wet-bulb temperature
Humidity-adjusted heat reading
Wet-bulb temperature is the lowest temperature air can reach through evaporative cooling alone—measured by wrapping a thermometer bulb in wet cloth and letting water evaporate.
It indicates how effectively sweating can cool the body.
When wet-bulb temperature approaches body temperature (around 35°C/95°F), humans cannot shed heat and face fatal overheating even in shade with unlimited water.
The measurement has become central to climate discussions about heat wave survivability.
- humidityMoisture in atmosphere
- vapor pressureEquilibrium gas-phase partial force
- condensationVapor turning to liquid
- dew pointCondensation begins here
- relative humidityAir's moisture versus capacity
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