News - Blogs - Its as hot outside our body as it is inside and thats problematic

It's as hot outside our body as it is inside, and that's problematic
Published: 7/18/2012 11:01 AM
Last Modified: 7/18/2012 11:06 AM

J.C. Click looks like he's a pro at at least two things: diving and regulating his body temperature. Athletically diving into water cooler than the air and body temperature is a great way to disperse that metabolized heat. And when he gets out, that water on his skin evaporates and cools him down even more. Click is shown here July 5 diving from a platform at the McClure Pool. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World

It’s going to be very hot this week. That pesky summer high pressure system that normally parks over the central U.S. this time of year just won’t let up.

Temperatures are expected to be in excess of 100 most of the week, but that’s only a few degrees above what our internal body temperature averages. So with a temperature of 98.6 in our bodies, why does it feel so hot when the temperature is 98.6 degrees outside?

Let me explain… with SCIENCE! (booming echo…)

Since we humans are mammals, we must keep our body temperature within a specific range. Too low or too high and we risk serious injury or death. And since our body is constantly generating heat through metabolism, our body must do things to disperse that heat. Enter thermoregulation, which is our ability to keep our body temperature in certain boundaries.

Humans do this by sweating, exhaling, complaining about the heat. The same is true for the other side of the temperature scale. The transfer of heat when it’s cold occurs too easily and the energy is quickly leeched. So to keep warm, humans stop sweating, shiver, complain about the cold.

When the outside temperature is about 70 or so, it feels great because the transfer of heat is about at equilibrium. When it’s 98.6 degrees—or hot—our own homemade heat just can’t escape. Humid climates make the evaporation of sweat process less productive, further decreasing our body’s ability to cool itself.

(Ectotherms, commonly referred to as cold-blooded animals, use external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature, which allows them to function at a lower metabolic rate. But we’re getting a little too deep into biology for the weather blog, where physics is king.)

That point at which the heat transfer, or lack thereof, becomes a problem is different from person to person for a variety of factors. Body mass, metabolic rate, how loudly and obnoxiously one complains about the heat all play a role. The very young haven't fully developed their sweat glands and the elderly have a degraded ability to manage heat, making them all more susceptible to heat-related illness.

With temperatures at high as they are forecast to go over the coming week, anyone outside for any lengthy period of time is susceptible. EMSA’s tips to protect yourself from the stifling heat include: drink plenty of water; take plenty of breaks in the shade; wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing; avoid alcohol and drink plenty of water.

When you know there is a problem is when the person stops sweating, the skin is hot to the touch and unconsciousness. Those are signs of heat stroke, which is very serious and can lead to quick death. Be aware of the signs and alert authorities if the person exhibits those signs.

How far away is fall, again?

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Almanac

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

	Temperature		Precipitation
Date	High Temp	Low Temp	Total	Month to date	Historical average
1	44°	16°	0	0.00	0.05
2	59°	24°	0	0.00	0.11
3	57°	33°	0	0.00	0.16
4	68°	37°	Trace	0.00	0.21
5	69°	29°	0	0.00	0.26
6	66°	33°	0	0.00	0.32
7	59°	38°	0.05	0.05	0.38
8	51°	34°	0	0.05	0.44
9	44°	36°	0.01	0.06	0.51
10	62°	37°	0.07	0.13	0.57
11	54°	28°	0	0.13	0.64
12	44°	30°	0.25	0.38	0.70
13	55°	40°	0.01	0.39	0.76
14	°	°			0.83
15	°	°			0.89
16	°	°			0.95
17	°	°			1.02
18	°	°			1.09
19	°	°			1.16
20	°	°			1.23
21	°	°			1.31
22	°	°			1.38
23	°	°			1.46
24	°	°			1.53
25	°	°			1.61
26	°	°			1.69
27	°	°			1.77
28	°	°			1.85

TEMPERATURE

RAINFALL

SNOWFALL

Weather World

Follow Jerry Wofford on Twitter for updates during severe weather conditions.

Tulsa weather milestones of 2013 (as of Feb. 12)

Highest temperature: 70 on Jan. 11 (Record: 115 on Aug. 15, 1936)
Lowest temperature: 15 on Jan. 16 (Record: Minus-16 on Jan. 22, 1930)
Hottest month (average): 40.5 degrees in January (Record: 91.7 degrees on July 1980)
Coldest month (average): 40. 5 degrees in January (Record: 21.7 in January 1918)
Most snowfall (day): 0.1 of an inch on Feb. 12(Record: 13.2 inches on Feb. 1, 2011)
Most snowfall (month): 0.1 of an inch in February(Record: 22.5 inches in February 2011)
Most rainfall (day): 0.91 of an inch on Jan. 29 (Record: 9.27 inches on May 26-27, 1984)
Most rainfall (month): 1.54 of an inch in January (Record: 18.18 inches on September 1971)
Highest wind speed: 30 mph on Jan. 30
Previous day with any rain: Feb. 12
Previous day with 1 inch or more of rain: Oct. 17, 2012
Previous day with any snow: Feb. 12
Previous day with freezing temperatures: Feb. 12
Read regular updates on Oklahoma's unpredictable weather and learn more about meteorology from the Tulsa office of the National Weather Service.

>> Visit the main weather page
>> Send us your weather photos
>> Meet the forecasters

Contributors
Staff Writer Althea Peterson started writing for the Tulsa World in March 2007 after previous stops at the Norman Transcript in 2006 and the Oklahoma Gazette in 2005. She followed her older brother from rural Wisconsin (with a public school that never seemed to call snow days) to the University of Oklahoma, but did not follow his pursuit to study meteorology. However, she tries to find as many opportunities to report on the weather as possible.

Staff Writer Jerry Wofford came to the Tulsa World in 2010 from The Manhattan Mercury in Manhattan, Kan. Originally from western Arkansas and a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Jerry has lived in Tornado Alley his entire life and is one of those people who goes outside when the sirens go off.

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