Did everyone else know this but me? Weather temperatures

[Lottle]

I just found out that the temperatures given in the weather forecast are the temperatures in the shade!

No wonder I was constantly overdressed and boggled that "oh this is warm for 19 degrees".

What else don't I know?!

@Lottle I did not know that! That's very interesting.

Did you know that the arrow next to the fuel sign on the dashboard indicates which side your fuel cap is?

I didn't know that either. Do you have a link to it?

@AmilyChestnut whaattt?! Didn't know that no!

I had no idea 😮

I am really surprised that all the PP didn't know that - I thought it was common knowledge! It's a measure of temperature, not the strength of sunlight.

Did you know that the % given for rain isn't the % chance of rain but the percentage of the area forecast rain that will actually get rain.

If that makes sense.

I found out a couple of years ago and literally any time anyone tells me what the temperature is my response is "and of course, that's the shade temperature, it'll be hotter in the sun". Lots of people are also boggled, I feel like I'm providing a public information service 😁. But yes; it was a surprise for me too.

But on my weather thing on my phone it literally says chance of rain 1% 😮

Even abroad?!

Still on the weather forecast the time shows what the weather will be doing at that time point and in the lead up to that time. Rather than a rain symbol at 11am meaning that at some point between 11am and noon there will be rain like any sane person might assume it means that the rain is likely to start some time after 10 and still be raining at 11.

From the met office:- a ‘Sunny day’ symbol at 10:00am means that we expect there to be sun at 10:00am. If there is a ‘Heavy rain’ symbol at 11:00am on the same day, we expect it will start raining between 10:00am and 11:00am, and it will be raining at 11:00am.

That's not correct (for UK met office forecasts at least).

www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/guides/what-does-this-forecast-mean

It's the chance of it raining in that hour. So a 50% chance of rain at 2pm means a 50% chance of rain falling sometime between 1pm and 2pm.

So last year when it was 40 degrees it was actually higher? As there was barely any shade.

The met office forecast is chance of precipitation which means that is the likelihood that it will be raining at that point. So 1% chance that it will be raining at 10am for example.

*Other forecasts might be different.

https://www.almanac.com/chance-rain-what-does-really-mean#:~:text=An%20%E2%80%9C80%25%20chance%20of%20rain%E2%80%9D%20means%20that%20there%20is,to%200.01%20inch%20or%20more.

No that's in America I think

Yes - dud you not do weather as part of geography at school.
We had a white box with louvred sides in the grounds at school as part of our weather station (Stevenson's Screen). The thermometers were kept inside it, out of the sun.

There's barely any shade around noon as that's when the sun is at the highest point and therefore any structure / tree that can create a shadow is creating the smallest possible shadow. Morning and evening, when the sun is closer to the horizon, shadows are longer because of the angle. This is true on cooler days as well as hotter days.

Yes, they can't take temperature in the sun because the solar radiation would heat the thermometer, giving a much higher temp, so temperature is always taken in the shade from air temp.

www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/guides/observations/how-we-measure-temperature

So I wonder what the real temperature was if it was 40 in the shade...

Would've made a better headline

Yes, this is because the temperature given is the anticipated ambient air temperature. If you were to shine the sun on the sensor it will be a lot higher.

As in the temperature in the shade? - yes, should be

There's been international standard for years that lays down that it's shade temp and also how that shade is provided (ventilated screening), height above ground the temperature is measured and ideally above what surface the thermometer and shading device is mounted..(used to have to be mown grass).

Anything that quotes temp in full sunlight (Wimbledon etc I'm looking at you) is talking **....

The petrol sign one is bollocks. It might be true for many cars but not my old Kuga (I checked the time I first heard it,) not sure about my car now.

40 was the real air temperature.

It's so that true comparisons can be made. Weather stations are sited in specific ways to avoid interference from buildings, landforms etc which might have impacts on wind speed, direction, reflected heat shadows etc

Ahh, this had always proven true for me up until about a year ago! We have a car that this is not true for and I was caught out at the petrol station for the first time!