sun hit your skin, etc, will easily kill you. This is France my man. Not wherever you’re from. These temps, just hitting the normal vegetation will ensure the humidity is unbearable. Much less everything else.
Europe is humid, it’s not a desert yet. It’s not like Arizona with dry heat or whatever you are imagining.
It’s relative, Europe live in buildings meant to keep the heat in made of brick or concrete where as where you live probably has bungalows made of timber suited to the climate in your area
Brick really retains heat I hear. I don’t doubt concrete and stone can as well.
The AC situation in Europe is a little rough. I stayed in Paris in a niceish hotel and the AC could not keep up with the heat when I was there. It was maybe a 10 degree difference inside vs out, and the humidity did not drop much. This was 10 years ago so maybe more places have better ac now, but I don’t think every place had AC then.
A 10 degree difference might not feel cold and comfy but it is absolutely life saving.
Depends on the country and the region within. The further you move south, the more ACs you’ll see. Up until recently, there wasn’t a reason for countries north of italy to have AC everywhere.
Ya we had to do that here in Maine about 10 years ago.
40C outside means that for most people at least 32C inside. And most people don’t have AC.