Some Preppers/Survivalists Deny Heatwaves & the Implications of That Denial.

First Published: Sep 13, 2023. Edited without changing content 17 October 2026.

“A heat-period is defined as day(s) on which a Level 3 Heat Health Alert is issued and/or day(s) when the mean Central England Temperature is greater than 20°C; between June and August 2022, there were five heat-periods that met this criterion.” Source: MET Office.

I have watched a number of Prepping YouTubers’ channels for some years and note that they are developing their own homegrown weather forecasting, ignoring severe heat events, and “poopooing” the accepted science of meteorology & empirical data. They believe the above temperature of 20°C is too low, though they provide no indication why.

The problem lies ithe in the data. The failure to grasp the data, the mean temperature, and the fact that aggregated data produces a monthly mean lower than 20°C: the average temperature for the UK for June, July, August & September 1961-2020 is between 14-1; therefore, 20°C is the anomaly & marker for a heatwave. The suggestion that it’s too cool fails to account for humidity.

The UK climate has long been characterised as unsettled and predominantly rainy. The weather is the Englishman’s favourite topic of discussion—cold, wet & windy. This indicates a high level of airborne moisture. While the weather is cool, the airborne moisture is hardly noticeable. Add a little more heat to the mean, and we quickly enter the unbearable and dangerous.

The Dangers of Dismissing the Warnings

I think preppers would prefer to classify a heatwave as 30°C higher. But failure to understand humidity & the increased moisture-carrying capacity of warmer air. It’s either a failure to understand or flat-out denial of science,ce or both.

Setting the bar higher is a mistake. It doesn’t account for situations like south-facing gardens and other natural and man-made environments that become heat traps. Temperatures in heat traps can be 5-7° higher than the forecast & actual air temperature. Couple higher temperatures with humidity, and heat traps can become “thermal kill zones” in your own homes

Learn about and understand wet-bulb temperatures and their impacts on life.

https://solidarityprepping.co.uk/2023/09/06/why-severe-heat-is-more-dangerous-han-severe-cold/

https://linktr.ee/SolidarityPrepper