Wet-Bulb Temperature: What It Is and Why It Matters for Health and Climate
When you hear the forecast says it’s 40°C, you might think it’s just hot. But wet-bulb temperature, a measure of heat combined with humidity that shows how well the human body can cool itself. It’s the real test of whether your body can survive outside without help. Unlike regular temperature, wet-bulb temperature includes moisture in the air—because when it’s humid, sweat doesn’t evaporate. And if sweat can’t evaporate, your body overheats. That’s when things get dangerous.
Scientists use wet-bulb temperature to warn about deadly heat events. A wet-bulb reading above 35°C means the human body can’t cool down, even at rest. That’s not a theory—it’s physics. In 2022, parts of India hit 37°C wet-bulb. People collapsed in fields, hospitals filled up, and power grids strained. This isn’t a future problem. It’s happening now. And it’s tied directly to climate change, the long-term shift in global weather patterns driven by greenhouse gases. As the planet warms, wet-bulb thresholds are being crossed more often, especially in cities and farming regions where people work outdoors.
Wet-bulb temperature also connects to humidity, the amount of water vapor in the air, and heat stress, the physical strain your body faces when it can’t regulate its temperature. You can’t control the weather, but you can understand the risk. Farmers, construction workers, delivery drivers, and even schoolchildren are on the front lines. Cities are starting to use wet-bulb data to schedule outdoor work, open cooling centers, and redesign public spaces. This isn’t just science—it’s survival planning.
What you’ll find below are real stories and data from India about how wet-bulb temperature is already changing lives. From field workers struggling in the monsoon heat to researchers tracking rising thresholds in Delhi and Chennai, these posts show the human side of a number most people ignore. You’ll learn how it’s measured, why it’s worse in cities, and what’s being done to protect people. No jargon. No fluff. Just facts that matter when the air feels like a wet towel wrapped around your neck.
