40+ People Drown Attempting To Escape Deadly Heat Wave In Europe

[Economy 52,853]

14 hours ago, PartySick said:

The climate and infrastructure disparity between NA and EU is so interesting.

A couple days ago we had a "real feel" outside of 115°F/46°C. Usually afternoon thunderstorms would cool us off to about 80°F/26°C within an hour but Florida's currently blanketed with Saharan dust so the air is too dry for storms.

Still, the worst impacts are limiting outdoor events (like the games in Miami), kennel closures, and general heat advisories. We even have "cooling stations" available for public use for people who are out and about or people who don't have homes to shelter in.

I don't really understand why air conditioning/indoor climate control isn't a normal thing for all homes? It's not revolutionary technology, 90% of homes in the US have AC, and I feel like Europe experiences enough of these devastating heat waves to warrant putting a unit in.

I have some perspective as a former EU resident and heres what I notice imo, just gonna repost my comment:

 

17 hours ago, Economy said:

Having lived in Europe and now in Canada heres my perpective on the differences

 

#1 less of a market for them so units are a bit more expensive

#2 in most European Countries the electricity to run them itself if more expensive

#3 Depending on the Country, the number of really hot and humid days is more manageable. For example in Portugal summer highs are comperable to Toronto but less days are humid and night time temperatures fall more allowing a chance for house to cool

#4 home construction uses cement in most EU Countries. Concret is more of a pain to heat but it does keep homes cooler. Temperatures drop quickly in the home at night especially if you open the windows and warm up slowly in the day if you keep it shut

5. Combine less of a need with the fact that culturally it has not been the norm to have them, and people accept a few unconformatable days in the summer as the norm and put up with it. 

6. Ill add that the building architectures and windows in some cities may also make ACs more awkard to install. Not impossible but a further deterent for a population already used to living without them

 

Of course this is Portugal, there are wealthier EU Nations that I honestly expected to have higher AC rates despite the factors I mentioned

 

Here in Canada virtually every home from 1960s/1970s onward was built with Central AC. Those that werent or were built earlier usually people added in the Portable window ones (which is what my family did In Toronto before we moved out to a newer home in the suburbs that had Central)

 

I cant imagine life without AC. But in Europe most people I knew considered it an unnecessairy luxury. Even my family members that are more well off and could afford it if they really wanted to dont have AC

 

[nATAH 56,993]

5 hours ago, Zombiecat said:

those ones barely work any better than a fan though 

diva it was better than nothing