Much of France was set to experience temperatures of around 40C on Tuesday, after records were shattered on Monday
Forty people have drowned in France over the past days as they sought to cool down to escape record heat, the prime minister said on Tuesday, as a heatwave swept across much of Europe.
Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting on the heatwave, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said: “A sad scourge when it comes to drownings, as the latest figures just reported to us show 40 deaths since June 18, most of them young people.”
Across France, people have been jumping into canals and rivers to cool off. French sports minister Marina Ferrari said she understood the urge to escape the heat but warned against swimming in unauthorized or dangerous areas.
Oh… 40% is where it starts getting dangerous already? I assumed that’s low humidity.
humidity in france is normally between 65% and 95%
Tbh with you I think it’s lower than that when the temps are over 100, much less over 110. However, I don’t know the exact number. I think it depends on other factors. In a situation where we’re talking about regular folks having to do several specific things to survive, humidity easily breaks our little scenario.
I can tell you that I’m from the swamp. I can do up to around 103 with humidity over 70% but the cone for survival begins to narrow dramatically above 95. In the desert with humidity at 14%, I was completely fine at 110 even in the sun for periods of time. Like, I thought it was in the high 80s.
But, I can sweat gallons as long as I have water. That’s what my body is conditioned to do. In the actual, ancient desert, without constant access to water, I’m dead. I assume most people can’t just sweat two gallons a day, drink two gallons and eat some spicy food, and be ok tomorrow again. I also assume actual desert natives handle 110 different than me too, in a more desert sustainable way.
If we’re talking about bare survival of a healthy or generationally conditioned person, able to do the right things, with access to everything they need, I think you’re right 40% doesn’t break things, but I assume none of those things apply in France.