It is ‘feel like’ that makes you feel hotter

SALALAH, June 16 - What we feel is different from what we get from the Sun and that is why we feel hotter than the real temperatures we get from our Met offices. Take for example the Muscat temperature at some point of time. With actual temperature at 38 degrees Celsius and relative humidity at 44 per cent, the ‘feel like’ temperature may be 45.3 degrees. Similarly, one of the ‘heat index’ calculators suggest that with 33 degrees and 76 per cent humidity, the feel like temperature might be at 46.2 degrees. This may be the case with the people of Salalah as relative humidity here is as high as 60 to 80 per cent.

Most of the nature pampered people in Salalah are making stereotyped complain of “very hot summer this year” despite the fact that the temperatures have never gone beyond 33.8 degrees Celsius this year. One cannot put them squarely wrong because almost everyone is feeling the same and many of them are telling that such a situation they are facing for the first time during their 10-year stay in Salalah.

There are others who are telling “Yes the same kind of weather we faced here some 12-13 years ago when we came to Salalah. But that was still better.” Looking for a right answer the Observer contacted an expert working at Met office in Salalah. Ahmed Salim Ghawas, Forecaster at PACA (Public Authority for Civil Aviation), ruled out all the talks of temperatures going up to 39 to 40 degrees in Salalah. “It never went beyond 33.8 degrees this year,” he insisted and explained the reason why people are feeling Salalah hotter than previous years.

“If you compare this year with 2018, there cannot be any comparison due to arrival of cyclone Mekunu in the last week of May or May 25, to be more specific. It brought lots of rain and Salalah hardly had any summer last year. The level of humidity was also less. So we have to compare this year’s summer with the summer of 2017 and if you look at the difference, it is higher this year only by point eight (.8) degrees as in 2017 the highest summer temperature was 33 degrees Celsius.

“Then why are the people feeling more hot this year,” Ahmed Ghawas asked and answered also. “It is due to ‘feel like’ temperature. There is difference between the actual temperature and the way temperature “feels like” to us. It is also called ‘felt air’ temperature, which is measured by combining air temperature and relative humidity.”

Making his explanation simpler, Ahmed Ghawas said, “We feel hotter than the actual temperature due to factors like relative humidity and air speed. This phenomenon is more pronounced in coastal areas because the level of humidity and the ‘feel like’ temperature is higher than the actual temperature.”

The heat index calculation is based on the measurement of ‘felt air temperature’ and changes in humidity levels, air temperature and wind speed. Thus if the humidity is high, it feels hotter than the actual temperature.