UK heat today vs Orlando heat

Bit of a random one, but I was looking at the weather today and it made me laugh that Milton Keynes is sitting around 31°C, while Orlando is only a few degrees hotter at around 34°C.

The difference is Orlando is doing the usual Florida summer thing: hot, humid, then probably a big afternoon thunderstorm. Here in the UK it feels more like we’ve accidentally borrowed Florida’s weather but without the hotel pool, air con everywhere, or a frozen Butterbeer at the end of it.

The interesting bit is that the UK has apparently had its hottest June day on record, while Orlando is just having a fairly normal summer day by its standards.

It does make you realise how much infrastructure matters. In Orlando, heat is expected, so everything is built around shade, cooling breaks, indoor queues and afternoon storms. Over here, once it gets into the 30s, schools, trains, workplaces and houses all start struggling.

Makes me wonder how Universal UK would handle a proper heatwave if it opened during weather like this.

I completely agree CarrotOrange. I have been out to Orlando 24 times now and the heat there is definitely intense, but Florida is built for it. You step out of the sun and straight into blasting air conditioning everywhere you go. Trying to sleep here in the UK after a hot day without air con is definitely a lot tougher!

As for Universal UK in Bedford, they will definitely need to design it with our unpredictable weather in mind. While we might not get Florida heat often, we do get plenty of rain. I would expect lots of indoor attractions, covered walkways, and climate controlled queues to handle both our wet winters and the occasional baking hot summer day.

I know I would happily trade this sticky UK heat for a walk through Diagon Alley with a frozen Butterbeer right now! Great observation.

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