35 Degrees in February: A Thermometer in the Sun, Not a Climate Reading

35 Degrees in the Sun in February: The Thermometer That Doesn't Measure Climate

A window thermometer doesn't measure climate. It measures the sun hitting it. And in February, with a south-facing facade, that sun is enough for the mercury to reach 35 degrees. That was the starting point: 35 degrees in February, measured for five minutes on a window frame, presented as proof that winter has disappeared from Spain. On the same day, Madrid had 21°C and Alicante 17°C. The difference between the figures isn't meteorological. It's basic physics.

The domestic experiment came with a grand thesis: that we've had five years without winter, that summers stretch into December, that there are only two weeks of cold per year, and that planes and cars are to blame. From a window anecdote, a full discussion about climate emerged, with positions as far apart as ever.

Why a Thermometer in the Sun Reads 35 Degrees in February

A thermometer placed on a frame receives direct and reflected radiation from the wall, adding its own heating to the surrounding air. This is why meteorological temperature is taken in the shade, inside a ventilated shelter: the goal is to record the air temperature, not that of an object cooking in the sun. The most common objection was precisely that degrees are measured in the shade, and it's not a laboratory quirk; it's the very definition of the data.

There's a detail that reinforces the argument and appeared in the conversation: a skier wears SPF 50 sunscreen at zero degrees or less, not because it's warm, but because radiation doesn't depend on air temperature. The same mechanism that burns skin on snow is what pushes a window thermometer's mercury far above the actual temperature, especially on a sunny, unventilated facade.

The rest of the records presented support the same point. In New York, the low that morning was 12 degrees below zero, with over half a meter of snow accumulated in Central Park. In Alcalá la Real, zero degrees at 7 AM and 21 at noon. The thermometer photo didn't show a broken instrument. It showed an instrument placed in the wrong spot.

What the Actual Temperature Was That Day in Spain

The cross-referenced data paints a picture far removed from 35°C. Alicante registered 17°C at one point during the day and 13°C at 1:30 PM. Madrid, 21°C. Even in April, the highs recorded in the Valencian Community were 15 and 21°C, fourteen degrees less than the window frame reading. None of these values are extraordinary for the month they were taken, and several are close to the area's average. The window thermometer wasn't predicting the climate future; it was simply in the sun.

The contradiction was so stark that the instrument quickly became secondary. No one disputes whether mercury rises when the sun hits it anymore. The debate is about what rising it signifies and if it proves anything.

Five Years Without Winter: A Feeling Not Measured on a Window

Here lies the core issue. Beyond the thermometer, there's a widespread impression that the seasons have blurred: short winters, summers starting in spring and ending in November, cold concentrated into two weeks at a time. The heat lasts much longer and the cold lasts less, summarizes one comment, a feeling shared by many who have never hung a thermometer anywhere.

The problem is that memory and data don't always align. Against the subjective certainty that there's no longer winter, a single month can result in a 300 euro heating bill or half a meter of snow on the other side of the Atlantic. Perception matters, but it's not a historical series. And a cold night doesn't end the debate either.

New York, Winnipeg, and the Two Trenches of Climate

The specific case escalated to a global argument, bringing back the usual two sides. One current argues that a low of twelve degrees below zero in New York, with Central Park covered in snow, proves that the global warming narrative doesn't hold up and that the models supporting it are flawed.

In between are those who simply ask for method: measure in the shade, compare long-term series, and don't confuse a home thermometer with an official station. Atmospheric temperature and solar radiation are two distinct magnitudes, even if they get confused on a window frame.

What Remains of the Experiment

The original measurement hasn't been withdrawn or corrected. It remains there, with its 35°C and its window, contrasted with Alicante's 17°C, Madrid's 21°C, and New York's twelve below zero. And the underlying discussion — whether the heat of recent winters is a temporary anomaly or the new normal — will require more than a thermometer hung on the glass. Most likely, the next home measurement will again validate the person who hung it. The air temperature will say something else, and it won't be visible to anyone.