American living in UK defends Brits being mocked for suffering in heatwave

An American has come out in defence of the British after widespread complaints about the heatwave has hit social media this week.

The Met Office recently announced that this year's first 30°C heatwave is hitting this week, so it's time to break out the spf 50, sunglasses and probably a few tinnies.

However, a heatwave means that there are a number of health concerns for certain people, especially as the UK is not used to anything like the heat we're seeing right now.

There are ways to keep cool, but the bottom line is the majority of us just aren't used to this.

Those in America, thanks to social media, are reading British headlines and reactions from people, and that may not be the most thrilled about the spike in temperature, which is set to hit the high 20s.

In fact, some have taken to TikTok in particular to laugh at those across the pond, with one content creator saying: "Sometimes I'm shocked with how soft the Brits are, twenty-six degrees Celsius is 80 degrees Fahrenheit. What's that? A nice spring day?

"Sometimes I'll think how did the British Empire lose the Revolutionary War? And then I'll read headlines like this. I'm just shocked."

However, it looks like we have our own Benedict Arnold, as an American has actually sided with the British over all the heatwave commotion, making a response video to the original clip that garnered over 1.4 million views, thousands of likes and thousands of comments from viewers.

Content creator Hayley Phillips - @haysfordays on TikTok - began by saying that it's similar to Brits laughing at Americans freaking out at Tornadoes in the US, which are much more common than they are in Europe.

"You just don't get it, I know that 26°C isn't hot by a lot of American standards," she said.

The American, currently living in Scotland, continued: "It was certainly not my idea of how when I moved here - but trust me when I say 26°C in the UK is significantly more unpleasant than 26°C in the US."

She highlighted that people are impacted more by things that they might not be used to, so when Brits experience anything more than mild or cold temperatures, it's easily noticed.

Hayley highlighted: "Even people visiting from warmer climates comment on how oppressive the heat is here. One reason is because it's quite humid compared to hotter places in mainland Europe or in North America.

"Humidity makes heat worse because your seat doesn't evaporate as quickly and it's harder for your body to cool down. It's tough to deal with when the temperature is higher than your normal threshold and then you can't regulate your body."

The content creator explained that there are 'tropical nights', which is where the temperature doesn't get below 20°C at night, so people can't really escape the heat they endured in the day.

Survivors of British summers will understand - the COVID summer of 2020 is particularly memorable one in terms of sheer heat.

She then went on to speak about the quality and structure of the buildings in the UK, saying: "Houses in the UK are old. Nearly 40 percent were built before 1956 which is a higher percentage than in the US or any other EU country.

"Not only were they built to retain the heat of a now outdated climate but their structures make it very difficult to retrofit any kind of central air conditioning system."

Hayley said that because of all of this, the heat is inescapable and unlike in the US, where you can go into a shop to cool down in the air conditioning, most places around here lack AC as it would cost a lot to only be in use a couple of times a year.

One user commented: "Grew up in the Philippines, 30 degrees is nothing here but 24 degrees here in the UK makes me want to submerge myself in the thames"

Another said: "26 degrees in the UK feels like 40 in America, specially cuz they don’t have AC!"

We're very glad that you understand, Hayley. Thank you.