Post #3562038
2026-07-03 17:39 UTC
I came across this excellent explantion of "humidex" on Reddit
Humidex is kind of goofy. It's designed to approximate using a Canadian as a thermometer. If you ask the Canadian, "What temperature does it feel like to you?", their answer will probably be something close to humidex. I'm not making this up.
1/3
Replies (1)
-
@samloonie@mstdn.ca 2026-07-03 17:40
The wet bulb temperature, in contrast, is much more rigorously defined. You can measure the wet bulb temperature on your own: Make a little fabric (muslin, traditionally) sock for the bulb of a glass thermometer. It has to fit tightly. Attach a 1m string to the top of the glass thermometer. Dip the bulb and sock in water that's at the ambient air temperature. Whip the thermometer around your head a few times; record the temperature straight away. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you get a consistent measurement. It's actually pretty hard to do it. You have to measure the temperature before the water evaporates, but after the bulb adjusts to the cooler wet bulb temperature. 2/3