“Normally talking about the weather would be anathema to me; like, can we really not find anything more interesting to discuss,” says Erin Allweiss, an American communications executive living in Paris. “However, that has changed.”

While chattering about heat and humidity is famously considered boring, recently it seems to have found its groove. Consider Hot Air Summer: Europe faced triple-Farenheit-digit temperatures (during summer vacations and fashion week no less!); the heat dome over the central and eastern parts of America ruined the nation’s birthday party for many; and record temperatures have turned some World Cup matches into furnaces.

As more of us live through uncomfortable spells—and consider what they might mean for the planet at large—the idea that discussing weather is pointless small talk is beginning to seem outdated.

The must-have accessory during Paris Fashion Week 2026? A fan to help beat the historic heat.

Take Monica Ainley’s family group chat, which usually focuses on Ainley’s two young children. Sometimes, Ainley’s mother discusses her flower garden. But rarely does the text exchange touch on weather. In late June, however, temperature talk was inescapable thanks to scorching-hot weather in France. “The weather is only boring until there's something behind it that makes it not boring,” the Paris-based journalist and influencer says.

Allweiss agrees. Because she spends much of the year in Paris, she received a flood of texts during France’s 100-degrees-Fahrenheit heat wave. “It became a much deeper and more anchored conversation,” she says, “versus, ‘I have nothing else to talk about, so I'm gonna talk about the weather.’”

Those nuanced conversations are increasingly tinged with politics, especially in Europe. This summer, the Paris heat sparked debates over whether France should roll out an air-conditioning plan to cool its citizens. Some left-wing politicians argued that AC would make the outdoor temperature even hotter and consume too much energy.

Soccer star Kylian Mbappe gets some relief from the hear in the sprinklers during a late June game outside of New York City.

Sarah Wilson, the New York Times best-selling author of First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, says weather has morphed into a not-so-simple and “tricky” topic. “As soon as you discuss it, you have to become aware of why the weather is getting so difficult,” she says. “We have to talk about it at all the layers.”

It wasn’t always complicated fodder. Until recently, it was one of the safest angles for conversing with others. Jill Kargman, the author and director who is spending part of this summer in London, says she often thinks about Sense and Sensibility, the 1995 film based upon Jane Austen’s novel, when it comes to weather. In the film, Mrs. Dashwood, played by Gemma Jones, tells her daughter, “If you cannot think of anything appropriate to say, you will please restrict your remarks to the weather.”

In some cases, that’s still sound advice. Kristi Spencer, an etiquette expert, finds that surface-level talk about weather can be a unifying topic. “When we are experiencing something together, that gives us something to talk about,” she says.

“The weather is only boring until there's something behind it that makes it not boring.”

Indeed, it gave 40 million Americans under heat alerts over the July 4th holiday much to discuss. The high-pressure heat dome affected states like New York and Pennsylvania, with Washington, D.C.’s temperature reaching 102 degrees on America’s birthday.

Extreme heat also impacted plenty of high-profile events, such as the French Open, the World Cup, and Menswear Paris Fashion Week. In May, athletes in the Paris-based tennis tournament battled through temperatures that reached 91 degrees. Some houses during Menswear Paris Fashion Week, including Dior, moved their shows to dodge rising temperatures. And last week, the France-Paraguay World Cup match approached 100 degrees, with plenty of well-heeled fans avoiding soccer venues because of the heat.

All of which is making hot weather the hot new topic. “Desperate times, desperate measures,” Ainley tells me. “It's all we can talk about because we have to figure out what we're going to do.”

Andrew Zucker works at a production company in New York City. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Financial Times, and Air Mail, among other publications.