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WEATHER

‘I get more sunburnt’: How foreigners cope with Scandinavian heatwaves

Temperatures have recently hit levels defined as ‘heatwave’ in Scandinavia, so we asked our readers in Norway, Sweden and Denmark how they cope with Nordic summers.

Published: 1 July 2024 16:28 CEST
'I get more sunburnt': How foreigners cope with Scandinavian heatwaves
Ceiling fans and more plants are two possibly-untapped Nordic cooling strategies. Photo by Lorenzo Mitil on Unsplash

A temperature of 25C (77F) might not feel like a big deal in many countries, but in Scandinavia, it’s warm.

While Scandinavians are generally used to colder temperatures, there’s more to it than this: The way cities and buildings are designed — to retain heat rather than keep cool — goes some way to explaining why temperatures that feel like a regular summer day elsewhere seem so severe in the Nordics.

READ ALSO: Why are temperatures of 25C considered a heatwave in Sweden?

How do you get on with Nordic heatwaves?

“I get more sunburnt here due to the lack of humidity and dry weather,” wrote Zaki in Stockholm, who said that he had been used to similar temperatures but more humid conditions before living in Sweden.

Zaki’s experience isn’t unique.

“Gothenburg heat roasts me (give me slight burns) and wind cools it down quite often,” an anonymous reader stated. They described the climate in their home region of India as “hot and humid”.

Although Scandinavian summers can be hard going for some, they are a piece of cake for others.

“25C is not a heat wave. 45C and above is,” as Rajan from India put it.

Mohammed, an Egyptian who moved to Stockholm three years ago, says hot Swedish weather “encourages me to engage in more outdoor activities”.

“My country is much hotter, drier, and more humid (landscape is +90% desert). Population density is extremely heavier, and urban areas tend to be jammed by diesel-fueled vehicles, which usually turn on AC, which in turn contributes to more heat,” he explained.

Thomas, a US national who lives in Uppsala, said “summers are great here, even on the hottest days.”

“Humidity is low here and if you’ve experienced a 30+ degree day with high humidity, as I did often in the Southern and even Eastern US, you certainly will count your blessings to be in Sweden during the summer,” he said.

Another American reader, Chad from Texas, did say that Nordic heatwaves are “much worse when it happens with lack of air conditioning and having highly heat insulated home”.

Texas has “essentially the opposite climate. However, Dallas is fairly low humidity,” he said.

An anonymous reader who is Swedish but has lived in southeast Asia said that Sweden’s hot weather “affects me much more!”

“I am struggling when the weather is 25C or above,” he said.

When in southeast Asia, “the building is cooler, and also since the sunlight only lasts for 12 hours or so, it did not retain the heat from previous days,” he explained.

“It affects me more because people here are out and about when it’s 28C to 30C but back home, we’d rather stay at home/inside the mall with AC/hang out in coffee shops or restaurants with AC, but here AC is not so common,” wrote a reader from the Phillippines.

What can Scandinavia learn from warmer countries?

One key difference between Scandinavian building designs and those in warmer countries is a lack of air conditioning. While this would effectively cool buildings in hot weather, it would also consume more energy – something which would concern countries such as Denmark, which have politically-determined emissions targets.

“I don’t think we should introduce A/C here [in Denmark, ed.], so nothing in particular to learn. Just have lots of sunscreen and shade trees,” said a reader who moved from New York City to Odense.

Other appliances can also be used for cooling, however – and these are also rare in Scandinavia.

“Majority have ceiling fans at home which we use religiously. People of middle class and above also have air conditioners in their bedrooms,” Zaki said.

Hydration strategies also make a difference.

“Have lots of lime juice and lukewarm water. Avoid ice-cold water due to frequent change in weather. If you sweat a lot, make sure to have salty foods to balance your body,” the Gothenburg-based reader from India wrote.

“Air Conditioning and drink coconut water, Lassi with salt etc.”, recommended Rajan, also from India.

In Egypt, “we just use AC and ceiling- or stand-fans. We also have to take several cold showers during power outages,” Mohammed said.

“Chilled drinks and fruits (especially watermelons & muskmelons) can never be resisted,” he added.

“Not really sure if Scandinavia can learn anything from my country, but I guess fans might be a more environmentally-friendly (still a very effective) option than AC,” he said.

Some readers who are acclimatised to hot climates felt few adaptations are needed in the Nordics.

“Most I do is put on a short sleeve shirt. I turn on some fans in my apartment and make sure to keep the windows open at night and close them when the sun is strongest,” Thomas in Uppsala said.

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WEATHER

How Copenhagen can cope with high humidity and future heat

Danish cities have a lower tolerance for heatwaves than many other countries, but it’s not only due to an architectural preference for large windows and sturdy insulation.

Published: 3 July 2024 12:53 CEST
How Copenhagen can cope with high humidity and future heat

Hot weather in Danish cities can feel unbearably warm, even if thermometers show a relatively moderate figure in degrees Celsius.

While the design of Danish buildings – think large windows, good insulation for the winters – are known to be a major factor in this, the layout of the city itself is also in play.

“The features of cities (including Copenhagen) that make the city vulnerable to heatwaves are the high amount of dark paved surfaces and dark roofs as well as the lack of green areas and trees. It is a common challenge in many dense cities,” Camilla Hvid, Head of Sustainability with engineering consultancy company Sweco Denmark’s Department of Water and Climate, told The Local.

“Dense cities with many dark surfaces and few trees have a low albedo, which means that the surfaces absorb a high amount of the radiation from the sun and retain the heat,” she explained.

That is illustrated by differences in surface temperature  measurements of up to 12 degrees between central district Vesterbro and surrounding suburban areas outside of Copenhagen, Hvid said.

READ ALSO:

Sweco recently investigated how a number of different European cities, including Copenhagen, could build heatwave resilience as climate change looks likely to increase their frequency.

In Copenhagen, the number of heatwave days per year is expected to increase by 160 percent by 2100.

It should be noted that building and city design are not alone in making Danish cities feel hot – weather conditions are frequently humid, which can exacerbate the effect of the heat.

Humidity in Denmark can be up to 80-90 percent, Hvid said.

“The humidity is created by the moisture that comes over the country from the coasts, which is why the humidity is high in Denmark,” the senior engineer said.

“High humidity combined with heat makes it difficult to get rid of the body’s excess heat. That is why temperatures of over 25 degrees can feel severe in Denmark, and when temperatures rise to over 30 degrees combined with high humidity, it can be decidedly dangerous for the elderly and children,” she said.

While Copenhagen has its fair share of parks, more green spaces are the way forward for Danish cities that want to reduce the impact of increasingly frequent heatwaves.

“Part of the solution is to think of more blue and green spaces in our cities – more parks and plants, more water, more trees. Trees create shade, increase humidity, and help lower the temperature in the city,” Hvid said.

“But we can also do a lot by choosing and designing with light materials when we plan or transform the city, both when designing facades, roofs, and pavements – for example by replacing black roofing felt with white or chose a light material for the pavements,” she said.

“But in general, design the cities with more green areas and trees and incorporating green roofs and facades where possible.”

Hvid said that, as heatwaves become more frequent, the renovation of the existing cityscape and the establishment of new districts must take the heat into account and incorporate several elements that create a cooling effect.

“For example, in Sweco, we have helped Odense Municipality to map how future higher temperatures will affect the municipality,” she said.

“We have mapped heat-related challenges and identified areas of intervention where vulnerable groups are particularly exposed, and provided recommendations for measures to minimize the consequences of a heatwave,” she said.

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