WET-BULB TEMPERATUREWet-bulb temperature (WBT) combines dry air temperature (as you’d see on a thermometer) with humidity — in essence, it is a measure of heat-stress conditions on humans. “The [wet-bulb] temperature reading you get will actually change depending on how humid it is,” says Kristina Dahl, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. (At the UK’s 19 July peak temperature, relative humidity was approximately 25 percent and the wet-bulb temperature about 25 degrees Celsius.) Humans usually regulate their internal body temperature by sweating, but above the wet-bulb temperature, we can no longer cool down this way, leading our body temperature to rise steadily. “Our data is actual human subject data and shows that the critical wet-bulb temperature is closer to 31.5 degrees Celsius,” he says.

Source: Taipei Times August 01, 2022 17:04 UTC