BBC star reveals how to instantly cool down a 'boiling car' in a heatwave, saying tip is: 'better than air-con'
Anyone who's ever returned to a holiday hire car that's been left in the full glare of a scorching sun will know that frying an egg on the bonnet is an entirely realistic scenario - alongside scalding seatbelt buckles, burning hot seats and 'hairdryer' air.
While blasting icy air-con is effective, it takes a while to kick in - but scientist and BBC presenter Hannah Fry has a clever trick up her sleeve for ridding a vehicle of hot air in seconds.
The presenter, who has 1.3million followers on Instagram, shared the science-based hack ahead of this weekend's heatwave, with temperatures expected to soar to in the UK to 34C.
Yesterday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the alert to cover five regions of England - the East Midlands, South East, South West, East and London.
A yellow health alert has also been issued for the Yorkshire and Humber and West Midlands regions. Both alerts begin at 12pm tomorrow and end at 6pm next Tuesday.
It's a similar picture across the Med too, with much of Southern Spain expecting 38C on Sunday and parts of Southern Italy set to rise to 37C.
Fry, 41, who has a PHD in fluid dynamics, the study of how liquids and gases flow, said a few simple moves could help dramatically cool a car in seconds.
In the video, she says 'Don't bother putting on the air-con, that would take about five minutes - it's not worth it'.
Hannah is then seen opening the rear passenger left hand side window - but says any window on the opposite side to the driver's will do.
The next move, she admits, might make people 'look like a bit of an idiot' and involves very quickly opening and closing the driver's door - but, she says, the hack starts to immediately cool the car.
How does it work? Hannah explains: 'When you open and close the door, and you do it quickly, the door, as it's moving outwards, sweeps out all of the air that's in the way, creating this area of low pressure.'
The science whizz continues: 'That creates something called bulk flow, which means all of the hot, sweaty, horrible air inside the car is drawn outwards.'
Pointing at the open window on the other side of the car, Hannah says: 'And the only way to re-fill it is with nice, fresh, easy air from over that side.'
She adds: 'It only takes two or three goes and suddenly it's beautifully temperate'.
The hack has sparked plenty of responses, with BBC radio star Zoe Ball posting: 'Trying this NOW'.
One person, from Australia, said there was no shame in looking silly if it made for a cooler car, saying: 'I will try that and no one in Australia would ever be embarrassed trying anything to cool down our cars before we get in.
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A post shared by Hannah Fry (@fryrsquared)
The scientist, who has PHD in flow dynamics, explained how simply opening a window on one side of the car, and then rapidly opening and closing a car door on the other side can kick-start bulk flow, which sees hot air displaced with cooler air
'Most times we can't even touch the steering wheel or the belt buckle in the summer.'
Another impressed follower added: 'This may be the best reel I have ever seen.'
One person said it might take a little more than flow dynamics to outwit a Sunshine State summer, saying: 'I mean this DOES work, but "temperate" might be a pretty bigvstretch for those of us in Florida. Lol. I have a burn scar on my thigh from my seat belt.'
In the UK in the coming days, the Government agency has warned that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services, including an increase in demand, during the alert period.
The UK's hottest day of the year so far was recorded last Saturday when Charlwood in Surrey reached 33.2C (91.8F) – but this could be beaten over the coming days.
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BARBECUES are sizzling, pub gardens are packed and ice cream vans are out in force - but how do you keep cool for less this summer? Here's our ultimate guide to keeping cool on a budget as the mercury is set to reach the high 20s and low 30s this weekend. 7 Plenty of us will be enjoying the 28C heat today — and more sunshine is on its way. Households are in for hot weather this weekend, with temperatures set to soar to a whopping 34C by Monday. An official heatwave is declared when an area hits specific temperature thresholds for three days in a row . That threshold is 25°C for the north and west of the UK, and 28°C for Greater London and the Home Counties. While the Met Office has issued no weather warnings, experts have urged households to keep cool and check in on friends, family and neighbours, especially if they are vulnerable. So how can you cool off for less? We explain how much it costs to run the most popular gadgets to keep you cool - and other ways to ward off high temperatures. Running fan - up to 84p a week Fans are a great way of keeping cool for less. They're cheaper alternatives to pricier methods like air con. How much they cost to run depends on various factors like the model, how much energy they use, and how long you have it on for. A 60W pedestal fan costs 1.5p an hour to run. If you ran it for eight hours overnight, that would cost 12p, which racks up to 84p for a week. A 35W desktop fan costs 0.9p an hour to run. Running it overnight would cost 7.2p, which would cost 50.4p for a week. Want to keep cool on the move? A handheld fan costs 0.08p to run an hour, so having it switched on for six hours over the day would cost 0.48p. Cost of air con - £14.42 a week 7 It may be tempting to reach for your air conditioning unit during balmy weather. But it could be more expensive to run than you think. A portable air con unit which runs on 1kW of power costs 25.73p to run per hour. If you used it for eight hours overnight, that costs £2.06, which totals £14.42 a week. If you're looking for an alternative that won't cost a penny, why not try a cold hot water bottle? Instead of filling your hot water bottle up with boiling water, fill it up with cold water instead. This will help you keep cool during the evening. You could even stick it in the freezer to get it even colder. Paddling pool - £14 7 Paddling pools usually fly off the shelves as temperatures sizzle, and are a fun way for the family to keep cool. Some pools on the high street are selling for under £10, but while that seems a bargain, costs can rack up when you come to filling it up. It costs £14 each time to fill up a 6ft wide paddling pool, according to estimates from the comparison site Uswitch. If you filled up your paddling pool with new water every weekend in July and August, which are the remaining summer months, that would cost you a whopping £126. To cut down on the number of times you're filling up your pool, buy sterilising fluid or use a filter. Sterilising fluid can be picked up for as little as £4.20 for a litre, from Sainsbury's and will help stop the growth of bacteria and algae. Or you could get a filter that you place into your pool - when we checked prices online at Amazon, we found the cheapest ones would cost around £13.00. Cover the pool - you could use bin bags - to protect the water when you're not using it. Other ways to keep cool for free Want to keep cool without breaking the bank? Try out these free hacks Mop the floor 7 Clean the house and keep cool at the same time by mopping the floor. The hack boils down to simple science. The water will absorb heat from the floor when it evaporates - and hey presto, your floor is cooler. 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Building regulations state that bedrooms in new build homes must not exceed temperatures above 26C overnight. That means window and door openings will be designed to close if temperatures start to soar. Unfortunately, you won't benefit if you're not in one of these new builds - but there are other ways to keep cool. For example, you can close the curtains during the day, which will help to keep your home cool into the night.
