A World of Weather: Chapter 3 Introduction

CHAPTER 3

TEMPERATURE
During the televising of summer sporting events, the sportscasters in the broadcast booth often request a report from the playing field about temperature conditions at ground level. Typically, in response, a reporter stationed on the field holds a thermometer an inch above the playing surface as a videographer zooms in, revealing an extraordinarily high temperature, often 120oF (49oC) or above. The temperature displays on bank signs (and perhaps on your own outdoor thermometer at home) often register similarly high temperatures during the summer as well.

The journey towards understanding these implausible temperature readings begins with the foundations of radiation laid in Chapter 2, and requires a familiarity with how temperature is measured. So we begin with the most familiar of weather instruments, the thermometer.