Unprecedented heat waves are on the rise as the climate gets hotter. But experts say the U.S. heat warning system may be leading people to underestimate the dangers.
Humans have a powerful mechanism to keep themselves cool,. Sweating reduces our core temperature, since it carries heat away when it evaporates from our skin.
"Only sweat that evaporates has any ability to cool the body," says Larry Kenny, professor of physiology at Penn State University."When it gets close to the humidity of the sweat on the skin, it can no longer evaporate."The heat index shows the full danger, but only for people in the shade The calculations are based on seminal research from 1979, which models how humans physiologically handle heat. But the equations leave out an important factor: sunlight.
"When you're in direct sunlight, it can feel about 15 degrees warmer," says Kimberly McMahon, public weather services program manager at the National Weather Service."If you're doing vigorous physical activity and you are in direct sunlight, not to mention, say you are over blacktop as opposed to standing above grass, the heat can have a different impact."
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