What’s the difference? Temperature vs. ‘feels-like’ temperature

(KSLA) - What a lovely break we had earlier in the week from the blazing heat and humidity, but that’s coming to an end quickly. On Thursday, our “feels-like” temperatures are back in the triple digits, with some areas that could reach the bottom of our heat advisory criteria. But what is feels like temperature and why do we always talk about it?

Difference in temperature and feels like temperature has to do with how it feels to the human... — Difference in temperature and feels like temperature has to do with how it feels to the human body.(source:KSLA.com)

Temperature is the measure of the physical quantity of how hot or cold it is, but when talking about feels like temperatures, officially called apparent temperature, you factor in temperature and relative humidity to get a better understanding of how it feels on the body.

When we spend time in the heat, we begin fanning to cool off. Well, the way our bodies cool us off is through sweating, but its not the sweat itself that helps cool our bodies. It’s the sweat evaporating that helps cool the body. The problem is the higher both the temperature and especially the humidity is, the slower that process becomes.

This becomes especially important to remember for those who have to work outside, or just those who spend time outdoors. Practice heat safety and learn the symptoms of heat related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Know the difference between Heat Exhaustion and Heat stroke(source:KSLA.com)

The KSLA First Alert Weather Team will keep you updated on the potential impacts of the heat on the ArkLaTex. Here’s how you can get the First Alert with the latest forecast: