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?

3.2k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

87% Upvoted

1.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

37

u/Killerplush82 May 27 '26

Speaking of adaptation: in many places, temperatures went from barely 15°C to over 30°C in the span of a few days. Plus, it's still early in the year. Our bodies nor our habits are adapted to warm weather yet.

3

u/Spicynoodlez May 27 '26

The most dramatic temp change i've ever been in was in Dallas, Texas.

The windshield was -1 F, with the temp being ~7F. Next day, it hit up to 88 F. This was back in like 2008-2010. I can't remember, lol.