139 lines
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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>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>Shade °C felt</strong></td><td>SunSoak with the sun taken away — the felt temperature standing in the typical shade of the selected Solar Model (building shadow, beach umbrella, tree canopy, boat panels, and so on). You are still outdoors, so wind, humidity and rain affect you exactly as they do in the open; only the direct beam and part of the sky are blocked. Expect several degrees below SunSoak in daytime sun, and near-identical readings after dark, when there is no sun to stand out of.</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 microclimate model as the Shade column but kept as an air temperature and 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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