It’s cold and rainy here today, so I thought I’d share some observations on the topic of relative temperature.

The actual air temperature is an easy thing to qualitatively measure. For instance, right now it’s 54 degrees Fahrenheit. So what’s relative temperature? That’s just my phrasing for how warm it feels based on what the temperature was like in the near past. About a week ago, there was a cold spell in Tucson, and we got snow. It was very cold. With highs in the 40s. The system pasted and temperatures returned to normal - around 55. It was nice. It felt like springtime. Contrast that with today, where the temperature is about the same. Yesterday, the high was in the 70s. Sunny skies all day long, and no wind made it seem like it was almost 80.

So why did it feel so warm a week ago, but so cold today? Relative temperature. My body was “used to” the colder temperatures, so when the temperature rose, it felt warmer - which is was. Today, when my body is “used to” the warmer temperatures and the temperatures fell, it felt colder - which it was. It’s a simple phenomenon, but it’s kind of interesting.

I’m hoping the cold will be gone tomorrow, but I’m not selling the farm.

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