Expert Explanations: Temperatures Above City Roads 10 to 15 Degrees Higher Than Official Readings

A heatwave has arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with thermometers recording record-breaking temperatures, NAP reports.

- Meteorologists measure temperature in the shade, two meters above the ground. All meteorologists in the world do this so that temperature data is comparable – says Enis Omerčić, an expert in the Environmental Sector of the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute.

Omerčić warns that temperatures above main roads exposed to the sun, as well as above concrete areas not shaded during the day, are much higher than officially measured and publicly announced.

- These temperatures are 10 to 15 degrees higher above main roads and on concrete areas exposed to the sun – says Omerčić.

Thus, large cities are far warmer than smaller settlements. If the current temperature in Sarajevo today was 31 degrees, it means that on the asphalt it ranged from 41 to 46 degrees.

There are dozens of factors that influence temperature levels, and people are generally aware of them, relating to the apartment's exposure to the sunny side, the abundance of nature around the settlement, floor height, etc. For example, in Sarajevo, the temperature is slightly lower due to the altitude of the capital of BiH. At the same time, in the Ilidža area, the temperature is 1.5 to 2 degrees lower due to cooling from the forest expanses of Igman and Bjelašnica. Thus, nature offers lower temperatures.