The heat in the UK feels particularly bad due to a combination of factors:
- The UK experiences heatwaves mainly from stationary high-pressure systems that trap warm dry air, blocking cooler Atlantic winds. This creates prolonged hot conditions.
- The UK has a humid climate, often with higher humidity than continental Europe, which makes the heat feel more oppressive because humidity inhibits sweat evaporation, making it harder for the body to cool down.
- British buildings and urban areas are not designed for extreme heat. They tend to retain heat due to construction materials and poor ventilation, increasing indoor discomfort during hot spells.
- Urban heat islands in cities cause temperatures to be 5–7°C hotter than rural areas due to the absorption and retention of heat by concrete and asphalt surfaces.
- Climate change is making heatwaves in the UK more frequent, longer, and more intense. Recent years have seen record-breaking temperatures that were previously rare.
- The UK often has "tropical nights" where temperatures do not drop below 20°C, giving no relief from the heat during night hours for recovery.
- The UK's maritime climate usually tempers extremes, but warming seas and southerly winds can override this effect, making some summers unusually warm.
Overall, the combination of high humidity, building design, urban heat islands, and climate change-driven more frequent and intense heatwaves make UK heat feel especially unbearable compared to other regions with similar or even higher temperatures.
This explains why even temperatures around 30°C can feel particularly severe and uncomfortable in the UK context. The underlying climate change trend is also causing these events to become more common and severe over time.
