Heat wave in 21 counties and Bucharest
Meteorologists have issued a new yellow alert code of heat and thermal discomfort for Saturday and Sunday in 21 counties and Bucharest.
Articol de Ionuţ Dragu, 21 Iulie 2012, 10:38
The National Meteorological Administration (ANM) issued on Friday a warning yellow code of increased heat and thermal discomfort, available within the following two days in 22 counties, including Bucharest.
Meteorologists warn that temperatures will reach in weekend around 39 degrees.
Specifically, between July 21 and 22, in southern and eastern regions, hot weather will persist and thermal discomfort will be increased.
In these areas, values are recorded frequently between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius, and Saturday afternoon, right around 39 degrees Celsius in the extreme south of the country.
Meteorologists stated that, also Saturday, there will be recorded 35-37 degrees Celsius in Banat and locally in Transylvania, while the temperature-humidity index (THI) will exceed the threshold of 80 units.
Also on Sunday, atmospheric instability will increase in western, central and north of the country.
Moreover, meteorologists report that at the beginning of next week, hot weather will persist in the south and east.
Photo: ANM
Thermal comfort index is an index corroborating the air temperature with relative humidity (physical quantity equal to the amount of water vapor that exists in a gaseous mixture of air and water) to determine an apparent temperature, that felt by human body.
Normally, the body cools by sweating, a process during which water evaporates, and consequently, the body heat is reduced.
When relative humidity is high, water evaporation rate is reduced.
This means a slower cooling of the body, which retains more heat than it would do in dry air.
The critical threshold is 80, and where the value is equal or larger, population has to adequately protect themselves.
Translated by Alexandra-Diana Mircea
MTTLC, Bucharest University
