My husband, the very happy Mr. W, has been in North Carolina for over a week. Every time I talk to him, he tells me how hot and muggy it is there. So then I ask him if it's hotter than Borrego Springs, and he quickly responds "God yes. The humidity is awful".
Borrego Springs, being in the low desert, is not usually humid. While I'm writing this at 5:30 p.m., for example, www,weather.com reported Borrego Springs at 98°F and 21% humidity. Contrast that to Raleigh, North Carolina at 93°F and 61% humidity.
I recalled seeing a chart recently that calculated how hot it "feels" outside when you add humidity to the mix. So I, of course, "googled" heat index and "POOF" came up with the chart!
What exactly is the "Heat Index" and how does it work?
High humidity combined with hot temperatures reduce the body's ability to cool itself, increasing the risk of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other heat related health problems. The Heat Index (or apparent temperature) is an estimate of the temperature that would similarly affect you at normal humidity (about 20%).
The equation is only valid for temperatures greater than or equal to 80°F and relative humidity levels greater than or equal to 40%. Exposure to full sunshine can increase the heat index 5° to 15°F. Wind speed has a minimal effect on the Heat Index.
For example, if the temperature in Borrego Springs is 98°F with 21% relative humidity, and because the apparent temperature does not change with humidity less than 40%, the heat index in Borrego Springs is 98°F (www.weather.com shows it "feels like" 96°F). In Raleigh, with a 93°F temperature and 61% humidity, the heat index or apparent temperature is somewhere between 115° and 121°F. You get the picture.
So when people say the heat in Borrego is a "dry heat", that's a "good thing". My husband and I seem to be comfortable in Borrego Springs when it's 100°F. One hundred ten degrees is pleasant too, as long as you're lounging by the pool under an umbrella with a cool Borrego Mojito in your hand!
