Oklahoman’s know from experience that high air temperatures make one feel hot.  You may be surprised to learn that in some parts of the atmosphere, just the opposite is true.

At altitudes above 100 miles, air temperatures can exceed 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.   However, a thermometer shielded from direct sunlight would indicate an extremely low temperature, around minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and thus a person in a shaded area would quickly freeze to death.  This paradox lies in the fact that air temperature is related not only to the speed of air molecules, but also the number of molecules present.  

At high altitudes, air molecules absorb energetic solar rays and thus move at very high speeds.  When they strike an object, say a person, they transfer some of their energy to increase the skin temperature and provide a sensation of warmth.  However, the thin air at high altitudes contains so few air molecules that virtually no energy is transferred.  Thus, the relationship between air temperature and feeling warm is no longer meaningful.