this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2023
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It's official, red alerts have gone out across the entire country of Brazil as the heat index hits 137F. The high temperature combined with humidity has made it impossible for most people to carry out their normal lives. There's already reports of power outages. People can't work. They can't run errands. They can barely sleep. It's not even summer there yet.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Today's high temp and humidity in Rio gives them a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 77⁰F, which is not great. WBGT of 80⁰-90⁰F is the danger zone, and recent research has suggested that WBGT 85⁰ is probably a more realistic upper limit of human safety.

Sources if you would like to do some doom math yourself:

https://www.wunderground.com/weather/br/rio-de-janeiro

https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/wet-bulb

https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/project/heat-policy-innovation-hub/what-is-wet-bulb-globe-temperature-wbgt#:~:text=Typically%2C%20any%20WBGT%20above%2090,to%20protect%20against%20heat%20stress.

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00738.2021