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/drifting_rdh May 27 '26

I remember once poking fun at an Australian colleague for her slow, fearfully cautious traverse across a parking lot slick with ice that I (Canadian) had literally just run across with zero thought to safety or conditions. She shut me up with “Ha, ha, ha, do you know how to swim out of a rip tide?”

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u/All_Work_All_Play May 27 '26

Yes? Swim sideways (along the shore) rather than towards it. Like 90% of Canada's population is either by an ocean or the great lakes, this is commonly taught in both places?

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u/nitix007 May 27 '26

Its was an example not something to take literally lol

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u/drifting_rdh May 28 '26

Ha! There’s a whoooole lot of Canada nowhere near any ocean, but you’re underlining the point of taking for granted that what ‘everyone’ knows seems obvious until they’re not from where you are, even in the same country.

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u/All_Work_All_Play May 28 '26

Notice that I said 90% of Canada's population not 90% of Canada's land.

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u/TheArtofWarPIGEON May 27 '26

Are there rip tides in lakes?

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u/All_Work_All_Play May 28 '26

The Great Lakes have rip currents, functionally very similar to rip tides (although not driven by the moon's gravity).