Defining What is Hot and What is Not

While some, as Robert Palmer eloquently sang in the 1980s, like it hot...others do not. Yet defining what is hot and what is not is often an exercise in frustration.   

In my years of following and writing about weather, I have thought of weather as almost equally subjective as it is objective. There are objective elements to weather - it is raining or snowing, sunny or cloudy - that are clearly defined. However, temperature is often the most subjective part of weather despite its objective measurement because of our own unique responses to temperature.

A 90 degree day in July may be hot to some while it may feel not that bad to others. A 90 degree day in April is easier to identify as "hot" since we are not used to such warmth at that time of the year. A day like this past Saturday with low humidity and a nice breeze was rather warm, but hardly hot to my standards. I would imagine some of my fellow forecasters may disagree with that and opine that Saturday's mid-90s were quite toasty.

Likewise, a sunny winter's day with temperatures near freezing and little wind may be "arctic-like" to some, but to myself, it's not half bad. Of course, if you knew I spent 25 years in Siberi...I mean Minnesota, you would enjoy such weather considering the average high barely cracked 20 in January.

In writing about heat, I try to avoid using "hot" to describe every 90-degree day that comes down the pike, because dew point and humidity play a more critical role in this part of the world in discomfort than the temperature itself.

A 90-degree day with dew points near 80 feels like a sauna. While a 90-degree day with dew points near 50 is warm, but not as oppressive. Humidity, as I'm sure you are aware, is a critical factor in summer discomfort as high humidity levels lower the body's ability to cool itself and limit the effectiveness of perspiration. To me, it's not just the temperature, but humidity in defining the hotness of a particular day.

Upcoming Week Offers More Warmth

The upcoming week will offer up more typical summery warmth - temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s daily. The warmest day will be today and again on Wednesday. Chances of thunder are in the forecast for later today, Wednesday and perhaps Saturday as weak fronts cross the region.

Despite the pattern's warm hues, the increased chances for storms through the week are welcome as the region tries to climb out of its prolonged dry spell.