Europeans dealing with 'killer heatwave' in very European ways

Europeans dealing with 'killer heatwave' in very European ways

SPARE a thought for the Brits at the moment.

Just three weeks into the three warmest months of the year and they are already sweltering through a “killer heatwave”.

Or, as we in Australia like to call it, summer.

Temperatures across Old Blighty have soared — soared — to almost unprecedented June highs of 32C and there are predictions parts of the country’s south could see temperatures reach as high as 34C in coming days.

And people are Just. Not. Coping.

London heat is so different from anywhere else. Like it's unbearable. No breeze. — frida kahlo (@wildfeminine_) June 18, 2017

London heat isn't even nice, you just feel the need to shower every half an hour — jennifer (@Jenniferthaque) June 18, 2017

London heat is the worst, 28 degrees here is not like 28 degrees in morocco — Captain Morocco🇲🇦 (@AtIasLion) June 17, 2017

I hate the heat in London, there's just no air — kennedy (@keediexo1) June 18, 2017

Where that “whingeing Pom” stereotype came from is anyone’s guess.

But back to the heat.

Longstanding June heat records could tumble and emergency services are bracing for the heatwave to turn deadly.

The government has issued a level three amber health warning and have urged people to stay indoors, where possible.

According to The Sun, the alert issued by Public Health England is one tier below a level four “national emergency”.

Never a nation to kowtow to authority, however, Britons have flooded outdoors en masse.

Parks, beachs, creeks, rivers, lakes and seemingly any publicly available waterway have been filled with stripped-down people baring pasty-white skins to soak up something they rarely see. Sunshine.

According to The Sun, the average maximum daytime temperature for mid to late June in the Greater London area is 20C and 18C in the southeast of England.

According to The Telegraph, the hottest June day in London was 35.6C, recorded on June 28, 1976.

The publication reports that day’s blistering heat crippled the city, with mains water supplies cut and streets relying on roadside standpipes.

This time around, rail timetables have been slashed throughout the country, and trains forced to travel at restricted speed to prevent lines buckling in the heat, according to the East Anglican Daily Times,which reported rush hour services between Ipswich, north of London, and the capital were expected to be slow and squeezy.

The Independent reports that five guardsmen were carried away from the Queen’s birthday celebrations on stretchers after fainting at Horse Guards Parade.

The publication reports the guards perform the annual Trooping the Colour in full uniform, including bearskin, and many felt the effects as the temperatures hit 25C in London during the ceremony.

The temperatures are being fuelled by an air mass invading from continental Europe, where Spain and France have also had their own higher-than-average temperature stretches.

The Sun reports that in a highly unusual situation, some parts of England’s south found themselves warmer than many popular British holiday spots, including the Mediterranean and the Caribbean and even southern Thailand.

And it’s not over yet. After a brief respite, the French hot air invasion is expected to once again bring scorching temperatures from Thursday. Ooh la la.

Even notoriously chilly Scotland is tipped for highs in the mid-20s.