WRAL Weather Alert Days are in effect Monday through at least Wednesday, due to the potential for dangerous heat at times.
When it gets this hot, we often tell you to hydrate, seek shade, take breaks, and wear light-colored clothing (among many other things).
Other WRAL Top Stories
Wear lighter colors the next few days
WATCH: I attempted to show how different colors respond to heat, by putting a wide array of crayons in direct sunlight. While it wasn't the most successful attempt at this experiment, it did show how the darker crayons melted more quickly.
Darker colors absorb heat more, whereas lighter colors reflect heat more.
This is why snow can blind you on a sunny day and why blacktop can burn your feet on a hot, sunny day.
As much as I love my black, heavy metal band shirts, I think I'll opt for something lighter to wear if I'll be outside during this heat wave.
Why we use the wet bulb globe temperature
This is a part of why we use something called the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT for short).
If you have previous experience in the military or in athletics, you may have heard of this or used this before to make heat-related decisions.
Last week, I wrote about the importance of the heat index.
The heat index, while useful, doesn't take other things into account.
The WBGT is measured in the sun. It still takes temperature and humidity into account, but it also takes the wind, cloud cover and sun angle into account.
Once it's calculated, there is a four-tier scale - Low | Moderate | High | Extreme.
Below is what the scale looks like, according to the North Carolina High School Athletics Association.
This week, the WBGT reaches "Extreme" levels, according to UNC's Convergence of Climate-Health Vulnerabilities.
This means that any outdoor practices should be suspended between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
You can use this as a guideline to other things like outdoor work, summer camps, etc.
Have questions about the weather and how it works?
Send me an email with the subject line 'Ask the Meteorologist:' to cmichaels@jshu.net.