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<h1>Column reference</h1>
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<p class="tagline">Every column in the forecast table, in plain language.</p>
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<p>
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Depending on the profile you choose, SunScope surfaces a different set of columns — but they all
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draw on the same per-hour weather data. You can also hover or tap any column header in the app for
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the same description. Every column is listed below.
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</p>
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<table class="stress-table col-ref-table">
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<thead>
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<tr><th>Column</th><th>What it shows</th></tr>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
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<tr><td><strong>Air °C</strong></td><td>Standard air temperature at 2 m above ground — the thermometer reading. Does not account for sun, wind, or humidity.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Shade Air °C</strong></td><td>Estimated air temperature sitting in the typical shade of the selected Solar Model — building shadow, beach umbrella, tree canopy, boat panels, and so on. Sheltered, sun-warmed surroundings push it above the official open-ground Air figure on calm sunny hours; wind and cloud pull it back toward it. An estimate, not a measurement, and different from the standardised 2 m Air reading.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>RH %</strong></td><td>Relative humidity: how much moisture the air holds as a percentage of its maximum capacity at that temperature. High RH makes warm days feel stickier and cold days feel rawer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Dew Point</strong></td><td>The temperature at which air becomes saturated and moisture begins to condense. Above 16 °C it starts to feel muggy; above 21 °C it feels oppressive. A better measure of absolute humidity than RH.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Wind</strong></td><td>Mean wind speed at 10 m in mph, with peak gust in brackets where significantly higher. Gust colour follows the Beaufort scale: amber = Near Gale (32+ mph), orange = Gale (39+ mph), red = Severe Gale or above (55+ mph). Event alerts classify conditions from Strong Breeze through to Violent Storm. Wind is the primary driver of wind chill.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Dir</strong></td><td>The compass direction the wind is blowing from, shown as an arrow and abbreviated label. Useful for route planning and spray timing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Cloud</strong></td><td>Total cloud cover as a percentage of sky. High cloud blocks solar radiation, reducing daytime heating and overnight cooling.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Sun °</strong></td><td>The angle of the sun above the horizon in degrees. Below 0° the sun has set. The higher the elevation, the more intense the radiation reaching the ground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Direct W/m²</strong></td><td>Shortwave solar radiation arriving as a direct beam from the sun. The primary driver of skin heating on sunny days.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Diffuse W/m²</strong></td><td>Solar radiation scattered from all directions across the sky. Present even under cloud cover; contributes to the overall solar heat load.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Tmrt °C</strong></td><td>Mean Radiant Temperature — the combined heat from direct sun, scattered sky light, and ground reflection expressed as a temperature. Can exceed air temperature by 20–30 °C on a sunny day; this is why shade feels so much cooler, and it is one of the inputs to UTCI.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>UTCI−Air Δ</strong></td><td>The gap between the UTCI felt temperature and the plain air temperature. A large positive value means solar radiation is adding significant heat stress beyond what the thermometer shows.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>UTCI °C</strong></td><td>Universal Thermal Climate Index — the raw felt temperature combining air temp, humidity, wind, and solar radiation. Does not include precipitation effects.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>UV-A</strong></td><td>Estimated UV-A radiation index. UV-A penetrates deeper into the skin and contributes to long-term ageing and some skin cancers, even through glass. Present throughout daylight hours.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>UV-B</strong></td><td>Estimated UV-B radiation index. Causes sunburn and drives vitamin D production. Intensity depends strongly on solar elevation and cloud cover, falling sharply at low sun angles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Burn time</strong></td><td>Estimated time to reach one Minimal Erythemal Dose (MED) — the threshold for sunburn — based on the UV index and your selected Fitzpatrick skin type (chosen from a dropdown in the column bar). A guide, not a medical measurement.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>SunSoak °C</strong></td><td>SunScope's signature felt-temperature index. Starts from UTCI then adds three layers: a rain and snow penalty (wet clothing can drop felt temperature by up to 8 °C), a Solar Model for where you actually are (forest, alpine, beach, river, open water, desert), and full mean radiant temperature from surrounding surfaces. The most honest single answer to: what will it actually feel like out there?</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Precip mm</strong></td><td>Expected rainfall in mm per hour; snowfall is shown in cm. Even light drizzle meaningfully reduces felt temperature when combined with wind.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Rain %</strong></td><td>Probability of precipitation for this hour (0–100%), derived from Open-Meteo ensemble model runs. A high value means rain is likely even if the expected rate is low — useful for spotting showers the deterministic forecast may miss.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Lightning</strong></td><td>Lightning Potential Index (LPI) from Open-Meteo in J/kg — a convective energy index. Values above 5 suggest moderate lightning risk, above 25 suggest high risk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Soil °C surface</strong></td><td>Temperature of the soil at the surface (0 cm depth). Most seeds germinate above 7–10 °C. Useful for sowing decisions and frost assessment.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Soil °C 6 cm</strong></td><td>Soil temperature at 6 cm depth — the root zone for many crops and seedlings. Lags behind the surface by several hours.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Soil moisture</strong></td><td>Water saturation of the top 1 cm of soil as a percentage. Above 40% indicates saturated ground; below 20% is dry. Useful for assessing whether ground is workable, and for motorhome or caravan pitch suitability.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Concrete °C</strong></td><td>Estimated temperature of sun-exposed urban paving. Concrete absorbs more solar energy than grass and cannot cool itself through evaporation — surface temps can run 15–25 °C above air temperature on sunny days. See <a href="./temperatures.html">derived temperatures</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Vehicle °C</strong></td><td>Estimated ambient cabin temperature inside a sealed, parked vehicle — adjusted for your chosen vehicle type. Values above 35 °C are dangerous for children and pets; above 45 °C potentially fatal within minutes. See <a href="./temperatures.html">derived temperatures</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Indoors °C</strong></td><td>Estimated temperature inside a building with windows closed and no active cooling. Select your building type from the dropdown — brick, modern insulated, Victorian terrace, stone cottage, timber frame, top-floor flat, conservatory, or office block. Indoor peak typically lags the outdoor peak by 2–4 hours due to thermal mass.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Managed °C</strong></td><td>The same building model with two interventions: curtains closed by day to block solar gain, and windows opened whenever outdoor air is cooler than inside — the standard UK heatwave advice. Toggle with the Managed tick next to the building dropdown.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Fur Temp °C</strong></td><td>Estimated fur surface temperature a cat or small dog experiences in direct sun, calibrated for a thin/short coat. Choose your pet's fur colour — Black/Dark, Brown/Tabby, Golden/Tan, or White/Pale — from the dropdown; darker coats absorb more solar heat and run hotter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Paw Temp °C</strong></td><td>Estimated ground/pavement surface temperature for paw contact, colour-coded by burn risk: green below 40 °C (safe), amber 40–52 °C (discomfort or possible burn on prolonged contact), red above 52 °C (can burn within 60 seconds). If you can't hold the back of your hand on the surface for 7 seconds, it's too hot to walk your pet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Pet Shade °C</strong></td><td>Shaded air temperature for a resting pet, using the same shade estimate as Shade Air but with a lower, pet-specific alert threshold — small pets have far less capacity to dump heat than humans.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Pet Home °C</strong></td><td>Indoor temperature estimate for a pet left home alone, using the same model as the Indoors column but with a lower, pet-specific alert threshold (26 °C) rather than the human heatwave guidance threshold.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Visibility km</strong></td><td>Horizontal visibility in kilometres, sourced from the Copernicus CAMS air quality model. Below 1 km indicates fog or very thick haze; below 10 km suggests mist, smoke, or significant pollution. Relevant for driving, flying, cycling, and photography.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>AQI</strong></td><td>European Air Quality Index (0–100+), combining PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide. 0–20 = Good; 20–40 = Fair; 40–60 = Moderate; 60–80 = Poor; 80–100 = Very Poor; 100+ = Extremely Poor. Sourced from Copernicus CAMS.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><strong>Pollen</strong></td><td>Pollen concentration in grains per cubic metre for the selected pollen type — choose from total, grass, birch, alder, mugwort, olive, or ragweed via the dropdown. Sourced from the Copernicus CAMS pollen forecast. Low = <10; Moderate = 10–50; High = 50–200; Very High = 200+.</td></tr>
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</tbody>
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</table>
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<p>
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Several columns build on the SunSoak model or a physics estimate — see
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<a href="./sunsoak.html">SunSoak & the science</a> for the felt-temperature calculation and
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<a href="./temperatures.html">derived temperatures</a> for the vehicle, indoor, and concrete models.
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© 2026 <a href="https://fraxle.net" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fraxle.NET</a> · <a href="./index.html">Forecast</a> · <a href="./about.html">About</a> · <a href="./faq.html">FAQ</a> · <a href="https://billing.stripe.com/p/login/9B63cw7vl8k15Ei9DQd7q00" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Account</a> · Data: <a href="https://open-meteo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Open-Meteo</a> · UTCI: <a href="https://utci.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bröde 2012</a>
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