Let’s Talk About the Weather … In Celsius or Fahrenheit?

While leading a global committee of scientists from 2016-2020, I convened hundreds of zoom meetings across all time zones. While gathering, I asked about their days, tried to imagine where and when they were. I was intrigued about comparing and contrasting our weather experiences. But I often found myself in “weather convo dead-ends.” That’s because I discussed weather in Fahrenheit metrics … and they didn’t know what I was talking about. Various Canadian colleagues (who tend to be bilingual Fahrenheit-Celsius (F-C) communicators) bailed me out … and rescued our weather chit chat.

Since then, I’ve felt self-conscious about my lack of F-C fluency when discussing the weather with foreign colleagues and friends.  I don’t want to stop discussing the weather with people across the globe. But I’d like to do better in how I show up. So I set out to develop bilingual F-C conversational skills.

As Americans, unless we are talking to someone from Liberia or Myanmar, we need to be aware that everyone else’s vocabulary is Celsius. It took me a while to figure out how to sync up F-C conversions and develop intuition around how to discuss weather in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.

But before I get to how, I’d like to digress into how the USA arrived at the decision to favor a metric system that diverges from the rest of the world.

Historical Background

A school kid in the 60-70s, I remember being taught both measurement systems with the expectation that eventually the USA would join the rest of the world’s conversion to the metric system. I learned metrics for sewing measurements in my Home Ec classes, as well as science classes. Our classroom rulers and thermometers included both. Seemed like the process was on track to conversion. But something happened in between then and now:

In 1968, Congress authorized the US Metric Study to explore the feasibility of adopting the metric system. The study recommended that the US implement a carefully planned transition to the principal use of the metric system over a decade.

Gerald Ford signed into law the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, which declared that the metric system become the preferred system for weights and measures for US trade and commerce, but permitted use of the imperial system.

USA manufacturers, who had tooled their factories on the imperial system, objected to the direction the country was moving towards metrification. They found a friend in Ronald Reagan, who abolished the US Metric Commission. He positioned this decision as an effort to reduce federal spending. It ended all efforts for the USA to unify with the rest of the world in abandoning the outdated, more-complicated imperial system.

In 1991, George H. W. Bush signed an executive order directing agencies to “take all appropriate measures within their authority” to use the metric system “as the preferred system of weights and measures for the US trade and commerce.” That is the last time the federal government has addressed why the US stands apart from the world in standards for weights and measures.

After Bush’s executive order, the US adopted a joint unit system, including both systems on rulers and measuring cups, and teaching kids about both systems. But public information—like weather and highway speeds/distances—would continue to be reported in the imperial system (renamed “US Customary Units”). This middle-ground position tethered us to the old system; public consciousness did not shift.

50+ years after being on the brink of metrification, the USA, Liberia, and Myanmar stand apart from the rest of the world in preferentially using the British Imperial Measurement System for standards and measures. (A country that rejected the British Imperial rule perpetuates this system is a bit ironic.)

My Path to F-C Fluency

Two years ago, I started to draft this post. After going down a rabbit hole and creating two graphics to aid my F-C intuition about weather conversions, I gave up on the post. Such a big topic. Too many divergent thoughts. Couldn’t find a cohesive way to bring the story to life. Set it aside. But since then, I’ve ruminated. I practiced using these two graphics, drilling myself to develop F-C Fluency.

Memorize F-C Life Experiences

Practiced memorizing temperature key conversions. As dietitian/medical professional, the body temperatures were already imprinted. But I tested myself on more ordinary weather conversations, challenging myself to state both F and C. I’d look at the graphic (or an app) to check myself. I got better at intuitively guessing various conversions. Baseline, it helped me to memorize these seven key conversions:

Develop F-C Intuition

Think about temperature using these descriptive zones. Then calibrate your intuition of  the two measurement systems by looking left then right. And back again. Quiz yourself.

Use Vivid Language

Skip temperatures and weather reports. Instead, describe what you experience about weather descriptions through all five senses. What to you see, hear, smell, feel, and (maybe) taste about the weather? I’ll leave you reflecting on a few visceral descriptions of the weather:

• “The air was raw and misty, and the night frost lay like a shroud over trees and streets and rooftops.”
  (Maj Sjowall and Per Walhoo, The Laughing Policeman: Martin Beck)
• “… the words were drowned out and carried away on the howling wind.”
  (J M Dalgliesh, Kill Them Cold)