Heat Index Plays Havoc

When I was kid, the weatherman would say, "The high today was 99 degrees, and the forecasted high tomorrow is 100."

Everyone understood that kind of message. You'd just put a hat on and go about your business--playing outside or working in your garden or whatever you had to do.

That Was Then; This Is Now

Now, the smiling weather persons say, "The high today was 99 degrees, but the heat index is 110 degrees."

Wow. Maybe I should stay indoors rather than risk heat stroke!

What Madness Is This?

Who started this heat index thing and can they please stop it? It messes with my work ethic. There are tasks I need to do outside of writing, but the heat index gives me a ready excuse to avoid them.

I mean, if the high is 99, I can deal with that. But that heat index thing added to it makes me think I should stay indoors in the air conditioning rather than deadheading the roses or going for a 2 mile walk.

I can easily handle triple digit temperatures because I've done it all my life. When the smiley faces crank it up to 115 with the heat index, just stick a fork in me because I'm done with being outdoors.

Wikipedia says: "The heat index (HI) or humiture or humidex (not to be confused with the Canadian humidex) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity in an attempt to determine the human-perceived equivalent temperature—how hot it would feel..."

According to the Wiki, I can blame George Winterling who developed what he called the "humiture" in 1978. A year later, it was adopted by the USA's National Weather Service.

Takeaway Truth

How about you? How do you handle the heat and an outdoor life?