I remember the summer of ‘76. It was dry heat, not the oppressive humidity that we’re experiencing now. We are experiencing extremes of weather that we cannot deal with far more often. It’s not looking good for the future.
I wasn’t around in ’76, but I’m fairly certain it didn’t feel like trying to breathe through soup. Everyone who was there seems to remember it as hot but survivable. This? This is an airless, sticky, slow-motion disaster. And you’re absolutely right – the weather’s not just hotter, it’s unhinged. Tropical nights, flash floods, surprise hailstorms in June. It’s less “British summer” and more “biblical mood swing,” and the people in charge are still acting like a good hosepipe ban will sort it.
When I recall the summer of ‘76, it’s a reference to stupid Brits who once the temp goes above 20°, get out the shorts & flimsy clothes & burn. I stay indoors … step out only in the cooler evenings
Honestly, it’s like a national sport at this point. The moment the sun peeks out, there’s someone in Crocs and a sunburn pretending it’s Ibiza. I respect your approach entirely - indoors until it’s safe to re-emerge, like a sensible weather vampire. Far less crispy, far more dignified.
Dear Bear 🐻, you did it again, except this time I didn't have a gob full of tea! I actually cried laughing at your introduction to a very serious and frightening problem. Governments are trying desperately to sweep this under the carpet, and brush it off as irrelevant. Most people aren't taking it seriously, but as an old bugger (74) I can see the changes in the weather patterns, in the seasons, and it scares me stupid. What kind of legacy are we leaving for future generations? Why are the hippies of the 60s now acting like the boring adults we vowed never to become? Wake up people! This is happening!
Oh this made my day - thank you! I’m both deeply flattered and ever so slightly relieved you didn’t inhale your tea this time.
You’re absolutely right: there’s something truly surreal about watching the very generation that once marched barefoot against the system now nodding along as ministers dismiss climate collapse like it’s a passing breeze. The world’s on fire, and half the country is reminiscing about their tans from 1976. We need more "old buggers" like you shouting into the wind - because frankly, the rest of us need the backup.
As someone else of that age, I absolutely agree. It's completely different, and threatens the future of the planet more than those dozy, 'We didn't complain about a heatwave in 1976' fools seem able to comprehend. I was there. It was a hot summer. End of comparison with today!
The thing I remember about that 1976 heatwave was how people at work cheered when the rain finally arrived. As you say, at the time, it was an outlier. But now it's almost expected each year. The climate crisis is real and too few governments are taking action.
Absolutely spot on - that cheering in ’76 tells you everything. It was a break from the norm. Now, these heatwaves are the norm, and the silence from those in power is deafening. We shouldn’t be normalising what should be a warning. Thanks for adding such a powerful memory to the conversation.
Top drawer explanation once again from the master of elucidation. I am extremely thankful to be married to an exceptional woman from Alabama, who understands how to deal with heat. She has carefully cultivated a green haven with tall bushes and trees around our small suburban home to provide a degree of protection from our ever hotter summer months. Windows are opened and closed at specific points in the day, to maximise cool(er) air circulation around the house, paying particular attention to the fact that hot air rises. The loft hatch must be opened and closed to a strict timetable. On the hottest of days, tin foil is even deployed in the windows to reflect the sunshine and keep the heat out. I never imagined, even having had my 9th birthday during the extreme event of '76, that I would need summer heat defenses for my English home! Spread the word, fellow members of this bear colony, the climate is changing and we need to take action.
This is absolutely brilliant - both the tribute and the tactical climate defence strategy. Your wife sounds like the General Patton of passive cooling, and I mean that as the highest praise. Tin foil, loft hatch choreography, bush-based shade engineering - it’s practically a climate war room over there. And yes, the fact that we’re now strategising for summer like it’s a military operation in suburban England should tell us everything we need to know. The bear colony salutes you, and your frankly exceptional air flow logistics.
As a teenager at the time, the thing that made the summer heatwave of 1976 stand out as exceptional was how long it lasted. Over two months, and there were 16 consecutive days over 30C. There's been nothing like it since in terms of duration.
Exactly - and the reason ’76 still looms large is because it was rare. It stuck in the national psyche because it was an oddity, not a benchmark. What we’re getting now isn’t charming endurance tests with tarmac stories - it’s a climate system groaning under pressure. But hey, as long as we can frame it as a quirky throwback, we don’t have to admit it’s the new normal… or do anything about it.
Absolutely nailed it, Bear, with an intro which made me laugh but briefly. The data has been telling us for some time that the climate is changing, it’s heads out of the sand time and look what’s happening now.
4 texts this week from Thames Water about extremely high water demand in the area, and advising to only use water for essential needs. I wasn't born in '76, but I've heard the stories. Have also read the details, but was good to read them in this as a reminder. Thanks for that! I'm on an SSRI and have a brain condition that means I need to keep hydrated as well- 40C temps, and the mugginess, are not what we need. But sure '76 was hot and climate change isn't real, it's always happened. When will we grow up and DO something?! Thanks as always for your posts, BEAR. Gives me a laugh about things that would normally depress and/or terrify me/
Absolutely spot on as per. I was 17 in 1976 and fortunate enough to live by the sea in Devon. It was in equal measure, amazing and scary, leaving a deep impression and awakening an interest in climate and 'weather'. I holidayed in France in 2022 and heard stories of elderly people in Paris dying of heat and families not claiming their deceased relatives! A massive scandal.
I am a keen gardener and have noticed the changes creeping up on us. My biggest fear is the predicted collapse of the AMOC that brings warm waters to our shores and creates our 'maritime climate '. If that goes, we'll be, to put it bluntly, completely fucked. Temperatures will struggle to rise above freezing in places and We will but dream of these balmy days. It's beyond belief and reason that the 'powers that be' refuse to act on the scientific evidence before them and can only surmise that as usual it's all about money, money, money. Thank you for your eloquent wisdom and the knowledge that I'm not alone in being utterly terrified for my Grandsons future on this beautiful, delicate planet.
I remember the 1976 heatwave mainly because I had just finished school so it was an extra long holiday BUT you are totally correct in your thinking. It was a complete one-off then. I read recently that we have only 2 years to reduce current rate of global warning before it is forever too late.
State schools don't have air con -apart from in computer rooms - and hot temperatures are nightmarish for us teachers. Windows open (if they open) about 2 inches, and if you're lucky enough to have a fan in the room you'll also have arguments about what direction it points and who gets to sit next to it while you also get to listen to complaints about the heat and how it's too hot to do any work for hours on end. I was at school in 1976 (in my teens) and don't remember classrooms being as hot and humid as it is now. But then I'm not of of those persistent nostalgia-mongerers for whom everything was better in their rose-tinted rear-views.
Oh Jane, I can’t even begin to imagine. I’m sweating just thinking about being pregnant in that kind of heat. You are, without question, made of stronger stuff than me - I can barely handle it with an iced coffee and a fan pointed directly at my soul. Sending belated solidarity (and current gratitude).
I had just started an SRN nursing course in 1976 and we were let loose on the wards during that heat… the hospital (Copthorne in Shrewsbury) wards were made up of wooden huts extending from a central corridor and the atmosphere in them was horrendous… bad enough for the nursing staff who could at least escape at duty’s end, but sheer purgatory for the poor patients. Even though we had fans all around the wards, all they did was blow the hot air around. Even though thunderstorms terrified me at that time (I’m ok now) I was glad when they came along and broke it. Unfortunately, the storms of today don’t seem to have that “breaking the hot spell” effect they used to. Thankfully, I have an air conditioning unit in my workshop (I’m an artist now) which is set at a lovely 17degrees.
That’s a hell of a vivid memory - thank you for sharing it. The image of those sweltering wooden huts full of patients and fans just redistributing the misery is seared into my brain now. And you’re absolutely right - storms used to be a relief. Now they just feel like dramatic punctuation marks in an unending climate sentence. Deep respect for your nursing days, and deep envy of that 17-degree sanctuary. May your workshop stay blissfully crisp.
I didn’t stay a human nurse for long (about 12 months) before I turned my attention to animal nursing at a veterinary surgery. The work was great, the animals even better and I never once walked on to the ward to be asked for a bedpan! I had an enormous flat above the surgery free of any charges, a huge bonus.
My workshop was so cool today, I even had to turn the ac unit off a couple of times because it got too cold! Bliss!!!
Best money ever spent - ice maker. The cats got it as a Father's Day present for their patient dad, clever kitties.😁
I have been living in the UK long enough to have witnessed the weather pattern shift, with hotter summers and now yearly winter storms. Denying that things have changed doesn't alter the evidence, sadly.
Also - BIG fans in every room, not wearing actual clothes unless I have to (all hail short nightgowns), and most shopping delivered. I thought I had left the 40⁰ summers behind...
This might be the most relatable climate survival strategy I’ve read all week. An ice maker, strategic nudity, and cats with impeccable gift-giving instincts - you’ve cracked the code, Paola. And yes, totally agree: living here long enough means you feel the shift, year after year. No amount of ’76 nostalgia can fan that truth away. (Although, big fans in every room do help.)
Happy to report that we navigated the heat yesterday like pros - fans going from the morning, windows open upstairs and downstairs (think Sheldon) to create ventilation, and to make the most of the ever present breeze. This bit of East Anglia is, er, vertically challenged (don't ever call it flat, the locals take offence. Truly), so we normally have some kind of breeze. Buckets of ice in drinks also helped.
But - This. Is. Not. Normal. Big wonter storms, floods and regularly occurring heatwaves aren't 'normal'.
Nice to read about people being cool and I admire your ability to write in this heat. Meanwhile living with someone who is still wearing a jumper and insists all doors are kept closed - the dogs and me are finding it extra tough so have enjoyed reading of ice and cooling tactics alongside the highlighting of the climate emergency. Thanks.
I remember the summer of ‘76. It was dry heat, not the oppressive humidity that we’re experiencing now. We are experiencing extremes of weather that we cannot deal with far more often. It’s not looking good for the future.
I wasn’t around in ’76, but I’m fairly certain it didn’t feel like trying to breathe through soup. Everyone who was there seems to remember it as hot but survivable. This? This is an airless, sticky, slow-motion disaster. And you’re absolutely right – the weather’s not just hotter, it’s unhinged. Tropical nights, flash floods, surprise hailstorms in June. It’s less “British summer” and more “biblical mood swing,” and the people in charge are still acting like a good hosepipe ban will sort it.
When I recall the summer of ‘76, it’s a reference to stupid Brits who once the temp goes above 20°, get out the shorts & flimsy clothes & burn. I stay indoors … step out only in the cooler evenings
Honestly, it’s like a national sport at this point. The moment the sun peeks out, there’s someone in Crocs and a sunburn pretending it’s Ibiza. I respect your approach entirely - indoors until it’s safe to re-emerge, like a sensible weather vampire. Far less crispy, far more dignified.
Dear Bear 🐻, you did it again, except this time I didn't have a gob full of tea! I actually cried laughing at your introduction to a very serious and frightening problem. Governments are trying desperately to sweep this under the carpet, and brush it off as irrelevant. Most people aren't taking it seriously, but as an old bugger (74) I can see the changes in the weather patterns, in the seasons, and it scares me stupid. What kind of legacy are we leaving for future generations? Why are the hippies of the 60s now acting like the boring adults we vowed never to become? Wake up people! This is happening!
Oh this made my day - thank you! I’m both deeply flattered and ever so slightly relieved you didn’t inhale your tea this time.
You’re absolutely right: there’s something truly surreal about watching the very generation that once marched barefoot against the system now nodding along as ministers dismiss climate collapse like it’s a passing breeze. The world’s on fire, and half the country is reminiscing about their tans from 1976. We need more "old buggers" like you shouting into the wind - because frankly, the rest of us need the backup.
As someone else of that age, I absolutely agree. It's completely different, and threatens the future of the planet more than those dozy, 'We didn't complain about a heatwave in 1976' fools seem able to comprehend. I was there. It was a hot summer. End of comparison with today!
The thing I remember about that 1976 heatwave was how people at work cheered when the rain finally arrived. As you say, at the time, it was an outlier. But now it's almost expected each year. The climate crisis is real and too few governments are taking action.
Absolutely spot on - that cheering in ’76 tells you everything. It was a break from the norm. Now, these heatwaves are the norm, and the silence from those in power is deafening. We shouldn’t be normalising what should be a warning. Thanks for adding such a powerful memory to the conversation.
Top drawer explanation once again from the master of elucidation. I am extremely thankful to be married to an exceptional woman from Alabama, who understands how to deal with heat. She has carefully cultivated a green haven with tall bushes and trees around our small suburban home to provide a degree of protection from our ever hotter summer months. Windows are opened and closed at specific points in the day, to maximise cool(er) air circulation around the house, paying particular attention to the fact that hot air rises. The loft hatch must be opened and closed to a strict timetable. On the hottest of days, tin foil is even deployed in the windows to reflect the sunshine and keep the heat out. I never imagined, even having had my 9th birthday during the extreme event of '76, that I would need summer heat defenses for my English home! Spread the word, fellow members of this bear colony, the climate is changing and we need to take action.
This is absolutely brilliant - both the tribute and the tactical climate defence strategy. Your wife sounds like the General Patton of passive cooling, and I mean that as the highest praise. Tin foil, loft hatch choreography, bush-based shade engineering - it’s practically a climate war room over there. And yes, the fact that we’re now strategising for summer like it’s a military operation in suburban England should tell us everything we need to know. The bear colony salutes you, and your frankly exceptional air flow logistics.
Stay cool Mr. B, both metaphorically and practically.
As a teenager at the time, the thing that made the summer heatwave of 1976 stand out as exceptional was how long it lasted. Over two months, and there were 16 consecutive days over 30C. There's been nothing like it since in terms of duration.
Exactly - and the reason ’76 still looms large is because it was rare. It stuck in the national psyche because it was an oddity, not a benchmark. What we’re getting now isn’t charming endurance tests with tarmac stories - it’s a climate system groaning under pressure. But hey, as long as we can frame it as a quirky throwback, we don’t have to admit it’s the new normal… or do anything about it.
Love the Fur Daemon😹😹😹
She is the absolute best kitty cat in the world!
Absolutely nailed it, Bear, with an intro which made me laugh but briefly. The data has been telling us for some time that the climate is changing, it’s heads out of the sand time and look what’s happening now.
4 texts this week from Thames Water about extremely high water demand in the area, and advising to only use water for essential needs. I wasn't born in '76, but I've heard the stories. Have also read the details, but was good to read them in this as a reminder. Thanks for that! I'm on an SSRI and have a brain condition that means I need to keep hydrated as well- 40C temps, and the mugginess, are not what we need. But sure '76 was hot and climate change isn't real, it's always happened. When will we grow up and DO something?! Thanks as always for your posts, BEAR. Gives me a laugh about things that would normally depress and/or terrify me/
Absolutely spot on as per. I was 17 in 1976 and fortunate enough to live by the sea in Devon. It was in equal measure, amazing and scary, leaving a deep impression and awakening an interest in climate and 'weather'. I holidayed in France in 2022 and heard stories of elderly people in Paris dying of heat and families not claiming their deceased relatives! A massive scandal.
I am a keen gardener and have noticed the changes creeping up on us. My biggest fear is the predicted collapse of the AMOC that brings warm waters to our shores and creates our 'maritime climate '. If that goes, we'll be, to put it bluntly, completely fucked. Temperatures will struggle to rise above freezing in places and We will but dream of these balmy days. It's beyond belief and reason that the 'powers that be' refuse to act on the scientific evidence before them and can only surmise that as usual it's all about money, money, money. Thank you for your eloquent wisdom and the knowledge that I'm not alone in being utterly terrified for my Grandsons future on this beautiful, delicate planet.
I remember the 1976 heatwave mainly because I had just finished school so it was an extra long holiday BUT you are totally correct in your thinking. It was a complete one-off then. I read recently that we have only 2 years to reduce current rate of global warning before it is forever too late.
State schools don't have air con -apart from in computer rooms - and hot temperatures are nightmarish for us teachers. Windows open (if they open) about 2 inches, and if you're lucky enough to have a fan in the room you'll also have arguments about what direction it points and who gets to sit next to it while you also get to listen to complaints about the heat and how it's too hot to do any work for hours on end. I was at school in 1976 (in my teens) and don't remember classrooms being as hot and humid as it is now. But then I'm not of of those persistent nostalgia-mongerers for whom everything was better in their rose-tinted rear-views.
I was pregnant that summer.
It was no fun at all.
You have my sympathy dear Bear
Oh Jane, I can’t even begin to imagine. I’m sweating just thinking about being pregnant in that kind of heat. You are, without question, made of stronger stuff than me - I can barely handle it with an iced coffee and a fan pointed directly at my soul. Sending belated solidarity (and current gratitude).
I resorted to laying on my back in the sea, belly like a sail...
What an image!
Something I would not say no to right now though 😋
🐻
I had just started an SRN nursing course in 1976 and we were let loose on the wards during that heat… the hospital (Copthorne in Shrewsbury) wards were made up of wooden huts extending from a central corridor and the atmosphere in them was horrendous… bad enough for the nursing staff who could at least escape at duty’s end, but sheer purgatory for the poor patients. Even though we had fans all around the wards, all they did was blow the hot air around. Even though thunderstorms terrified me at that time (I’m ok now) I was glad when they came along and broke it. Unfortunately, the storms of today don’t seem to have that “breaking the hot spell” effect they used to. Thankfully, I have an air conditioning unit in my workshop (I’m an artist now) which is set at a lovely 17degrees.
That’s a hell of a vivid memory - thank you for sharing it. The image of those sweltering wooden huts full of patients and fans just redistributing the misery is seared into my brain now. And you’re absolutely right - storms used to be a relief. Now they just feel like dramatic punctuation marks in an unending climate sentence. Deep respect for your nursing days, and deep envy of that 17-degree sanctuary. May your workshop stay blissfully crisp.
I didn’t stay a human nurse for long (about 12 months) before I turned my attention to animal nursing at a veterinary surgery. The work was great, the animals even better and I never once walked on to the ward to be asked for a bedpan! I had an enormous flat above the surgery free of any charges, a huge bonus.
My workshop was so cool today, I even had to turn the ac unit off a couple of times because it got too cold! Bliss!!!
Best money ever spent - ice maker. The cats got it as a Father's Day present for their patient dad, clever kitties.😁
I have been living in the UK long enough to have witnessed the weather pattern shift, with hotter summers and now yearly winter storms. Denying that things have changed doesn't alter the evidence, sadly.
Also - BIG fans in every room, not wearing actual clothes unless I have to (all hail short nightgowns), and most shopping delivered. I thought I had left the 40⁰ summers behind...
This might be the most relatable climate survival strategy I’ve read all week. An ice maker, strategic nudity, and cats with impeccable gift-giving instincts - you’ve cracked the code, Paola. And yes, totally agree: living here long enough means you feel the shift, year after year. No amount of ’76 nostalgia can fan that truth away. (Although, big fans in every room do help.)
Happy to report that we navigated the heat yesterday like pros - fans going from the morning, windows open upstairs and downstairs (think Sheldon) to create ventilation, and to make the most of the ever present breeze. This bit of East Anglia is, er, vertically challenged (don't ever call it flat, the locals take offence. Truly), so we normally have some kind of breeze. Buckets of ice in drinks also helped.
But - This. Is. Not. Normal. Big wonter storms, floods and regularly occurring heatwaves aren't 'normal'.
I wonder how the weather will being say 20 years.
Nice to read about people being cool and I admire your ability to write in this heat. Meanwhile living with someone who is still wearing a jumper and insists all doors are kept closed - the dogs and me are finding it extra tough so have enjoyed reading of ice and cooling tactics alongside the highlighting of the climate emergency. Thanks.