This must be individually calculated according to local conditions, including wind speed, humidity and sometimes radiation from the sun. So while the Stevenson Screens provide accurate readings of the air temperature in the shade, they cannot tell you what that temperature actually feels like in their general location. These wooden boxes are fitted with slats that allow air to flow freely over the thermometers, but protect them from the sun and rain. Most of our air temperature readings are measured by thermometers in the distinctive white Stevenson screens that hold the instruments of our 600-plus automatic weather stations. By checking both figures, you can make a much more informed decision about where you should go, what you can do, and what you should wear – especially if you’re going to be outdoors a lot, or somewhere that is particularly exposed to the weather. The Bureau has adopted the term ‘Feels like’ to describe exactly that: what the outdoor air feels like, as distinct from the actual air temperature. Left: Example of a much colder 'Feels like' temperature at Mount Hotham. In situations like these, it’s common-and entirely understandable-for people to simply think that the Bureau’s forecasters got it wrong. Again, a quick check of the ‘Feels like’ temperature-an oppressive 38☌-could have spared the hikers much of their discomfort. Although the 29☌ forecast that morning looked perfect for a lengthy hike, they didn’t count on the very high humidity, which prevents their sweat from evaporating and makes everyone extremely hot. By 2pm, only the tourists are left on the beach.Īt the top end of the country, a group of intrepid hikers visits Kakadu National Park late in the wet season. Locals know from experience that if they stay at the beach in the afternoon, they’ll begin to feel the chilling effects of the sea breeze. On the other side of the country, beachgoers have been enjoying a sunny early summer morning in Perth.
Temperature outside full#
When one of them double-checks the website, they get the full story: ‘Feels like –11☌’. With a 35 km/h wind blowing and low humidity, they soon become freezing cold. They’ve checked the Bureau’s mobile website, and noted that the ‘air temperature’ is a chilly but bearable –1☌. Up on Mount Hotham, a group of snowboarders is carving up Victoria’s newly coated alpine slopes when they decide to stop for lunch. What happens when the temperature isn’t the actual temperature – when the humidity or wind speed are so high that they significantly change our personal experience of the weather? What the air really feels like They’re the key statistics we need to stay warm in winter and cool in summer, to keep our animals safe and our crops flourishing. Together with rainfall, they’re one of the most widely used datasets among our multitude of weather and climate information.
In the 100-plus years that the Bureau has been issuing weather forecasts, the daily minimum and maximum temperatures have always been central to the process. We all know what the air temperature means, don’t we? It’s the warmth or coldness of the outdoor air, measured in degrees Celsius, and a figure we all use to work out what activities we can do and what we should wear from day to day. So how precisely should we be using this ‘new’ weather measurement? The Bureau has begun to include the ‘Feels like’ temperature in several of its forecasts.
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