Humidity impacts our lives in many, many ways. Meteorologists use humidity as a tool in forecasting weather. It is one of the elements reported in METAR and SPECI Aviation weather reports.

But humidity impacts many other aspects of daily life including health and safety, as well. Mold, condensation, moisture damage, dry rot, etc. are related topics that concern anyone who works, plays or lives in a home. For more information about how humidity can impact the quality of indoor life and ways to measure humidity using a hand-held hygrometer or go to the Home Humidity section on the Bio Meteorology page.

We've all said it, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity." When folks make this statement they are usually referring to why they are feeling uncomfortably hot. Well, in fact it is probably a little bit of both.

Anyone who exerts him/herself either through sport or work must pay attention to both heat and humidity.

Perspiration is the body's reaction to heat, not to the humidity. It is a fact that the process of evaporation cools things. Our perfectly designed bodies use this principle to keep from over-heating. The hotter our bodies get, the more we perspire and the damper our skin gets. We depend on the evaporation of our perspiration into the air in order to feel cool. The process of evaporation actually cools us. 

Lets face it, on a cold humid day, you probably wouldn't be sweating in the same way you do in the summer. But, on hot breezy days with low humidity, you can perspire a lot, and the thirsty air quickly absorbs the moisture on your skin. This evaporation cools you and allows you to feel quite comfortable. But what if the air is already loaded with moisture in the form of water vapor? When humidity is high, evaporation from your skin slows down, leaving you feeling moist and uncomfortable.