NO, the temperature outside is not what your car’s thermometer reads.

With the ongoing heatwave in the Zululand region, and across KZN, wildly varying temperatures are being reported by citizens on various social media sites.

ALSO READ: Record-breaking temperatures expected as heatwave intensifies

For an accurate temperature reading, a thermometer must be between 1.2m and 1.8m off the ground. This prevents the ambient ground temperature from affecting the reading.

The thermometer must also be placed in the shade and not in the direct sun, neither too close to a building as the inside temperature will affect the reading.

The thermometer should be placed at least 30m from a pavement or roadway as hot asphalt radiates heat, potentially causing the device to give an inaccurate reading. There should also be good airflow around the thermometer.

And according to weather.com, car thermometers do not portray an accurate reading of the outside temperature.

This is because cars are fitted with a thermistor and not a thermometer.

Car thermistors are a poor representation of the outside temperature as the device is exposed to re-radiated heat from the road surface.

“If you’re looking for an accurate reading of the temperature outside, pay no attention to your car’s thermometer,” said the site.

“On a warm summer day, it usually displays a temperature significantly higher than the actual temperature, for which there are several reasons.”

These include the role of the thermistor – measuring changes in electrical current as a result of heat added or removed – and its location behind the grille.

So place your thermometer according to these tips, and send us your temperature reading.

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