wet-bulb temperature

American  

[wet-buhlb tem-per-uh-cher, tem-per-cher, tem-puh-cher] / ˈwɛtˌbʌlb ˌtɛm pər ə tʃər, ˌtɛm pər tʃər, ˌtɛm pə tʃər /

noun

Meteorology.

1. the temperature measured by a wet-bulb thermometer, representing the ambient temperature lowered by the amount of evaporative cooling made possible by the humidity level. WBT

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Etymology

Origin of wet-bulb temperature

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wet-bulb temperature

Previous research in this area has used a measurement called wet-bulb temperature, which incorporates humidity to estimate how much heat a human body can withstand.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

A key metric to watch in the coming decades will be the wet-bulb temperature, a measure of combined heat and humidity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

To find the wet-bulb temperature where you are, you can enter your area’s characteristics here.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2025

Vanos said the commonly-used wet-bulb temperature for human survivability assumes the person is indoors or shaded, unclothed, completely sedentary, fully heat acclimatized and of an "average size."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2023

Breaking the wet-bulb temperature threshold once, it’s worth noting, does not inherently make a place “too hot for humans.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2023