Afternoon sunshine versus the wind

There is a battle this afternoon for control of the sensible temperature. If you are in the sunshine, shaded from the wind, wearing dark color clothing, you may be sensing an outdoor temperature of about 35 degrees.

If, on the other hand, you are positioned in a shaded area, exposed to the wind, you are likely shivering in a feels-like temperature in the single digits.

I’m fortunate to have windows with southern exposure, not by design at the time. The low sun angle allows sunshine to penetrate well into the living space, thus providing some passive solar heat. Even though the outside thermometer is reading in the teens, my indoor temperature through much of the house is in the lower 70s, without the assistance of the furnace.

Now I’ll admit that in the kitchen, on the north side of the house, it is only 62 degrees. But it gives me a reason not to keep going to the refrigerator for comfort food.

After a morning stroll, with the temperature about five degrees, I’m staying indoors this afternoon, enjoying a warm spot like an innately clever kitty-cat.

CE