Residents of Sydney today have been sweating out their wazoos, but not because it’s been particularly hot. It’s even worse — it was the city’s muggiest day in over a decade. Even muggier than the room of that housemate who doesn’t return cups.
Despite the peak temperature in the city only hitting 28 degrees today, many Sydneysiders have like they’ve been sitting in a sauna, while wearing wet socks.
You know that terrible weather condition where it’s hot, but wet and sticky instead of dry? Yeah that. Legit, give me a 40+ degree over this.
This comes just weeks after Australia’s most expensive city hit the scorching temperature of 44 degrees. But today has been even more uncomfortable, because unlike when it’s plain hot and dry, swimming hardly solves the problem.
It’s the type of weather that will make your dad go: “It’s not the degrees, it’s the humidity.”
So what exactly is “muggy” weather, how is it measured, and how did today break a record?
How is a climate’s “mugginess” measured?
Despite the common phrase from dads everywhere, the best mugginess measurement is dew point, not humidity. So make sure to fact check your old man next time.
Dew point is best explained as the temperature point air would have to in order for it to condensate.
Weatherzone says the reason you feel so uncomfortable when it’s muggy is because “the more moisture in the air, the higher the dew point and the harder it becomes for our bodies to cool by sweating.”
What was Sydney’s dew point today?
By the time the clock struck 9am, Sydney’s dew point had been measured at 24.6 derees.
This was the highest the dew point had ever reached in 13 years.
The average January dew point in Sydney is 14.9 degrees, meaning that this early morning measurement was well above your standard Thursday morning.
According to experts, this dew point can mean that it feels five degrees warmer outside than it actually is.
If you are stuck in Sydney’s record breaking muggy weather, then some of the best ways to keep cool are:
- Having a cool shower.
- Wearing light fitting clothing (linen season babyyy).
- Using an air conditioning or fan.
- Moving to Melbourne.
Catch me waiting until everyone else leaves the office today and going for a little dip in the office sink.
Stay cool out their babes!
