Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Canadian weather forecasters have been lying to us all

Ontario radio weather forecaster: Well folks, it's 35 out there, but with the humidity, it feels more like 45. 

Me: No it doesn't. 

I have just returned from a glorious visit to Ontario and Quebec, one that was marred only by last week's "heat wave". I say "heat wave" because it was 31 to 35 degrees Celsius outside for about five days in a row and after living in the UAE for two years, and most of the time, that actually felt quite pleasant. And living on the island of Abu Dhabi, where one often has to defog their sunglasses when hitting the blast of unpleasantness that is outside during the summer, anyone else talking about humidity is a bit of a joke. (No one in Canada thought it was a joke though, as many people don't have air conditioning. I even witnessed two lanes of Hwy 401 that had buckled in the heat.)

Still and all, it was during a four-hour drive from Ottawa to Toronto that I heard the same refrain from weather forecasters over and over about the "humidex" and how it mysteriously made the temperatures jump by 10 degrees. That's when I realised I have actually been hearing – and believing – this schlock since I was a child. You know what feels like 45? 45. Trust me.

1 comment:

mezba said...

Just realized you are right! It does NEVER feel like 42! That's when you are tired from just being outside for 30 minutes rather than hours!

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