Well, it's not below the Mendoza Line.

November 13, 2012 6:47 AM

Is/Are there term(s) to describe the threshold at which a person can see their own breath outside ?

With the colder weather coming around (in parts of the northern hemisphere), I was wondering if there's any specific terms or colloquial phrases to more concisely or properly say (in a professional context) 'it's cold enough to see your breath outside now'

(Not looking for things like "chilly" "freezing" "cold as *******"
For what it's worth, the exact temperature at which this happens varies, depending on humidity and the person's body temperature.

Bonus points if there's terms for it in other languages.

posted by fizzix to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

This page offers one possibility: dewpoint at 100%.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 6:53 AM on November 13, 2012

The Weather Channel has an interesting explanation that sounds reasonable to me:

http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_20992.html

At 50% relative humidity (RH), you'll see your breath at 50F or colder. Lower humidities will require a lower temperature. It probably wouldn't be too hard to recreate the calculations done and develop a model for any RH or temperature.
posted by jeffch at 7:05 AM on November 13, 2012

dewpoint at 100%.

Dew point is a temperature, not a percentage.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:17 AM on November 13, 2012 [2 favorites]

As a kid we used to say
"I can see her"


You go hurrrh -and you see it
posted by jan murray at 1:41 PM on November 13, 2012 [1 favorite]