✨ New features launched on
earth.nullschool.net: wet bulb temp and dew point. 🌡️
Thought it would be easy, but found myself down a rabbit hole of atmospheric thermodynamics.
Posted an explainer here:
news.nullschool.net/p/new-features-wet-bulb-and-dew-point-temperaturesWet bulb temp is one measure of heat stress. If it gets too close to body temp, no amount of sweat or air flow will help. We develop heat stroke, then die. A widely accepted limit of survivability is 35 °C (95 °F). Thankfully, it rarely gets this high on Earth… for now.
But wet bulb temp need not get that high. As it passes 28 °C (82 °F), significant heat stress starts to build up. The worry is climate change will increase the chance of wet bulb temps reaching lethal levels.
Note that low values do not mean conditions are safe. Very high dry bulb temps with low humidity, conditions that cause wet bulb to be low, can still be dangerous.
