Heat Index

The *lovely* weather forecast just gets better and better....
Now the excessive heat warning has been extended to Friday. And it's supposed to be a heat index of 110 on Tuesday. For those of you who don't know what a heat index is...just be glad...heck, be overjoyed.

Heat index is what temperature it FEELS like when you add in the humidity to the normal temperature. As relative humidity increases, the air seems warmer than it actually is because the body is less able to cool itself via evaporation of perspiration. So it goes like this...
Monday temp = 97, heat index =105
Tuesday temp = 94, heat index = 110 (this means it will feel like the temp is 110 on Tuesday, even though the temp will only be 94)

Living in Missouri, we get a very good share of humidity. Somehow smack dab in the middle of the US, the northern jet stream and warm currents from the gulf swirl together and we get a lot of humidity (and tornadoes but that's another weather lesson...or two). I have a friend who lives in New England and told me this tale five years ago. I love to re-tell it as often as I can because it affirms within me that I'm not just excessively whining about the heat and humidity here...it really IS bad. Here's her story:
But, as I've told you before, MO is just too darn hot for me. You probably remember my "laying on the floor of the hotel shower with the cold water running on me" story. I almost expired in Missouri in July '94, and I'm thankful I made it out alive. :-) If the pizza delivery man hadn't brought me a big cup of ice water with my pizza (I was too hot to even leave the hotel room for food, and the ice machine was across a large, paved parking lot - lol), the hotel maids would have found me melted to the floor the next morning.
I know, from experience, exactly how she felt that day. (I've had sun poisoning three, yes, THREE times. Apparently it takes a little repetition for me to remember important things.) I cannot even fathom living without an air conditioner.

And while my sister-in-law (also a Missourian) teases me that I should use the experience to see if my son can beat the sun in "eating a popsicle" or if we can actually fry an egg on the sidewalk, I'd just like to take the opportunity to childishly stick my tongue out at her in response. Just because I can.


Anyone else have any smarty pants ideas they wish to share??