The Met Office has issued a red warning for heat across much of England today, with amber warnings for Wales and Scotland. Record-high temperatures of up to 41 degrees C are forecast.
Climbing into a car that has been baking in the summer sun could expose you even greater heat.
Thankfully, helpful folk from hot countries have offered tips via social media on how to keep cool. This one comes from vehicle designer, Nir Kahn:
Hot tip for hot weather
A/C tip from someone in a hot country to Brits about to get into their baked cars. Switch on the A/C and open all the windows. Drive like that for a minute then close only the front windows. One more minute, only then close the rears. This pulls the hot stale air out faster ☀️❄️
— Nir Kahn (@Nir_Kahn) July 25, 2019
His guide to clearing a car’s cabin of stuffy, sun-baked air is a clever one.
First, get the car’s air conditioning going, then open all the windows. Leave them open while driving for a minute.
Then close the front windows, driving again for a minute, before closing the rears.
The effect is to evacuate hot, stale air from the car more quickly than if you keep the windows up and air-con blasting.
Other tips for cooling down
If you have a sunroof or your car is a convertible, you’re in luck. Get them open fast. Hot air rises and will be out the top quicker than you can say ‘heatwave’.
Essentials for travelling, obviously, are sun cream and plenty of water. Stay hydrated and keep your sun defences up.
And if you’re still too hot, don’t worry. Cooler temperatures are due from Wednesday and will continue later this week.
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Why not just crack the window a bit