Re: help! humidity?

[K S Swigart <katswig@deltanet.com>]

u

On Wed, 20 May 1998, Susan Evans Garlinghouse wrote:

> Help!  I have to give a talk tomorrow morning on energetics and heat
> dissipation in exercising horses (which means 90% of the talk is on
> endurance) and I can't remember what the formula is for adding up air
> temperature and relative humidity to decide when you more or less cancel
> a ride.  Isn't there some rule of thumb about that---150, 160...?

This is colloquially referred to as the "misery" index.  And the number is
(I think, but wouldn't swear to it) 150.  HOwever, it is of dubious value,
especially at lower temperatures. (E.g. the ambient temperature is 50
degrees and the himidity is 100%...it's raining.  Horses in such
situations are unlikely to suffer from overheating.  They are far more
likely, in fact, to get chilled.)

THey will, mostly likely, (at least their riders will) be miserable.

kat
Orange County, Calif.