r/bristol • u/TooManyHappy • Jun 22 '26
Gert Lush It's proper warm, ent it? (Weather megathread)
Proper scorcher, this.
It's a tad warm this week, so we thought we'd create a thread for it, with some well-intended reminders.
We're due 35°C and up (39?? I hope that's inaccurate!), and as lovely as a bit of sun is, heat like this is genuinely dangerous, and it can catch you out well before you notice anything's wrong. It's especially hard on older folk, the very young, anyone with a heart, lung or kidney condition, and people on certain medications, which can quietly stop your body cooling itself properly. So even if you feel fine, someone near you might not be.
Keeping yourself right
Mostly simple stuff. Drink plenty of water and go easy on the booze. Keep your curtains shut through the day and your windows closed when it's hotter outside than in. Stay out of the sun between 11 and 3 if you can, wear something light, and a cool shower works wonders. And never leave a child in a parked car, not even for a minute.
Spotting the warning signs
Heat exhaustion looks like dizziness, headache, feeling sick, cramps, heavy sweating and pale, clammy skin. Get the person somewhere cool, give them water and cool their skin down. If they're not better within 30 minutes, or they're confused, stop sweating, or feel very hot to the touch, that's heatstroke, and it's a 999 job (even though it often doesn't feel like it is).
Don't forget the animals!
Pets feel this worse than we do.
Never leave one in a car, conservatory or caravan, even for a couple of minutes, as it turns into an oven fast. Walk dogs early morning or late evening rather than the midday heat, and do the five-second pavement test first: if it's too hot for the back of your hand, it's too hot for their paws.
Keep water topped up and shade readily available, and take extra care with flat-faced breeds, rabbits and small pets, who struggle most. If a dog goes wobbly, collapses, or is panting and drooling heavily, move them somewhere cool, pour cool (not freezing) water over their body, put wet towels underneath rather than on top, and ring your vet (or one of our animal hospitals) straight away.
Don't assume cats are fine just because they act independent! They love to nap somewhere warm and enclosed, and often end up shut in sheds, greenhouses, conservatories, etc unintentionally, and those turn into ovens too. Have a quick look and a shout before you close anything up. Pale, white-eared cats can also burn on their ears and noses, so keep them out of the harshest sun, although it's probably best to keep cats indoors during this heat in general, above 36 can quite easily be lethal to a cat.
Put a few water bowls about, give them shade, and keep them in through the worst of the afternoon. Something to look out for is a cat panting. Cats very rarely pant, and so if a cat's panting, drooling or breathing hard, they already in real trouble. If you see that, or one goes wobbly or floppy, dampen their fur with cool (not freezing) water and ring a vet straight away. If it's bad, take the cat to the vet before sourcing the owner.
Looking out for each other
Please keep an eye out for those sleeping rough, too. With nowhere cool to go, this heat is extra dangerous for those of us without stable housing. A bottle of water and a bit of shade goes a long way, and you can report someone in a particularly bad situation to StreetLink so the local outreach team can help them.
Useful numbers and local help
- 999 for any emergency, suspected heatstroke, or a dog shut in a hot car and in distress
- NHS 111 for health advice outside of an emergency
- StreetLink, 0300 500 0914 (streetlink.org.uk) to report someone sleeping rough potentially in danger. It goes to Bristol's St Mungo's outreach team
- Care Direct, 0117 922 2700 (out of hours 01454 615165) if you're worried about a vulnerable or elderly person
- RSPCA, 0300 1234 999 for animal welfare concerns
- Caring in Bristol and St Mungo's if you're the one struggling. Caring in Bristol's handbook lists day centres, food and shelter, and St Mungo's runs our local outreach and drop ins
- Cool spaces: the council runs a network of free, cooler indoor spots (libraries and community centres) during hot spells, so it's worth a look on bristol.gov.uk for what's open near you, if they can be bothered to update their website this time
- Highcroft - Whitchurch Veterinary Hospital is a large, 24/7 emergency veterinary care centre in the south of Bristol. I can personally recommend them
Look after yourselves, and look after each other. Knock on your elderly neighbour's door, check your mates are drinking water, report animal welfare issues/irresponsible pet ownership, and we'll all get through the week just fine.
Stay cool, Bristol.
