A Little Ray of Sunshine

 

A beautiful start to the day on the Gold Coast. Some light SSW winds early leaving the surf a bit messy, it will probably deteriorate a little more as the day wears on as these winds will turn Easterly.

Thoughts go to SA and Victoria who are forecast for another stinker of a day… especially SA, due to have the hottest day on the Planet today.

On the warmest summer days, you may hear someone say: “it’s a hundred degrees in the shade.” It’s an old-fashioned phrase with an unintended kernel of insight.

Air temperatures must be measured out of direct sunlight because the materials in and around the thermometer can absorb radiation and affect the sensing of heat. You feel this with your own body: if you stand in direct sunlight, you feel warmer because your skin is being heated by both the air and by the radiant energy from the Sun.

To make an air temperature reading according to the World Meteorological Organization standard (PDF), a thermometer must be situated 1.2 to 2 meters off the ground and shielded from direct sun—though it cannot be placed in the shade of a building, mountain, or tree either.

Read more, go to http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/HottestSpot/page2.php