Comparing British and American Hot Weather

As the outside world continues into summer, it called to mind one of the harshest lessons I learned after leaving Britain for America, and it is this: British Heat Waves Ain't Got Nothing on the United States.

[MrXyzasdf]

When Europeans complain about how the United States uses too much air conditioning, you can be assured they have not traveled far and wide within the States.

[mrmacguffn]

Let us introduce you to a thing that makes it exponentially worse. *HUMIDITY*

[dariustiapula]

Fun fact: America is God elemental weapons testing facility. Australia is the bio-weapon one.

[IggyTthunders]

LITP: Britain topped out at 99 degrees Farenheit.
Arizona: *That's adorable!*

[LillibitOfHere]

This is why we serve iced water. It’s friggin hot.

[MagravatorMag]

In Arizona it's illegal to deny someone a drink of water.

[cmillivol]

“What on earth degrees fahrenheit” is always accompanied by “what on earth percent humidity”

[geistlos]

I remember Neil Gaiman's comment about living in Wisconsin: "I grew up in England, I thought I knew what winter was: water got hard and flakes of snow fell from the sky. Then I moved here and discovered that there whole ACRES of cold beyond that."

[sirsteele]

The dry British sense of humour is strong in this one...

[chickenmonger]

Fun fact: Most of The United States is in the same latitude as The Mediterranean, including the northern African countries. Texas gets the same sun intensity as Algeria, Morocco, and Egypt. Ohio is the same as Spain, Greece, and Turkey.

Fun fact: Britain is absolutely fucking tropical for its latitude. It is the same latitude as greater Canada.

[wingo]

Fun Fact: THIS is the main reason why British ales have a reputation for being warm and skunky in the US. Unlike lagers, ales are meant to be served at room temperature, but the concept of "room temperature" is a good 10 to 15 degrees warmer in most of the US than in the UK.

[RedScareClair]

There's a guy on a Manchester United fan channel that I've seen complain about how hot it is twice and both times it was in the 70s F. I live in NC. That just cracked me up.

[SCGMLB]

My grandfather in Scotland couldn’t believe the wide range of temperatures between seasons here in the US. He visited New York in the summer when the temperature exceeded 95F/35c for more than a week, and he was also there when winter temperatures remained around 5F/-15c for a week.

[paulcochran]

"But it's a dry heat !" - Expression never said in Illinois. We always get plenty of humidity along with the heat.

[trinkab]

Fun Fact: Needles, California is where Snoopy's brother Spike lives.

[chasematthew]

I feel like British humor is underrated here in the US. It’s so dry and British sarcasm is just on another level, I love it

[Mrs_Banjo]

Yeah, we're basically in a constant state of On Fire in California.

[erid]

Thanks for addressing this. I'm so sick of hearing other countries say how we are gluttons on air conditioning, yet they have never experienced a typical NM summer where several weeks it is 110+ Fahrenheit. I can literally bake a sheet of cookies in the car due to the heat (I've done it once)

[queentara]

I live I Alabama. Our heat index gets to 115 and over in August. That’s why we become river rats in the summer.

[shammydammy]

I remember when my dad was stationed in England and we moved there when I was a child. Both of my parents were born and raised in Texas. We arrived in the middle of a 'major heat wave'. My mother was simply confused because, while it was warm, it was definitely not hot to us.