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Jun 02, 2023

Just how hot can surfaces get under direct sunlight during heat wave?

Reporter Just how hot can surfaces get under direct sunlight during heat wave? Arman Rahman found out. MADISON, Wis. -- We've all gotten into the car in the summer and jumped when our skin brushed the

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Just how hot can surfaces get under direct sunlight during heat wave? Arman Rahman found out.

MADISON, Wis. -- We've all gotten into the car in the summer and jumped when our skin brushed the hot steering wheel or seatbelt -- but other more everyday surfaces could get dangerously hot as the temperatures rise this week.

With a non-contact infrared thermometer, the temperature of a plastic slide at a playground in Fitchburg came out to around 140 degrees Tuesday -- a day the weather barely broke 90 degrees.

Of course as temperatures climb near 100 over the next few days, kids should not be outside much, if at all.

But the ground is a surface our two -- and when it comes to dogs, four -- legs can't avoid touching.

"Concrete is going to be hot, but blacktop is a darker surface, so it's going to be even hotter," News 3 Now Meteorologist Alex Harrington said. "Dark surfaces absorb heat."

On Tuesday, the concrete already measured as hot as 120 degrees, same with the asphalt -- but darker pavement like your driveway will likely get even hotter.

"When we have temperatures up around 100 degrees, you could have the blacktop surfaces (reach) 140, 150, 160 even," he said. "So even that short distance, that quick little jaunt to your mailbox to get the mail and back, you might actually injure your feet."

Keeping on the road, after being parked for about 20 minutes outside, the hood and handle of a car reached about 130 degrees. Inside was just as hot, and above 130 degrees at times.

"So, [with] temperatures near 100 degrees on your Wednesday or Thursday afternoon," Harrington said, "the temperature inside your car could be as hot as 140 degrees."

That should burn into your brain not to leave kids or pets inside unattended.

Meanwhile, if you think the shade will save you in the extreme heat -- "not always," Harrington said.

"This heat is different from other heat that we've experienced this year, so even going into the shade with all that humidity, all that moisture that's basically hugging your skin doesn't allow the heat from your body to escape to space like it would if it was dry air outside or a dry heat," he said. "You might not cool off as quickly when you have that warm, wet blanket basically around you."

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MADISON, Wis. -- The final days before many kids across southern Wisconsin head back to the classroom are seeing near-record heat, but they're…

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