Here comes the sun

This text was published on THE UMBRELLA magazine edited for the English speaking community of Rio de Janeiro. If you are interested to know more about it, click here.

“If you cannot think of anything appropriate to say, you will please restrict your remarks to the weather,” says Mrs. Dashwood to her younger daughter Margaret on the 1995 film version of Jane Austen’s classic novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’. It seems as if the only thing we have been doing lately, is complaining rather than commenting. The high temperatures, the sudden rainstorms, the flooding, plus the violent lightning flashes occupy our conversation and other activities.

Early in the morning, our dressing routine includes choosing light clothing, the essential sun block and our friendly umbrella. Furthermore, we have to decide if besides wearing sandals we should take galoshes in a backpack. Maybe a hat, a jacket to brave the air conditioning, or perhaps a raincoat could be sensible…

In case you pass by the beach on the way to work, do you envy those semi-nude individuals spending their leisure time under the sweltering sun? Do you get tanned? Or are you afraid of the ultraviolet rays and feel you have to supplement your diet with vitamin D because you avoid its natural source. In fact, lack of this vitamin is very common nowadays when sun protection reigns supreme.

Complaining is not going to solve our problem, but there is always this nagging question every time we hear the weather report: why, oh why, is the temperature in Rio de Janeiro frequently higher than the other big cities in Brazil during summer?

Our research pointed to our first possible answer: Rio’s geographical location. It’s far from the Equator line and close to the Tropic of Capricorn so it’s subject to the earth’s axis rotation; therefore the four seasons are felt more acutely.

Second, winds in Rio do not circulate easily due to its mountains, creating the usual stifling sensation. Third, urban development is responsible for increasing the cities’ temperatures. In Rio, those big seafront buildings function as a barrier to the wind coming from the sea while also contributing to the high sunlight radiation.

Recently we have all learned that, although the “real” temperature may be only, let us say, 32° Celsius, it feels like 38° C trv or, even more scary for people in the USA, 100° F!. This is called “sensação térmica” in Portuguese, but is rendedred “feels like” or “apparent” temperature in English.

Who cares what it’s called? It is H-O-T! The 2017 weather forecast for the summer on our neck of the woods is strong winds, high temperatures and even some hailstorms. So, fasten your seatbelts, and welcome summertime!