The increasingly deadly heatwaves

[Jerusalem Blade]

Posts on Substack from the past three years on this:

https://apocalypsefield.substack.com/p/the-heatwaves-and-the-cosmic-warfare 2025

https://apocalypsefield.substack.com/p/the-heat 2024

https://apocalypsefield.substack.com/p/the-increasing-heat-why-it-will-get 2023

Does no one take the Scripture seriously? Nor comprehend it will get far worse as the days progress?

 

[Ploutos]

More illustrative than the heat, I think, is our response to it. Is it surprising that in countries devoid of the compassion of the gospel, you would see authorities regulating and restricting the usage of air conditioning?

 

[LightBringer]

France is restricting the use and installation of air conditioners. Spain and Italy imposed legal limits on how low a person could cool his house. Across Europe there are strict building codes that prevent the installation of air-conditioning units. They claim that they are ugly and use up a lot of energy. There have been numerous heat related deaths there in the heat waves. There is more concern over aesthetics and being 'green' than over the well being of people who are made in the Image of God. France, itself, is a very secular government. This secularism is spreading across Europe, so this lack of compassion is not surprising.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Yeah, New York city's mayor just told everybody to put their ACs on 78. Here in the South we can keep our houses at 60° for all the government cares, we just have to be willing to pay extra for it lol.

 

[arapahoepark]

More illustrative than the heat, I think, is our response to it. Is it surprising that in countries devoid of the compassion of the gospel, you would see authorities regulating and restricting the usage of air conditioning?

A false operation perhaps?

 

[ZackF]

Having a completely antihuman and antidevelopment energy policy doesn’t help either. Watching Western European countries just take a match to their own societies voluntarily, and with their eyes wide open to boot. It has been a horror to see the last thirty years. Who needs the Soviet Union stomping on their neck when you just lay down on the ground?

 

[SojourningSøren]

I think a good question to ask; how does the church/local congregation respond to this? I mean that as a question of curiosity, not a challenge! I know public libraries have been designated “cooling centers” before. Could local churches do something similar, perhaps?

 

[Brownie]

France is restricting the use and installation of air conditioners. Spain and Italy imposed legal limits on how low a person could cool his house.

From what I can find, the legislation in those countries does not pertain to residences, nor to hospitals, care facilities and so on. What is your source?

 

[Semper Fidelis]

There are French "authorities" who warn about respiratory illnesses or even something they call "thermal shock" if someone walks from a hot day into an air-conditioned room. There's a common French aversion to air conditioning. Some of it is just baked into the culture.

It's close to 100 degrees today in Virginia, and I like to work in my barn because I can smoke cigars while I work. I have a fan about 2 feet away blowing on me. I definitely sweat but have lived through much worse. I ran 6 miles this morning, and it was brutal. Then again, my body has not completely acclimated to the heat and humidity, so it was a bit reckless of me to do so.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

There are French "authorities" who warn about respiratory illnesses or even something they call "thermal shock" if someone walks from a hot day into an air-conditioned room. There's a common French aversion to air conditioning. Some of it is just baked into the culture.

It's close to 100 degrees today in Virginia, and I like to work in my barn because I can smoke cigars while I work. I have a fan about 2 feet away blowing on me. I definitely sweat but have lived through much worse. I ran 6 miles this morning, and it was brutal. Then again, my body has not completely acclimated to the heat and humidity, so it was a bit reckless of me to do so.

That's interesting. Wouldn't that go both ways then? Like when it's cold outside, they shouldn't have heaters making a home warm?

 

[RamistThomist]

I think a good question to ask; how does the church/local congregation respond to this? I mean that as a question of curiosity, not a challenge! I know public libraries have been designated “cooling centers” before. Could local churches do something similar, perhaps?

Alleviate the suffering if possible, but churches should also explain to these people why you don't vote for socialists in the first place.

 

[SeanPatrickCornell]

That's interesting. Wouldn't that go both ways then? Like when it's cold outside, they shouldn't have heaters making a home warm?

You're asking irrational people to have a rational consistency. Tsk tsk.

 

[Ploutos]

Alleviate the suffering if possible, but churches should also explain to these people why you don't vote for socialists in the first place.

But Jacob, the Bible says the early church had all things in common. That proves socialism!

 

[LightBringer]

There are French "authorities" who warn about respiratory illnesses or even something they call "thermal shock" if someone walks from a hot day into an air-conditioned room. There's a common French aversion to air conditioning. Some of it is just baked into the culture.

It's close to 100 degrees today in Virginia, and I like to work in my barn because I can smoke cigars while I work. I have a fan about 2 feet away blowing on me. I definitely sweat but have lived through much worse. I ran 6 miles this morning, and it was brutal. Then again, my body has not completely acclimated to the heat and humidity, so it was a bit reckless of me to do so.

I mowed my lawn in the brutal humidity this morning. I don't recommend that for people who are not healthy. I went to boot camp in Orlando Florida, so I am conditioned to tolerate adverse conditions.

"Thermal Shock" is like "Fan Death". It's a myth designed to discourage people from using means to cool off and thus save energy.

 

[MW]

"Never let a good disaster go to waste." Disasters are great politically and theologically for leading people to conclusions they would not otherwise have accepted.

 

[SeanPatrickCornell]

I mowed my lawn in the brutal humidity this morning. I don't recommend that for people who are not healthy. I went to boot camp in Orlando Florida, so I am conditioned to tolerate adverse conditions.

"Thermal Shock" is like "Fan Death". It's a myth designed to discourage people from using means to cool off and thus save energy.

Hey I went to Boot Camp in Orlando too.

When were you there?

 

[Jerusalem Blade]

Sean, what service has Boot Camp in Orlando? My Boot Camp was in Camp Lejeune, 1959 I think (Jacksonville, NC)

 

[dsanch1120]

To be fair, air conditioners can be power intensive and if their grid isn’t able to withstand a bunch of people turning up the air conditioning at once, it could create a worse problem if the grid breaks down. Most of the places where this AC thing is an issue aren’t used to having heat waves this bad.
With heating, it’s typically natural gas, which can be a concern if the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, but not a problem for the grid necessarily

 

[alexanderjames]

France is restricting the use and installation of air conditioners. Spain and Italy imposed legal limits on how low a person could cool his house. Across Europe there are strict building codes that prevent the installation of air-conditioning units. They claim that they are ugly and use up a lot of energy. There have been numerous heat related deaths there in the heat waves. There is more concern over aesthetics and being 'green' than over the well being of people who are made in the Image of God. France, itself, is a very secular government. This secularism is spreading across Europe, so this lack of compassion is not surprising.

Seeing these deaths in France in front page BBC news today. The actual temperatures here in the UK weren't extremely high but it felt so much hotter with the humidity and I as a relatively healthy young adult struggled. Make sure you all stay safe.

 

[LightBringer]

Sean, what service has Boot Camp in Orlando? My Boot Camp was in Camp Lejeune, 1959 I think (Jacksonville, NC)

I can answer that one. It was the Navy. Naval Training Center Orlando has since been closed. It was razed and it is now streets and shops there.
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Hey I went to Boot Camp in Orlando too.

When were you there?

October through December 1986. Company K024

 

[Jake]

Yeah, New York city's mayor just told everybody to put their ACs on 78. Here in the South we can keep our houses at 60° for all the government cares, we just have to be willing to pay extra for it lol.

It's weird the reactions I've seen to this, calling a suggestion "socialism" and "communism" where you can find during heatwaves, freezes, and power grid issues similar requests from both Republican and Democratic politicians over the years. I even got a suggestion from my local leadership in my red suburban city to limit the AC temperature recently, but it's not enforced.

 

[Dkshotwell]

Hey I went to Boot Camp in Orlando too.

When were you there?

You weren’t talking to me, but I trained at NTC Orlando as well. Company 235, class of 1980.

 

[Edward]

I grew up in the deep south and didn't have air conditioning at home during most of my childhood. No air conditioning in school until high school when one of three wings had air conditioning. Junior high brought integration when I got moved to a formerly Black elementary school that had a forced ventilation system. (No separate but equal; the former Black school had better ventilation than the nearby formerly white school.)

Seeing these deaths in France in front page BBC news today. The actual temperatures here in the UK weren't extremely high but it felt so much hotter with the humidity and I as a relatively healthy young adult struggled. Make sure you all stay safe.

I did find 90 degrees and 90% humidity in Mississippi more unpleasant that 100 degrees and low humidity in late summer in Texas. In either event, plenty of water and frequent showers would solve many issues.

 

[SeanPatrickCornell]

You weren’t talking to me, but I trained at NTC Orlando as well. Company 235, class of 1980.

Nice. I was in C041, April to June 1993. A little bit after you. I went on to Electrician's Mate Nuclear Field "A" School and Nuclear Power School, which by then were also at NTC Orlando.
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Sean, what service has Boot Camp in Orlando? My Boot Camp was in Camp Lejeune, 1959 I think (Jacksonville, NC)

As Ruth said, Navy. Currently the only Navy Boot Camp is in Great Lakes near Chicago, but the Navy also used to push boots in San Diego and Orlando. Both of those bases closed due to BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) in the 90s.

 

[jwithnell]

I've been in 100 degree weather during the first week of July for many seasons of my life. What's different now? Why the excessive heat warnings?

 

[Ed Walsh]

I've been in 100 degree weather during the first week of July for many seasons of my life. What's different now? Why the excessive heat warnings?

I don't know, maybe it's the global warming nuts that want to bring this to the attention of people to get them interested in there cause.

Globally, deaths related to cold weather significantly outnumber deaths related to hot weather. According to a landmark global study published in The Lancet Planetary Health, the ratio of cold-related deaths to heat-related deaths is roughly 9 to 1 or 10 to 1.

Figures.

 

[Ryan&Amber2013]

Yeah I remember hearing that too. That the cold is far more dangerous than heat.

 

[Theoretical]

It's weird the reactions I've seen to this, calling a suggestion "socialism" and "communism" where you can find during heatwaves, freezes, and power grid issues similar requests from both Republican and Democratic politicians over the years. I even got a suggestion from my local leadership in my red suburban city to limit the AC temperature recently, but it's not enforced.

Yeah, at a certain point, it's not a political issue in the present tense. What got you there is definitely political in nature, but when a stressed grid comes, then it becomes simply good governance or even bare necessity.

 

[Ed Walsh]

Does no one take the Scripture seriously? Nor comprehend it will get far worse as the days progress?

I asked Genimi the following question:

Information on the most severe heatwaves during the 16th through 19th centuries compared with the recent heatwave.
~~~~~~~

While the most severe heatwaves of the 16th through 19th centuries were terrifying, catastrophic events, they differed from recent heatwaves in one fundamental way: geographical synchronization.

Historical mega-heatwaves were regional anomalies driven by extreme natural atmospheric blocking patterns. In contrast, modern heatwaves are human-amplified and break records simultaneously across the globe.

Here is a look at the most severe historical heatwaves from those centuries and how they stack up against the heatwaves of the recent era.

Severe Historical Heatwaves (16th–19th Centuries)​

1. Often considered one of the worst climatic disasters in European history, the 1540 heatwave lasted an incredible 11 months.​

• The Scale: An "omega block" high-pressure system completely stalled Atlantic rain systems. It barely rained in central Europe from February through September.
• The Severity: Temperatures in the summer of 1540 are estimated to have exceeded Europe's historic 2003 heatwave. The Rhine, Danube, and Seine rivers dried up entirely, allowing people to walk across them.
• Impact: An estimated 500,000 people died across Europe, primarily due to dysentery from drinking contaminated water out of dried-up riverbeds.

2. During the Qing Dynasty, an extraordinarily intense heatwave struck northern China, documented in deep detail via official imperial memos.​

• The Severity: On July 25, 1743, French missionary meteorological instruments in Beijing recorded a staggering 44.4°C (111.9°F). This remains the highest ambient temperature ever historically recorded in the region.
  
  
• Impact: Historical annals noted that the walls, floors, and furnishings felt like fire. Over 11,400 heat-related deaths were officially reported in the Beijing region alone.

3. In August 1896, a brutal 10-day heatwave enveloped the East Coast and Midwest of the United States.​

• The Severity: Temperatures hovered above 38°C (100°F) with oppressive humidity and virtually no wind.
• The Urban Heat Island Effect: This was one of the first times scientists explicitly documented how cities trap heat. In the crowded, unventilated tenements of New York City, temperatures stayed lethal all night.
• Impact: The disaster killed roughly 1,500 people, prompting major political reforms in urban living conditions led by then-Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt.
  

Comparison to Recent Heatwaves​

When we compare these historical events to the severe heatwaves of the 21st century (such as Europe 2003, or global streaks in the 2020s), a few distinct patterns emerge:

• Global vs. Regional Footprint: Paleoclimate data shows that during the Little Ice Age (1300–1850), a heatwave in Europe meant the rest of the planet was often cooler. Today, extreme heat occurs concurrently across 98% of the planet's surface due to a fundamentally higher global baseline temperature.
  
  
• Frequency and Duration: What used to be a "once-in-500-years" anomaly like 1540 has compressed significantly. The rate of global warming since 1982 has tripled (0.20∘C or 0.36∘F per decade), making prolonged multi-week heat events a regular summer occurrence.
  
  
• Societal Vulnerability: While historical populations died from lack of water infrastructure, crop failures, or contaminated water, modern populations face unique infrastructure risks. Modern multi-week heatwaves threaten power grids due to air conditioning demands and amplify wildfire risks over millions of acres at once.

For a deeper dive into how a single extreme weather event reshaped urban infrastructure and political history, you can watch The History Guy's account of the 1896 New York Heat Wave. This video provides excellent historical context on the social and political toll of the 19th-century disaster in America's largest city.

 

[Ploutos]

One thing that might be easy to miss is the increased sensationalism of news reporting. It's not brand new, but it has dramatically escalated over the last 25-30 years. My personal data point for this is the way news stations handle the reporting on tropical cyclones.