Is it going to be hot or rainy today? This is the question most local residents ask themselves every morning when they wake up.

Over the past several weeks, the weather conditions have been so unpredictable, with the sun rising brightly in the morning, followed a couple of hours later by heavy rainfall and strong winds — and then comes the ‘muggy’ heavy air, causing headaches and general feeling of sitting in a sauna, or moving through molasses.

Yesterday at noon, the Tafuna Weather Station reported temperatures near 90 degrees (indoors) and based on that number, according to local meteorologist Carol Ma’afala-Baqui, calculations were made to measure the heat index outdoors, which, she said, climbed to 112 degrees around lunchtime yesterday.

And while that number seems high, Ma’afala-Baqui emphasizes that this is just based on calculations.” We’ve seen higher,” she added, reflecting on previous times when she said the number was dwindling just below 120 degrees.

The National Weather Service defines heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, as what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. So when people complain and say, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” it’s actually both. Ma’afala-Baqui said local weather conditions for the next few days will feature light and variable winds.

As for rainfall, the local weather station has recorded a total of 2.52 inches of rain, so far for the month of March, as of 1 p.m. yesterday. The normal amount of rainfall for the whole month is 11.66 inches. And while this month may prove to be drier than the same time in previous years, last month saw the amount of rainfall exceed normal levels.

For February, according to data from the National Weather Station, the total amount of rainfall for the territory was recorded at 18.36 inches, much higher than the norm of 12.66 inches. For year-to-date figures, the territory has collected 32.96 inches of rainfall so far this year, as of yesterday.

Ma’afala-Baqui reminds everyone that it is summer time in the territory and while it may seem hot, local temperatures are nothing compared to the heat waves being experienced by other places in the world where temperatures climb well into triple digits.

Winter for American Samoa does not begin until the end of April so in the meantime, local meteorologist Elinor Lutu-McMoore reminds everyone to stay hydrated, drink lots of water, and during times of thunderstorms and lightning, stay indoors.