Summer in London - what is it like?

We've had 31.4 degrees in London today and someone commented to me, "you're from Singapore, this must feel like Singapore, right?" And I actually explained, no, despite the fact that 31.4 degrees is pretty much what one would expect in Singapore, it was still very different from Singapore in many ways, ten ways in fact! Allow me to compile this list and share it with you here on my blog.

1. It is a a dry heat. London's humidity right now is at about 60% whereas Singapore's humidity is rarely below 90% (and often quite near 100%). It is not the temperature per se that makes one sweat in Singapore, but the humidity. I know 60% isn't that dry - places like Riyadh in Saudi Arabia can be humidity between 10 - 20% only, but it still makes a lot of difference in terms of sweating. Sure I do feel hot at 31.4% but I am far less likely to sweat. Also, heatwaves are usually accompanied by spells of dry weather here - but in Singapore, it can be both hot and very wet.

2. The night time temperatures are a lot lower even if it does get into the low 30s in the day here in London - usually, night time temperatures drop to around 18 to 20 degrees. This means that there is some respite from the heat at night, allowing one to sleep comfortably without the need for air-conditioning. In Singapore, night time temperatures typically are around 25 to 26 degrees, so it still feels hot and sticky, though a lot less so than in the day.

It's going to be a hot summer.

3. There is air-conditioning everywhere in Singapore but it is fairly rare still in England as we tend to get about one week a year of temperatures over 30. Yes it is pretty rare - once in a few years you can get heatwaves, I recall summer of 2003 when the temperature reached 38.5 degrees and it stayed that way for many weeks, but we have also had years when the temperatures struggled to reach 20 degrees for most of the summer. I used the bus 24 today and it was absolutely sweltering in the heat, you needed a proper air-con bus in this kind of weather and it just isn't worth investing in it when you can count on two hands how many days of hot weather you have a year, so we just put up with it when the weather does get very hot. The trains can be bad - but it depends on what train you get, the newer trains do come with air-conditioning, the older ones don't and they can be horrible in this weather.

Needless to say, most office buildings, shops and homes (in fact, any kind of building) here do not have air-conditioning - only new hotels and new offices do. Many buildings are designed to keep the heat in during the colder months of the year and this design can result in many buildings retaining the heat from the day, making them terribly uncomfortable at this time of the year. In Singapore, the older buildings are often built with maximum air circulation in mind, to try to keep them cool even in the hottest part of the day.

The beach at Bournemouth this week. 

4. When it is 31.4 degrees and sunny in Singapore, Singaporeans head for the nearest air-con environment or at least seek shade to escape the heat. The British however, enjoy sitting in the sun - yeah, they call it sunbathing. I don't get it. I just look at the scores of sun burnt white people sitting in the park today and I thought, xiao angmoh ... Look, if you wanna take advantage of the fine weather and do stuff like canoeing, rock climbing, playing tennis or football, then fair enough - but just to sit around and bake in the sun? Not for me! Something about mad dogs and the mid day sun...?

5. Many British people still have no idea how to dress for the weather - this is because hot weather is still quite rare in the UK. We can probably count on one hand (or two at most) how many days a year the temperature exceeds 30 degrees on most years - so I kid you not, I still saw people wearing thick coats today and I'm like, hello? Are you sick or something - how can you wear a coat like that when it is 31.4 degrees? Don't you feel very hot in that? In Singapore, okay, if you need to work in an air-con office with very strong air-conditioning, then fair enough, you may need a coat, but you'll take off that coat the moment you leave the air-con environment.

Yes that's me dressed totally inappropriately for the beach... I was working that day!

6. (Some) British men would walk down the street without their shirts on and it wouldn't feel indecent or unusual - people would be just like, "oh it's very hot, it's over 30 degrees, of course people are going to walk around topless, that's normal." Whereas I think any man walking down Orchard Road topless would get quite a few stares from the locals who would be rather shocked. Sure people wear tank tops or T-shirts made of very light fabric for the tropical heat, but I think there's a greater sense of modesty in Singapore when it comes to nipples on public display.

7. The hot weather is reported in the news and it is declared a heatwave - there will be reports of people complaining how hot it is and what they are doing to keep cool now it's 31.4 degrees. In Singapore, it is that hot everyday and people just get on with life - it's not news at all. Hail - now that's news...

Last summer in North London on another hot day

8. The days are super long at the height of summer here - it starts to get light around 4:30 am (well, the sky starts to change colour at about 4, but the sun appears on the horizon around 4:30 am) and it stays light until after 9 pm, with light in the sky until nearly 10 pm at the height of summer. Whereas in Singapore, sunrise and sunset is very constant as you're so near the Equator.

9. Despite having a summer season here, the clothes sold here are just not made for the hot weather - that's why I love shopping for summer clothes in Singapore! I can't wear most of my wardrobe here once it exceeds 25 degrees as it would feel way too hot - that's when I switch to the items I have bought in Singapore which are made of far lighter fabric to cope with the heat. I have trousers with inner lining - and it's not something I actually even think about on most days when it is not hot, but once that thermometer exceeds 25 degrees, I just wanna rip out that inner lining as it just traps sweat! Sure the clothes made of super light weight fabric would not be suitable when it is 12 degrees, but you do need something suitable for days like these.

Limpeh in North Wales last summer.

10. The British are genuinely happy and excited by hot summer weather - they have barbecues, outdoor parties in the garden, meet up with friends in the parks, even take time off work! Whereas Singaporeans are pretty blase about encountering yet another hot and sunny day in Singapore, the attitude is totally different.

So there you go, that's 10 ways a British summer is quite different from Singapore despite the temperatures reaching the low 30s, I hope you've enjoyed this short piece! I'm about to jump out of the frying pan into the fire as I fly off to Oman in about 24 hours.

Yes it can get very hot in London in the summer.