# Wimbledon on-court temperatures - valid? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 30, 2015, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883 "2015-06-30T17:52:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/1 "2015-06-30T17:52:58Z")
It is hot here in SW London - certainly hotter than we are used to and due to get hotter tomorrow. We have had shade temperatures of \> 30 celsius / 86 Fahrenheit which is not that common here. Just a few miles away at the Wimbledon tennis they have been reporting on-court temperatures exceeding 41 Celsius / 105 Fahrenheit. Is that meaningful? I was taught that the only reliable measurements were made in the shade because otherwise you are really just measuring the sun’s direct heating of the thermometer itself, which will vary depending on the instruments construction. I suppose a really sophisticated instrument could be constructed to suck in air from the court and measure that without exposing the sensor to direct heating, but what is shown on TV just looks like a regular electronic thermometer which has been left out in the sun. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/2 "2015-07-01T16:40:51Z")
The non-shade temperatue more closely approximates what the players are experiencing. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/3 "2015-07-01T17:08:33Z")
Well, it could be that they get the reported temperature by leaving a regular electronic thermometer out in the sun – it’s probably not the Royal Meteorological Society doing the measuring after all. But it could also be that they do get the reported temperature with some carefully shaded thermometer, but the TV producer didn’t like the way that looked on camera, so he set up a shot of a thermometer sitting on the court for better visuals. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/4 "2015-07-01T17:14:30Z")
> [@](#): > > On a tennis court, it’s not just a matter of the ambient temperature being high - this is exacerbated by the lower level of air flow in enclosed courts, direct sunshine and the heat from spectators. When it comes to rackets, “you would expect the string tension to drop a little bit”, giving the players a little more control over the ball, says Andy Harland, head of the Sports Technology Institute at Loughborough University. High air pressure associated with high temperatures would tend to slow the ball down through the air. But more importantly, says Harland, the drier ground makes for a harder surface that would have the effect of speeding up the game slightly. [Who, What, Why: Will soaring temperatures affect the tennis at Wimbledon? - BBC News](http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33325687) > [@](#): > > A ball boy has fainted at [Wimbledon](http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/wimbledon) on the tournament’s hottest ever day. Temperatures at the [All England Club](http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/all-england-lawn-tennis-club) have exceeded 35C, beating the previous record of 34.6C, which has stood for 39 years. The heat had spectators resorting to desperate measures to to avoid the glare, but it was too much for one unfortunate ball boy, who fainted on court during a match. Spectators and colleagues rushed to aide him, causing a break in play. > > The excessive heat has led one expert to call for the introduction of a Heat Rule on the men’s side of the draw, with [current regulations only allowing women to have a 10-minute break](http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon-uproar-heat-rule-allows-5975089) between the second and third sets of matches when the temperature reaches 30.1C. [http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon-2015-ball-boy-faints-5983162](http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon-2015-ball-boy-faints-5983162) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/5 "2015-07-01T18:19:05Z")
One thing that’s a little surprising is that the grass court doesn’t seem to help as much with the heat as one would think. I mean in comparison with other surfaces, such as blacktop. Would figure that grass/earth wouldn’t trap/radiate so much heat. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/6 "2015-07-01T20:32:28Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > It is hot here in SW London - certainly hotter than we are used to and due to get hotter tomorrow. We have had shade temperatures of \> 30 celsius / 86 Fahrenheit which is not that common here. Just a few miles away at the Wimbledon tennis they have been reporting on-court temperatures exceeding 41 Celsius / 105 Fahrenheit. Is that meaningful? I was taught that the only reliable measurements were made in the shade because otherwise you are really just measuring the sun’s direct heating of the thermometer itself, which will vary depending on the instruments construction. I suppose a really sophisticated instrument could be constructed to suck in air from the court and measure that without exposing the sensor to direct heating, but what is shown on TV just looks like a regular electronic thermometer which has been left out in the sun. It is very meaningful. It is measuring the actual temperature in the sun, which, in the summer time when the sun is more overhead, can feel 20 degrees or more than the temperature in the shade. The official temps are the shade temps. The sun may be heating the thermometer, but it is also heating everything it is shining on. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/7 "2015-07-01T20:46:22Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > It is very meaningful. It is measuring the actual temperature in the sun, which, in the summer time when the sun is more overhead, can feel 20 degrees or more than the temperature in the shade. The official temps are the shade temps. The sun may be heating the thermometer, but it is also heating everything it is shining on. That is just it. Different materials will be heated by different amounts when exposed to radiant heat - have you never noticed that matt black surfaces get warmer than shiny light colored ones? The reading you get has as much to do with the particular thermometer you choose as the strength of the incident sunlight. Yes it is also heating everything it is shining on, but by no means equally and as such is essentially meaningless IMO. There is a reason that meteorologists always measure shade temperatures. I am increasingly of the opinion that these images on the BBC of thermometers reading 40+ Celsius are just sensationalism. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/8 "2015-07-02T23:50:29Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > It is hot here in SW London - certainly hotter than we are used to and due to get hotter tomorrow. We have had shade temperatures of \> 30 celsius / 86 Fahrenheit which is not that common here. Just a few miles away at the Wimbledon tennis they have been reporting on-court temperatures exceeding 41 Celsius / 105 Fahrenheit. Is that meaningful? I was taught that the only reliable measurements were made in the shade because otherwise you are really just measuring the sun’s direct heating of the thermometer itself, which will vary depending on the instruments construction. I suppose a really sophisticated instrument could be constructed to suck in air from the court and measure that without exposing the sensor to direct heating, but what is shown on TV just looks like a regular electronic thermometer which has been left out in the sun. What a bunch of namby pamby crybabies. As a teenager in Karachi, Pakistan, I once took the court for a singles match when the temperature at courtside (we had a big thermometer hanging on the side wall) was 47C (116F). Fortunately, one of the stewards saw us and pulled us off the courts. In those days “junior members” (children of the full members) could only play before 5pm. I’ve played many matches when the temps in the shade were over 37. Drank lots and lots of lemon barley water (homemade version of Gatorade). On the other hand heatstroke was a common cause of death. Not on the scale we have seen in the past few weeks though. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/9 "2015-07-03T00:55:48Z")
Man, I remember I was in London in, what, 2005? Whenever y’all had that heat wave. They were talking about shutting down the trains because they were afraid _the tracks would melt_. I did the math and they were freaking out about mid-80’s F. Yesterday it was so much cooler than it had been when I got off work that I went for a run. It was 89. Good run. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/10 "2015-07-03T01:06:35Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > What a bunch of namby pamby crybabies. As a teenager in Karachi, Pakistan, I once took the court for a singles match when the temperature at courtside (we had a big thermometer hanging on the side wall) was 47C (116F). Fortunately, one of the stewards saw us and pulled us off the courts. > > In those days “junior members” (children of the full members) could only play before 5pm. I’ve played many matches when the temps in the shade were over 37. Drank lots and lots of lemon barley water (homemade version of Gatorade). > > On the other hand heatstroke was a common cause of death. Not on the scale we have seen in the past few weeks though. don’t be so dismissive. if you’re not accustomed to those temperatures, you won’t necessarily know when you’re becoming overheated. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/11 "2015-07-03T01:53:21Z")
In 1966, the Major League Baeball All-Star Game was held in a brand-new stadium in St. Louis. The official temperature during the game was 105 (F) while [the temperature on the natural grass field reached 113.](https://books.google.com/books?id=80tuP4x245kC&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=casey+stengel+%22it+sure+holds+the+heat+well%22&source=bl&ots=xWtIhTulat&sig=uxf0WjkSNdfnT-oauzHi5UhPF9E&hl=en&sa=X&ei=8uiVVbjgBsPAtQWEpoGoCg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=casey%20stengel%20%22it%20sure%20holds%20the%20heat%20well%22&f=false) That was when the 75-year old Casey Stengel, when asked how he liked the new stadium, offered his famous line, “It sure holds the heat well.” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/12 "2015-07-03T03:43:21Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > That is just it. Different materials will be heated by different amounts when exposed to radiant heat - have you never noticed that matt black surfaces get warmer than shiny light colored ones? The reading you get has as much to do with the particular thermometer you choose as the strength of the incident sunlight. Yes it is also heating everything it is shining on, but by no means equally and as such is essentially meaningless IMO. There is a reason that meteorologists always measure shade temperatures. I am increasingly of the opinion that these images on the BBC of thermometers reading 40+ Celsius are just sensationalism. No, the others have it right and you have it backwards. A shade temperature is used precisely because local variables in the direct rays of the sun are so huge. The shade temp is a _minimum_: you have to be aware that in direct sunlight it will be \*hotter \*so you must take appropriate precautions. The on-court temps are one of those local variables that are actually being experienced by those playing in them. That temperature (which can be measured by a shaded thermometer to get ambient air temps) is the \*only \*temperature that matters. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/13 "2015-07-03T05:08:23Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Man, I remember I was in London in, what, 2005? Whenever y’all had that heat wave. They were talking about shutting down the trains because they were afraid _the tracks would melt_. I did the math and they were freaking out about mid-80’s F. Except that isn’t at all absurd. There are many different variables involved when designing railway tracks and it makes sense to optimise for safety according to the likely local weather conditions. Using tracks that might cause problems in what would be exceptional conditions by British standards is a reasonable trade-off if they cause fewer problems at any other time. Other countries with different weather will just be making different compromises. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/14 "2015-07-03T11:12:26Z")
It reached 42.5 normal temperature in Melbourne last year. Probably broke 50 on court > **[Temperatures soar at Australian Open](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-14/australian-open-marred-by-excessive-heat/5199740)** > > A player saw Snoopy before he fainted mid-match, a ball kid collapsed and water bottles melted on court at the Australian Open. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/15 "2015-07-03T11:23:02Z")
There’s always somewhere hotter and somewhere colder. That doesn’t invalidate the concerns of the temperature at hand. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/16 "2015-07-03T11:53:05Z")
> [@APB](#): > > Except that isn’t at all absurd. There are many different variables involved when designing railway tracks and it makes sense to optimise for safety according to the likely local weather conditions. Using tracks that might cause problems in what would be exceptional conditions by British standards is a reasonable trade-off if they cause fewer problems at any other time. Other countries with different weather will just be making different compromises. Ye-es. Except that actually, 30-35 degree temps in the South-East happen at least every 5 years. And assuming that the planning horizon for laying rails is on the decade scale, that’s accepting quite a bit of disruption. Now maybe choosing rails that could withstand these temps would mean sacrificing the ability to cope with a big freeze and this is indeed a wise decision. But as I’ve been stuck at Paddington before being crammed into the one train they dare run on their wax railway every day this week, my balanced and moderate opinion is that whoever decided to use rails that melt faster than ice cream should be sent to the ice-moon prison forthwith.[/rant] Using those laser thermometers to measure the players skin-temp would be an interesting way of finding the “real” temperature on court, but I suspect it might be a distraction. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/17 "2015-07-03T12:24:43Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > What a bunch of namby pamby crybabies. As a teenager in Karachi, Pakistan, I once took the court for a singles match when the temperature at courtside (we had a big thermometer hanging on the side wall) was 47C (116F). Fortunately, one of the stewards saw us and pulled us off the courts. > > In those days “junior members” (children of the full members) could only play before 5pm. I’ve played many matches when the temps in the shade were over 37. Drank lots and lots of lemon barley water (homemade version of Gatorade). > > On the other hand heatstroke was a common cause of death. Not on the scale we have seen in the past few weeks though. I played cricket all last weekend in 45C. While fasting. (Karachi has been noticeably cooler these few years, with rarely getting to 40, so this year has been a bit of a shock). 35 C is not hot. Its just a slightly warm day. Its just one of the things I will never understand about the British. Conquer the world? Not a problem old chap. Deal with weather _slightly_ above or below the norm…its the end of the planet as we know it! ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/18 "2015-07-03T12:25:18Z")
There’s an article on BBC explaining the buckling (not melting) rails [here.](http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33342481) ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/19 "2015-07-03T13:36:43Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > There’s always somewhere hotter and somewhere colder. > > That doesn’t invalidate the concerns of the temperature at hand. **Cugel** was making a point about the Austrialian Open, so it is interesting context. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883/20 "2015-07-03T14:11:41Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > I played cricket all last weekend in 45C. While fasting. With all due respect, your amateur cricket is not first class tennis. And yes, I’ve played a lot of cricket in my life as well, being British and all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wimbledon-on-court-temperatures-valid/723883.md?page=2)