humidity chill

[Terry Tyler]

with all this hot weather...i was talkin to my mother about how it never gets 'cold' in MS...i dont think it has ever got into the single digits, even in north mississippi...

the point of this thread is to find out if there is a cooling index that takes into account the humidity of the air...alot of the locals around here say its colder because of the humidity in the air...i know there is a heat index, but ive never heard of a cold index...

does it really have any effect or is it just some old wives tale?

 

[B Ozanne]

While you're way off on record temps I know exactly what you are talking about.

Why does 10F in the Utah mountains feel so much warmer than 10F in Vermont or along the coast of Maine?

I think humidity and air density (altitude) have a big effect on it. Other than that I have no idea about any formula or chill factor.

 

[Jody Radzik]

I live in the mountains of northern New Mexico, and I used to live in Petosky in northern Michigan, but the coldest weather I've ever experienced was 32 F and the North Sea wind in Amsterdam, Holland.

 

[Joel Wright]

I've never heard of humidity chill. To me, dry air feels cooler/colder in any type of weather. Summer or winter. I assume it's from more evaporational cooling of the skin in drier air. This would be only amplified with the addition of windspeed.

I guess what you guys could be experiencing is the wind chill affect on sweaty skin. Which of course would result from excessive sweating in a humid environment.

 

[W. Grant Dade]

This is the best way I can explain it. The amount of water vapor in the air does affect the way the air feels to the body. During the summer, more water vapor decreases the body’s effect to cool itself through evaporational cooling. In the winter, or when the air temperature is colder, added water vapor conducts the heat from your body more than drier air, so it feels colder. I can remember being outside when it was –10°F in Gunnison, CO. The 3°F we had a few years later in Huntsville, AL felt much colder.

 

[W. Grant Dade]

Not sure why my font is so big?

 

[B Ozanne]

I guess what you guys could be experiencing is the wind chill affect on sweaty skin. Which of course would result from excessive sweating in a humid environment.

Trust me, its not a wind issue. This is a very real feeling where -10F in Gunnison can feel much warmer than 3F in AL or even 30F on the coast.

I've always tied it to humidity and elevation. Both effect the density of the atmosphere and both effect how fast heat is lost to the air. We all know that standing in cold water will suck the heat out of you faster than air because it is more dense. So why wouldn't denser air have the same effect?

 

[Gerrit Gulden]

After living on Southern California for over 20 years and then Moving to Idaho in 2004, I can definetely say Humidity will make or break you. This year in May I went to california for a week. At the time I left it was around 95+ degrees in Idaho and When I got to California it was around 80+ degrees. The humidity in California was probably around 80% which made it feel like 100 degrees. It was very uncomfortable, Yet when I came back home to Near 100 degree temps It felt just fine with the Humidity near 10%.

Humidity will always make a difference with the temperature. In my experience at least....

-gerrit

 

[Terry Tyler]

so it seems like everyone has their opinion on the effects of a humidity chill...but are there facts anywhere

personally, i dont notice any difference...its probably difficult to measure...