This blog highlights observations about the current (and past) weather conditions at the E.D. Soulis Memorial weather station which is located at the University of Waterloo.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Hottest day since 2007
Wednesday's high of 31.3°C was the hottest temperature seen at the UW weather station since August 3rd, 2007, when it was 32.7°C.
There's something I've always wondered... is the perceived temperature from being in the sun different than the ambient temperature? For example, I have a thermometer (terrible quality) stuck to the side of my house that reads much higher in the sun. Is that because it's a piece of junk, or is it because the actual temperature when in the sun is higher than the reading taken by the station?
Matt - when you are in the shade, you are only getting heated up by convective heat transfer from the air, so you feel the ambient temperature. When you`re in the sun, you also take the radiant heat transfer from the sun, so you are getting lots of extra heat. The thermometer is absorbing extra heat when it`s in the sunlight. It`s not going to give you an accurate temperature, since that depends on how much of the sunlight is absorbed or reflected by your skin or the thermometer, though.
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Can't wait for the winter...
There's something I've always wondered... is the perceived temperature from being in the sun different than the ambient temperature? For example, I have a thermometer (terrible quality) stuck to the side of my house that reads much higher in the sun. Is that because it's a piece of junk, or is it because the actual temperature when in the sun is higher than the reading taken by the station?
Matt - when you are in the shade, you are only getting heated up by convective heat transfer from the air, so you feel the ambient temperature. When you`re in the sun, you also take the radiant heat transfer from the sun, so you are getting lots of extra heat. The thermometer is absorbing extra heat when it`s in the sunlight. It`s not going to give you an accurate temperature, since that depends on how much of the sunlight is absorbed or reflected by your skin or the thermometer, though.
Could be quite some time before we get another 30 degrees or higher reading here, thanks the the return of the upper cold low scenario.
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