On Aug. 20, 1976, Sudbury saw a sweltering 31.1 degrees; the record for Aug. 21 was set in 1974, with 30.6.
But if you feel like that temperature doesn’t express just how hot it was in Sudbury on Friday, and how hot it is shaping to be this weekend, then look to the humidex, which hit 37.
Humidex was introduced into Canada in 1965 and is calculated using a combination of temperature and humidity levels to provide an indication of “the degree of discomfort that will be experienced by the average person.” The index could be seen as a summer version of the wind chill factor in that it is an equivalent air temperature.
But since comfort is quite subjective and largely dependent on the age and health of the individual and humidex does not factor pressure, wind speed, precipitation and sunshine, it can be somewhat unclear.
What is not unclear is the sweltering heat that blanketed Sudbury on Aug. 20. However, it may interest you to know that the lowest temperature recorded Aug. 20 and Aug. 21 was 4.5 (1977) and 3.7 (2004), respectively. And so, maybe a little heat isn’t too bad.
