this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2023

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UK weather: hottest June since records began - Met Office (www.bbc.co.uk)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

44 comments fedilink hide all child comments

We seem to be breaking new records constantly at the moment.

Scientists found evidence that climate change made the warmer weather last month more likely.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I had an argument with some pillock on facebook who was saying 'it was hot once in 76', I had to tell him his memory if obviously fucked because 1. data says so and 2. the changes since I was a kid in the 80's are massive and noticeable to anybody.

When I was a kid, you were lucky if you got a few days over 20 degrees over summer, if you had a week over 20 it was considered a heatwave of costa del sol proportions. For the last decade or so I've noticed spring starts a lot earlier now and summers go on a lot longer, even in winter I've seen cold like I've never seen on a few occasions (last few have been weirdly warm though).

Last year it was 38 degrees where I live in fuckin Newcastle for over a week, opening the door was like stepping off the plane in Florida. How fucking stupid do you have to be to be my age or older and not accept this reality staring us all in the fucking face?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’m old enough to remember the summer of ‘76 as I recall it was long and hot, but it was prolonged drought that was the issue. Many reservoirs were almost out and in quite a few towns domestic water supplies were restricted. That meant people in the streets queuing to fill buckets from standpipes. There was a plan to lay a pipe in the outside lane of the M4 to bring water from Wales to London.

So yes, it stands out in people’s memory as extraordinary and sparked a substantial investment in new reservoir capacity.

What people forget is the slow but inexorable rise in temperatures since then.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Yep! Reminds me of this stat from the met office:

An updated analysis of the annual UK temperature records from the Met Office shows that since 1884 all of the UK’s ten warmest years have occurred since 2002; whereas none of the ten coldest years have occurred since 1963.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Couldn't agree more, and the data just backs it all up. I'm guessing well get another 40 degree summer this year. As for the people, I'm assuming it's extreme denial from people who feel like they can't do anything/feel powerless.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fun fact: it has actually never hit 38° in Miami. So it was hotter than (Miami) Florida.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Not sure if that's fun, but it's certainly interesting!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And not just a little bit warmer - 0.9C is a lot.

That and the lack of rain made grass everywhere look parched.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

We are beating all sorts of records, my concern is that the chnage seems to be speeding up.

We had a whole stretch a few weeks back where it basically didn't rain for 3 weeks.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, I remember being quite surprised when it started raining - I'd almost forgotten what it was like.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We love to complain about it, but it's truly unsettling to go weeks without it!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Indeed. Being a pasty ginger who burns under a full Moon I had to really up my sun game. It wasn't too hot (looking forward to that) but the sun was intense.

I suppose the worry is that it being so dry, so relatively early, any drought will quick in faster and last longer.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Definitely and then when you get lots of rain it's more likely to cause flash flooding due to the ground being so dry!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Indeed - it'll be falling and flowing away in sheets of water. If we were any good at planning ahead, we'd ensure the river systems could cope but they won't and it'll get messy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

We live very close to a river and according to some of the projected climate chnage flooding maps a lot of the riverside areas and lower land areas near the mouth will just be gone. Dont think it's quite sunk in for people the potential impact climate chnage it going to have

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I live about a metre above sea level. Fortunately the sea defences are solid but the sea level rise maps still aren't a comfort. I'd need a boat to visit my brother who lives 15 minutes away.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hah, well let's hope it doesn't come to that! Meaningful change best be just around the corner

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I'm not holding my breath, well not until I'm underwater.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Oh it's definitely speeding up. Atlantic sea temperature has been flying up this year. The Antarctic sea ice is freezing at an incredibly slow rate, like it's 2 million km^2^ less than where it should be right now.

It feels like we're at the start of a Hollywood disaster film, the scientists running around with printouts of data, but they're not, because they've been warning us for decades and now it's happening.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yep, I just imagine really depressed climatologists just pointing to things saying 'see, see!'. Everything does seem to be ramping up this year, but then it's been every year basically. We all need to work out how to make a meaningful change before it's too late

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you're interested in up-to-date data on this sort of stuff, Zach Labe has some really great figures on his website: zachlabe.com

(I mean, the figures aren't great because of the ramifications, but they're clear and concise)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Thank you for the info, I'll take a look

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Get ready for the same headline next year and evey year after. I can't cope with UK heat, absolutely dreading it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah it's the same headline almost every month, every year. The heat we currently have in a humid climate and without air con isn't very fun. I'm assuming everyone will be fitting air con in the next few years.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've started installing ceiling fans in my house and they make a world of difference.

I hope I never have to get air con installed, it just eats through electric.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If your windows are compatible, it could be a good idea to pre-emptively buy a window ac. They are pretty efficient and it's not a crazy amount of energy to just cool one room (bedroom probably). The trick is to only use it when necessary and set the temp to 26-28C.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Are those the ones literally installed into your window space?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeh, it's because of global warming

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yep, very much so! We desperately need the government and business to step in and make meaningful change.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I work in the agtech sector, there's loads of people trying to make a difference, and there's plenty of companies also dedicated to change

https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/

As for government, "the people get the government they deserve", it's up to us to vote in those that will step in

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s madness how everyone is very worried about this, yet there is nothing really serious being done about it.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It is maddening, we seem to be stuck watching this happen in slow (well faster now) motion. I think a lot of people don't know exactly what to do, and while we try and make personal changes really we need government to regulate, cut subsidises etc.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In a world of 8 billion people, even if the UK vanished and had 0 carbon emissions tomorrow it wouldn't make much difference.

The real issue is that it is taboo to mention the real issue: over population. There are just far too many people

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It's frowned upon because the "solutions" to overpopulation are immoral. Over population causing climate change is an idea funded and perpetuated by large companies who do not want to take blame.

If the UK stopped producing carbon emissions tomorrow, I promise it would make an enormous difference: we're the 17th largest CO2 emitter despite having a relatively small population.

This is because: 1) average CO2 consumption of a person varies a lot by lifestyle: living more sustainably does matter, and, 2) the largest contributors to climate change are fuel companies, not individual people: many countries have much smaller carbon footprints (both total and per capita) because of their political choices. The best solution to climate change is political change and climate accountability, especially on the global scale.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm just getting over a nasty bout of flu. It was very weird having a temperature during a heatwave, all of that extra heat was not helpful.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I can imagine not! The heat here felt very unnatural, I kept wanting it to rain desperately.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's only going to get worse. We'll get a new record every year. I hate humid heat and our houses are built to retain heat. It's appalling how we've let greedy sods drive us down this path of no return.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

It's true, I think realities of the situation will be very slowly sinking in for people in the next few years

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

June is kind of cooler than the rest of summer, so who knows what lies next.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I'm assuming another 40 degree summer

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

They say that every year.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I'd quite like a year without hearing it!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Wonder what records will be next for this month. Already had unusually high sea temperatures around the uk

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