There is “How hot is it?”…and there is “How hot does it FEEL?” The definition of each — and the difference between them — is measured by Canadian meteorologists as the “humidex.” In the U.S., it’s called “heat index” and is calculated using a slightly different formula of combining temperatures and humidity.
While the impact of humidity has largely been an issue ion Eastern Canada over the years, the CBC has crunched the numbers and produced projections for everywhere in the country. With sources that include Climate Change Canada, the CBC determined that, between 1981 and 2010, Vancouver had one day a year with a humidex above 35, a threshold when healthy Canadians should at least moderate outdoor activities to prevent heat stroke.
As climate change evolves, more attention is being paid to things like the humidex, which is short for humidity index. In housing, therefore, more attention is being paid in both the construction of and modifications made to homes so that they’re better equipped in a higher-humidex world.
How much and how quickly is it changing?
While the impact of humidity has largely been an issue ion Eastern Canada over the years, the CBC has crunched the numbers and produced projections for everywhere in the country. With sources that include Climate Change Canada, the CBC determined that, between 1981 and 2010, Vancouver had one day a year with a humidex above 35, a threshold when healthy Canadians should at least moderate outdoor activities to prevent heat stroke.The CBC calculations are inter-active and imbedded in this story.
Today, it’s estimated Vancouver will average three days per year of plus-35 humidex. By the end of this century, that number is expected to be as high as 27 days, if the world does nothing about climate change…10 days if a middle-of-the-road approach is taken…and 6 days if the world reaches net zero by 2050.
In other words, varying degrees of more high-humidex days.
The humidex becomes dangerous once it reaches 45. The humidex record for Canada was last broken in 2007, when Carman, Manitoba reached 52.6. Until then, the record of 52.1 (Windsor, Ontario) had stood for 54 years.