DO THE MATH and Your Health

680News radio needs remediation on Celsius

This morning 680News convinced me that it’s entire on air staff: news readers and meteorologist alike, need remedial education in UNDERSTANDING the Celsius temperature scale.  680News staff have been gripping and complaining as the temperature (before humidity is added) has almost every day been in the high 20's but only rarely in the 30s. 

Today, Friday Sept 5 at 7:30 a.m., while driving and listening to the channel, they forecast a high of 32 C and a humidex of 40 C. Then the newscaster said, "What a perfect patio day ".  This was followed by a street interview where a delighted pedestrian announced,   "I love the heat: bring on 40, 50, 60 degrees!!"

 The stupidity of these two comments is mindboggling, especially when seconds later the channel announced that Environment Canada and Toronto Public Health have BOTH declared an EXTREME HEAT ALERT, advising everyone to avoid staying outside for long due to the danger of heat stroke and dehydration, which can lead to fainting, fall injury, hypothermia, ambulance calls and emergency hospital visits for the elderly , those with respiratory conditions and anyone enfeebled by disease.

According to the Toronto Star, “Toronto weather: Extreme heat alert”, [http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/07/04/toronto_weather_extreme_heat_alert.html] an Extreme Heat Alert is expected to cause 50% more deaths than  the 120 Torontonian who die of heat related death in a normal year!

So why did the 680News newscaster and some delusional street interviewee praise 30+ degree weather?

Because they no longer remember their primary grade lessons in the Celsius system.  They probably remember that 0 C  means water freezes to ice and 100 C is the boiling temperature of water, but for temperatures in between they seem clueless.

 

I used to teach my students a few benchmarks:

 

233 C           book paper ignites  

 

52 C              human cells start to break down/melt

 

40 C                      very, very, very hot

 

38+ C                     fever      

 

35 C                          very hot; should stay in shade 

25 – 28 C                 good for the beach

 

22 – 24 C          nice and warm

 

19 – 21 C        comfortable room temperature if wearing long clothes  

 

10 – 18 C       cool, fall weather

 

    0 C               water freezes

 

- 10 C              nice winter day

 

- 35 C              skin freezes in minutes

 

So, anyone who wants the temperature to be in the 30s is asking for super sweaty weather that is only tolerable if lying in a pool or lake or staying indoors in air conditioning!!!

As someone noted in the newspaper a while back, if you go to work by public transit, walking or biking in 30+ degree weather, your entire body becomes covered in a slimy layer of sweat that lingers until you bath again; and you smell as well!!!

So 680News staff, stop wishing for slimy and deadly 30+ degree weather and send that person you interviewed -- who likes temperatures in the 40s, 50s  and 60s --  for a psychiatric assessment!!!