Comfie
The Comfie Scale
The Comfie Scale sorts the feels-like temperature into 11 levels, and each level has one outfit. Comfie 1 is tank top weather, at 85°F (29°C) and up. Comfie 11 is the deep freeze, below 20°F (-7°C). Hoodie weather is Comfie 6: 52 to 61°F (11 to 16°C).
These are the exact cut points inside Comfie's outfit engine, the same code that runs the iPhone app and the live outfit forecast on this site. Nothing on this page is a rule of thumb. Each number is where the engine's answer actually changes.
The 11 levels
| Level | Feels like | The outfit |
|---|---|---|
| Comfie 1Tank top weather | 85°F and up29°C and up | Tank top, shorts, sandals. |
| Comfie 2Shorts weather | 80 to 84°F27 to 29°C | T-shirt, shorts, sneakers. |
| Comfie 3Light pants weather | 75 to 79°F24 to 26°C | T-shirt, light pants, sneakers. |
| Comfie 4T-shirt weather | 68 to 74°F20 to 23°C | T-shirt, jeans, sneakers. |
| Comfie 5Long sleeve weather | 62 to 67°F17 to 19°C | Long sleeve, jeans, sneakers. |
| Comfie 6Hoodie weather | 52 to 61°F11 to 16°C | T-shirt, hoodie, jeans, sneakers. |
| Comfie 7Fleece weather | 48 to 51°F9 to 11°C | Long sleeve, fleece, jeans, sneakers. |
| Comfie 8Vest weather | 40 to 47°F4 to 8°C | Long sleeve, hoodie, puffer vest, jeans, sneakers. Boots below 42°F (6°C). |
| Comfie 9Puffer weather | 30 to 39°F-1 to 4°C | Long sleeve, fleece, puffer jacket, jeans, boots, beanie. Gloves below 35°F (2°C). |
| Comfie 10Parka weather | 20 to 29°F-7 to -2°C | Long sleeve, sweater, parka, jeans, boots, beanie, gloves, scarf, wool socks. |
| Comfie 11Deep freeze | Below 20°FBelow -7°C | Thermal layer, sweater, parka, insulated pants, winter boots, beanie, gloves, scarf, wool socks. Thermal bottoms below 15°F (-9°C), a face covering at 10°F (-12°C) and under, hand warmers below 0°F (-18°C). |
Quoting a number from this page? Please credit it as "the Comfie Scale (getcomfie.com/comfie-scale)". Each level has its own link, like getcomfie.com/comfie-scale#comfie-6 for hoodie weather.
How the levels are set
Every piece of clothing in Comfie has a warmth score. A tank top is 1, a t-shirt 2, a long sleeve, hoodie, fleece or sweater 3, a puffer jacket 4 and a parka 5. Each level asks for a total on your upper body, and the outfit is the stack that adds up to it.
- Comfie 6, hoodie weather, asks for 5: a t-shirt (2) and a hoodie (3).
- Comfie 8, vest weather, asks for 8: a long sleeve (3), a hoodie (3) and a puffer vest (2).
- Comfie 9, puffer weather, asks for 10: a long sleeve (3), a fleece (3) and a puffer jacket (4).
- Comfie 11, the deep freeze, asks for 12: a thermal layer (4), a sweater (3) and a parka (5).
Legs and feet follow their own lines, because you can't take your jeans off at lunch. Shorts start at 80°F (27°C), light pants at 75°F (24°C), and jeans run all the way from 74°F down to 20°F (23 to -7°C). Sandals start at 85°F (29°C), and boots take over from sneakers below 42°F (6°C).
What moves the outfit inside a level
The table shows a dry, calm day. Weather changes the details, never the level itself, because the feels-like number already counts wind chill.
- Rain. A 50% chance at any point in the rest of the day packs an umbrella.
- Rain plus wind. At 20 mph (32 km/h) and up an umbrella turns inside out, so a rain jacket goes on instead.
- All-day rain. Four or more hours of likely rain (70%) swaps sneakers for rain boots.
- Snow. Boots at the least, and a rain jacket over the top unless a puffer or parka is already there.
- Wind or rain at Comfie 8. The puffer vest becomes a light jacket, because sleeves matter when there is something to block.
- A dry windy day from 52 to 74°F. A windbreaker goes over the top (11 to 23°C).
- Strong sun. A UV index of 6 or more between 9 AM and 4 PM adds a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
What the scale leaves out
You. The scale is the forecast alone, the same for everyone. Some people run cold and want Comfie 7 when the number says 6. The iPhone app starts from these exact levels, then asks whether you run hot or cold and learns from how each outfit felt, so your levels shift to fit you.
Quick answers
What temperature is hoodie weather?
A feels-like temperature of 52 to 61°F (11 to 16°C). That is Comfie 6 on the Comfie Scale: a t-shirt under a hoodie, jeans and sneakers. Below 52°F the hoodie needs help, and from 62°F it is too warm to keep on.
What temperature is shorts weather?
80°F (27°C) feels-like and up. That is where the Comfie Scale moves from light pants (Comfie 3) to shorts (Comfie 2). At 85°F (29°C) sandals replace sneakers.
At what temperature do you need a coat?
Below 40°F (4°C) feels-like. From 40 to 47°F a puffer vest over a hoodie is enough on a calm dry day. Under 40°F the Comfie Scale reaches Comfie 9 and a puffer jacket goes on, and under 30°F (-1°C) it becomes a parka.
Why does the scale use feels-like temperature?
Because it is the number your body actually meets. Feels-like, or apparent temperature, folds wind and humidity into the air temperature. 50°F with a 20 mph wind feels near 44°F, which is a different level on the scale.
Each level has a longer write-up on the blog: shorts weather, 70 degree weather, 60 degree weather, hoodie and jeans weather, 50 degree weather, 40 degree weather, 30 degree weather and 20 degree weather.
Your level, right now
The live outfit forecast finds your level from today's real weather. The iPhone app does it every morning and tunes it to you. Free to download, no ads.
Where these numbers come from: Comfie's outfit engine, run at every whole degree Fahrenheit on a dry, calm, low-UV day. Weather data in the app and on this site comes from Open-Meteo. Temperatures are feels-like, not raw air temperature, and Celsius figures are rounded to the nearest degree. If the engine changes, this page changes with it and the version number goes up.