Join us to look at layers you may not be familiar with but are extremely useful in the southern hemisphere summer, namely Wet-bulb temperature (WBT), UV index, Solar Power, and Extreme forecast layers.

You can find all these layers under the group "Temperature" filter in the mobile layer menu. Drought intensity has its own filter, "Drought."

Wet-Bulb Temperature WBT

Temperature figures alone don't give a complete picture of the impact of heat on humans. So what is missing? It is the humidity that plays a significant role in how we actually experience high temperatures and how dangerous they are.

In essence, the WBT value means how well humans can cool themselves by sweating. The WBT critical threshold is considered 35 °C, where we can no longer cool down our bodies by sweating. At this temperature, human bodies switch from shedding heat to the environment to gaining heat from it.

UV index

The UV index is a fairly well-known value from general weather forecasting. But what exactly is it, and what do the different values mean? It measures the level of UV radiation at a particular place and time. The UVI indicates the level of radiation and the danger of short-term and long-term exposure to the sun.

0 to 2 means low danger from the Sun's UV rays for the average person.
3 to 5 means a moderate risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.
6 to 7 means a high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.
8 to 10 means a very high risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.
11 or more means an extreme risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure.

Solar power

The good news in the end is that the sun is also a good helper when it comes to generating electricity. Solar radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun, measured in watts per square meter (W/m2). On a clear day, the maximum surface value is approximately 1000 W/m2 at solar noon.

The Solar power layer can be used to indicate how much energy can be produced during one day with a certain amount of resources, in this case, PV panels.

Extreme Forecast

Statistically unusually cold or warm ground temperature for a given day (in UTC). ECMWF's Extreme Forecast Index, based on its 20-year history, displays the probability that on a given day, there will be an extreme event. The layer also shows unusually windy or rainy days (6 days ahead).

Drought monitoring

From 2021, you can monitor the drought status on Windy in 3 different layers, thanks to our cooperation with CzechGlobe. On the drought intensity layer, you can view the soil drought status at a depth of 0 - 40 cm or 0 - 100 cm. The soil moisture layer shows you how saturated the soil is at these depths. You can also compare the values against the 1961-2010 average with the Moisture anomalies layer.