Woke up this morning, checked my phone’s weather app like always. Saw two numbers: actual temperature said 70°F, but feels like 75°F. Huh? Thought my eyes were playing tricks. Grabbed my jacket thinking it’d be nice and crisp… nope. Stepped outside and bam, felt like I walked into a sauna. Thick, sticky air. This happens every dang summer!
Decided Enough Was Enough
Went back inside, fired up the laptop. Time to figure out why these numbers lie. Started with my cheap digital thermometer – the one I keep outside on the porch. Read 70°F right then. Okay, so actual temp seemed legit.
But WHY did it feel so much hotter? Started poking around online. Found stuff talking about humidity. Duh. Makes sense! Remembered that sticky feeling. So I dug out my little indoor humidity meter thingy – the kind you put in a closet to stop mold. Held it outside. Nearly choked when it hit 85%. Wowza. Humidity matters way more than I thought.
Wind Threw Me Another Curveball
Fast forward to last week. Forecast said 50°F, feels like 45°F. Pulled on a light hoodie. Stepped out… whoosh! Wind nearly ripped the door outta my hand. Felt like my ears were gonna freeze off. Coulda sworn it was colder. Thermometer? Still reading 50°F. Clearly, wind was stealing my heat.
So I did another experiment. Walked my usual afternoon route twice:
- First walk: Still afternoon, light breeze. Actually felt pretty close to 50°F. Jacket was fine.
- Second walk: Chose a super windy spot near the open park. B-r-r-r-r! Shivered my way through, felt way below 50°F.
Wind sucks the warmth right outta you. Totally checks out.
Putting the Pieces Together
Kept seeing another thing mentioned – sunshine. Ever been outside on a cool morning but sunny? Feels lovely and warm on your skin, right? Tried this yesterday. Actual was 55°F early morning. But sitting in a sunny patch? Felt glorious, easily like low 60s. My thermometer in the shade still said 55°F though.
Okay, lightbulb moment. Here’s the deal:
- Actual temp: That’s just what the thermometer reads in the shade.
- Feels-like temp: What my actual skin feels like after being kicked around by:
- Humidity (makes hot feel hotter, helps cold feel bone-chilling)
- Wind (always makes it feel colder)
- Sunshine (makes it feel warmer if it’s out)
No wonder the app shows two numbers! It’s trying to guess how I’ll actually experience the air based on this other stuff.
The Takeaway
So next time I plan to go out, I’m not just glancing at the big number. I’m eyeballing that “feels like” number hard, and mentally checking if it’s humid (gonna sweat!), windy (need an extra layer!), or sunny (maybe leave the heavy coat?). My little porch experiments finally made sense of why summer feels like death and winter winds freeze my face off even when the temp ain’t crazy low. Weather’s sneaky like that!
