July 9, 2008

What is the "Real Feel"?

bouganvillea against the sky
I just added an AccuWeather widget to my Blogicito to show the La Ceiba weather. Last year I looked and looked for a weather widget that would show the temperature AND the humidity, but couldn't find one that would fit my sidebar. Whenever talking about the La Ceiba weather, you have to consider that, to play on that old political saying, "It is the HUMIDITY, stupid!"

This one doesn't show the humidity, but it calculates the "Real Feel" temperature based on temperature, humidity, and whatever else.

I don't know why, but it gives me so much comfort to see that at this minute that I am writing, the actual temperature is a balmy 83°F (28°C), but the real feel temperature is 103°F (40°C)!

Aaah, vindication for all my past whining. It's true. The humidity can make the weather whine-worthy.

Strangely, though, the weather, at least in our house HAS been balmy lately. We tried to design our house to capture the breezes that always come from the east and lately there have been some great breezes as well as cooling rains.

I have a confession to make. When I first got sick, as in bedridden sick, it was hot. I had those awful blisters all over my head. I was complaining about how the sweat on my forehead actually hurt the blisters and washed the cream into my eyes. El Jefe turned the A/C on DURING THE DAY, something we never, ever do, and we left it on for four days, 24 hours per day. That was a luxury in which we have never indulged in seven years.

Even though it was very hot during that time, and sunny, as I recall, the A/C didn't run as much as I expected. Once it eliminated the humidity, only the fan would run for long periods, recycling the cool air. After all, we were only reducing the outside temp from about 86°F (30°C) to 80°F (27°C), but reducing the humidity percentage from the high 80's to the low 60's.

This indulgence cost us. Our monthly consumption went up by 150 kilowatts.

It was worth it to me.
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