What do metrologists mean by the “feels like” temperature and how is is different than the actual temperature?
In: Physics
There are two things that can make one temperature feel hotter or colder; humidity and wind. High humidity causes cold to feel colder and hot to feel hotter. When it’s hot and humid, sweat can’t evaporate effectively because the air is saturated with water vapor, so it feels hotter. When it’s cold and humid, the water vapor in the air is more efficient at transferring heat out of your body than low humidity air, hence you feel colder.
Wind can make cold worse and hot better. When it’s cold out, wind pushes air across your body and through some clothes, making your cold. When it’s hot out, wind makes it feel cooler and it improves evaporation of sweat.
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