SAN ANTONIO – Within an hour, the inside of your car could reach over 100 degrees when left in the sun.
According to the National Weather Service, a dark dashboard or seat can easily reach temperatures in the range of 180 to more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Objects like a dashboard, steering wheel, child seat and more can heat the adjacent air by conduction and convection and also give off longwave radiation which is very efficient at warming the air trapped inside a vehicle.
In 2006, the LA Crosse National Weather Service conducted an experiment testing to see how fast a dark-colored car with untinted windows warmed up when left in the sun.
The air conditioner ran until the interior of the car reached 82 degrees and remained steady, according to NWS. Then a digital thermometer was put in the rear seat, the air conditioner was turned off, and temperature readings were taken every 10 minutes.
The results are as followed:
TIME INTERIOR TEMPERATURE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
1120 AM 83 91
1130 AM 87 92
1140 AM 93 92
1150 AM 100 92
1200 NOON 104 93
1210 PM 107 93
1220 PM 110 93
1230 PM 113 94
1240 PM 115 94
1250 PM 118 94
100 PM 120 94
110 PM 122 95
120 PM 123 95
130 PM 124 95
For additional information on heat and automobile safety, visit the National Weather Service’s website.