Weather IQ: Are temperature readings really taken in the shade?
Meteorologist Brittany Van Voorhees explains why it often feels hotter than the number on your thermometer (or favorite weather app). Meteorologist Brittany Van Voorhees explains why it often feels hotter than the number on your thermometer or weather app, or even the thermometer. The most common question is whether temperature readings are taken in the shade, which requires factors such as humidity or solar radiation to be factored in. In Charlotte, the official temperature measurement comes from an ASOS unit at the airport, an Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), which covers the temperature portion in a well-ventilated area with direct sunlight. Chris Horne, Observing Program Leader at the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, explains that having a standard for how they measure temperature gives everyone the same starting point. The number on the WCNC Charlotte app is pulled from the airport and follows strict rules by the World Meteorological Organization and the NWS to ensure accuracy.
Pubblicato : 3 settimane fa di Brittany Van Voorhees (WCNC) in Weather
Meteorologist Brittany Van Voorhees explains why it often feels hotter than the number on your thermometer (or favorite weather app).
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you’ve ever been outside and thought, “There’s no way it’s only 70 degrees,” you’re not alone.
One of the most common questions WCNC Charlotte's meteorologists are asked is why it feels so much hotter than their weather app or even the thermometer at home indicates.
You may have heard that temperature readings are taken in the shade so you have to factor in the humidity or solar radiation based on where you are -- but that statement is only half true.
In Charlotte, our measurement comes from the airport by an ASOS unit. This stands for Automated Surface Observing System.
This is the official data that goes into the record books each day.
The temperature portion of the ASOS is shielded in a well-ventilated area with direct sunlight. So, it’s shielded from the sun’s radiation, not shaded from it.
Chris Horne, the Observing Program Leader at the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, said having a standard for how they measure temperature gives everyone the same starting point.
"You're probably going to get too wild of a swing, having exposed probes, fully exposed to radiation throughout the day," Horne said.
There are special parameters taken, too, which are dictated by the World Meteorological Organization and the NWS. They follow these rules to ensure accuracy.
"You're supposed to be about five feet above ground level," Horne said. "It has to be in a representative area of what you're sampling. For example, you want to keep it out of a drainage ditch, make sure it's far enough from any kind of artificial surface, such as a parking lot or the taxiway of an airport."
This also allows other factors to be taken out of the equation, such as humidity and solar radiation.
While we can debunk that temperature readings are taken in the shade, the number you see on your WCNC Charlotte app is pulled from the airport, just like the official data.