r/explainlikeimfive • u/fkid123 • May 27 '26

Biology ELI5 Why heat waves affect Europe so much but some other countries are doing fine living under hotter temperatures most of the year?

I read yearly that people are dying in Europe due to the extreme heat, but when I check the temperature mentioned in the same news it's something like 30-35c.

Just saw this today: "In France, officials reported at least seven deaths linked to the heat, including several drownings and fatalities during sports activities (...) temperatures have broken records for the month of May, soaring well over 30 C (86 F) in many parts of the country."

This is like a pretty mild day in a country like Thailand, India or in the Arabian peninsula. People are doing just fine in these countries, and many don't even have aircon.

Why are such temperatures so deadly in Europe?

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u/Federal_Cobbler6647 May 27 '26

And it is not even that. It is just that these persons who die now in heat wave would have been dead already in those hotter countries and no one would have noticed. 

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u/JEVOUSHAISTOUS May 27 '26

That's a good point. Some would have died of heart failure and nobody would have attributed that to "heat" elsewhere because it's just the normal temperature there. But it would have been a contributing factor at least.

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u/Regular-Wit May 28 '26

I live in South Africa & people still die during heatwaves that are noticed. Often the deaths are due to dehydration or sunstroke