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Comment by smusamashah | Hacker News Reader

I am from Pakistan and have been in UK for last two years and it feels very weird when people start screaming "too hot" on 25C~30C. 25C to me is good weather, hot kind of starts to feel at 29-30 but it requires just a little air from a fan or from outside to feel good.

In hot cities in peak summer, temperature often goes up to 48C and rarely to 50C even. Air Coolers https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_cooler.jpg are the most common (affordable) tool to bear all this heat.

On the other hand, when I am outside shivering and freezing with cold (in UK), I see people walking around very comfortably wearing t-shirts and other short dresses.

I am not sure if its just me or people coming from hot temperatures feel the same way.

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So a lot of it depends on what you are used to. When it hits 45F (7C) in the fall I feel like I need a jacket. Where as 45F (7C) in the spring after being used to consistent 5F (-15C) weather I will head out in shorts and a t-shirt and it feels great. I think people can slowly get used to warmer/colder climates but it takes a long time.

Location: Northeast US

In the last few years we had sudden temperature jumps in spring and autumn. Suddenly it was 25°C (77°F) warmer or colder the next day. Feels horrible especially since when a mediocre acclimatisation sets in the temperature changed again so there is never a nice temperature and it was always too hot or too cold.

Some already predict that 2022 will be the hottest year since we started to collect data. Not looking forward to it too much.

May be. I probably seek jacket on <15C~20C. But I think it also depends on the body mass, and probably this is the reason people from cold climates are often taller/healthier. With that size the the amount of heat that those bodies generate can only be sustained in an environment that cold.

This was very apparent from the dress and shoe sizes available in UK and I have seen the similar from US.

I am from Pakistan and have been in UK for last two years and it feels very weird when people start screaming "too hot" on 25C~30C

I used to be the same when I moved from the U. S. south (OMG hot) to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle), which has a climate similar to the U. K. Oh, how I'd mock the natives as they whined about the oppressive heat of the 25C day. Until about ten years into living here, then I, too, got used to the mild climate. And now I, too, complain when it hits about 27C/80F. ("Complain" is a bit strong; "damn, it's hot today" is more like it, I still like a nice 85F day).

>100F/38F was not all that uncommon in North Carolina, and it was damned hot when I lived there, but I'd still ride a motorcycle in full protective gear (yes, it was kinda miserable). When it went over 100F in Seattle last year, leaving the house was an exercise in survival, and riding a motorcycle in anything other than shorts would have likely killed me.

So give it a few more years, Pakistan native or not, you'll be as heat-intolerant as your neighbors in no time!

100F in North Carolina usually has a higher heat index temperature too due to humidity. I thought we'd be prepared for it coming from Southern California but it really is just a different kind of hot. And it's hot.

As a new rider I was surprised to find that when it's hot enough, going fast on a motorcycle is not cooling; you're just moving through more hot air. The only way to cool off is to ride to the mountains.

But it is still worse if it is hot and you have to stop at a traffic light.

Ugh! I didn’t know that either.

You're talking a lot about fans and ac systems which help you bear the heat.

In the UK such protections are installed in almost no homes, as I'm sure you've noticed. Would it still be comfortable in India if such technology was limited?

When does it start to feel cold in India and when do people begin to use their central heating systems? Are central heating systems common in the warmer regions?

Can't tell much about India other than it has be similar situation. In Pakistan though, there is a lot of electric load shedding in summer in peak summer because high requirement. Load shredding means there won't be electricity around 8 to 12 hours a day to use electric fans or coolers or other stuff.

Also in rural areas and where people are poor, we have other means. We spend the day outside in shadow using hand fan https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_fan#/media/File%3ABinch... then there is Ghara to cool the water. Also for water there is Nalka in villages to get fresh cold water from earth by hand https://republic-imagekit.azureedge.net/republic-prod/storie... To sit/sleep outside in summer Charpai is used https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charpai

EDIT : Worst time in summer is when it's humid and air speed is 0 and no electricity. It feels like boiling inside and you can only shake so much hand fan to keep yourself cool.

And for the cold we have used blankets and room heaters which burn on coal or gas. Recently the electric room heaters have improved a lot and they are used as well.

People slowly adapt to local conditions. I knew people who moved from humid to dry climates complain about dry skin initially.

Heat adaption is a real thing. I understand even if you start going to the sauna your body changes physologically.

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