This week’s weather question is: What temperature do you think someone can survive in a sauna?

The hottest temperature on record someone can survive in a sauna is 260°F! This is because the relative humidity was less that 1 percent.

The relative humidity matters because dry air makes it easier for evaporational cooling. When your body gets too hot, you sweat. When that sweat is evaporated it cools you down.

The rapid sweating from the man in the sauna provided a layer of cool

protection – which allowed him to stay in the extreme heat for 45 minutes!

This is also relevant when you take a shower and step out into the air and it gets super cool – that’s from evaporational cooling as well!

If there was more humidity however, like here in Columbus, there’s no way he would’ve survived the 260 degrees!