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Showing posts from August 12, 2012

Humor Me: Calculating your very own heat index

In recent weeks, we’ve had lots of heat advisories across the country. Some of the advisories were even upgraded to full-blown excessive heat warnings, which the National Weather Service issues immediately when heat indexes reach critical levels or Newt Gingrich is seen wearing shorts. (Or, if you prefer, Hillary Clinton wearing shorts. It’s hot enough outside that I don’t want to heat up either side of the political spectrum.) Fortunately, this year’s heat has been nothing compared to last year, when Dallas had its most blistering summer ever. But still, it’s August, so it’s hot just about everywhere in the country. The heat index, which combines the temperature and the relative humidity, tells us just how hot it really is. But what about a more personalized heat index? There are other factors to consider. Wind speed, for example, and a type of clothing’s ability to transfer heat. Put it all together and you can create a mathematical equation that will force my brain to issue