Wishing for winter? With the heatwave set to continue, many in east China are dreaming of December. But don’t forget the role that humidity has to play; that oppressive damp has the power to make us feel both hotter and colder.
Yesterday, 3 August, Jiangsu Provincial Meteorology once again issued an orange warning for high temperatures. Over 37 degrees Celsius was expected for today across the entire southern part of Jiangsu, including the cities of Nanjing, Wuxi, Changzhou, Suzhou, Nantong, Huai’an, Yancheng, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and Taizhou.
昨天8月3日，江苏省气象台再次发布高温橙色预警。预计今日苏南全境气温将超过37摄氏度，包括南京、无锡、常州、苏州、南通、淮安、盐城、扬州、镇江、泰州等地。
Up north, it’s a bit cooler. But only a little. Xuzhou, Lianyungang and Suqian are getting off with a chilly 35 to 36 degrees.
到了北方，天气还算凉快一些。但只有一点点。徐州、连云港、宿迁等地天气寒冷，35至36度。
But alert readers who pay a little more attention to the weather app on their phones will scroll down for a glance at the humidity levels. They will have noticed something; those levels are on the rise.
但细心的读者如果稍微关注手机上的天气应用程序，就会向下滚动浏览湿度水平。他们会注意到一些事情；这些水平正在上升。
And that’s what’s making it feel so blazing hot.
这就是让它感觉如此炽热的原因。
Taking today for example, the humidity in Nanjing is making it feel a full 10 degrees hotter than it already it is. The higher the humidity level, the bigger the difference between the actual temperature and how it actually feels. And it doesn’t get much better in the evening.
以今天为例，南京的湿度让人感觉比实际气温足足升高了10度。湿度越高，实际温度与实际感觉之间的差异就越大。到了晚上情况也没有好多少。
The same goes for temperature. When it’s a nice 26 or 27 degrees, a humidity level of 50 percent has no effect on how much warmer or colder it feels. But as the temperature rises, that same 50 percent of humidity starts to make it feel increasingly hot.
温度也是如此。当气温为 26 或 27 度时，50% 的湿度不会影响感觉的温暖或寒冷。但随着温度升高，同样 50% 的湿度开始让人感觉越来越热。
But the reverse is true in winter. As temperatures drop below 26 degrees, humidity starts to make it feel increasingly cold.
但冬天的情况正好相反。当气温降至 26 度以下时，湿度开始让人感觉越来越冷。
The way that damp cold goes straight to our bones is what makes Nanjing’s winters sometimes the most miserable around.
潮湿的寒冷直入骨髓，使得南京的冬天有时是最难受的。
That fact not withstanding, many in Nanjing are today longing for winter. But of course, it’s far from over yet.
尽管如此，今天许多南京人仍然渴望冬天。但当然，事情还远未结束。
This round of high-temperatures is just the beginning (we said that a month ago). Over the next 10 days, the heatwave will continue in most parts of Jiangsu. With 40-plus degrees forecast for Nanjing next week, mid August is likely going to feel more like 50 degrees. Welcome to the world’s biggest sauna.
这轮高温只是一个开始（一个月前我们就说过了）。未来10天，江苏大部分地区热浪仍将持续。预计南京下周气温将达到 40 多度，8 月中旬的气温可能会接近 50 度。欢迎来到世界上最大的桑拿浴室。
