Humidity

Humidity (adjective: humid) refers to water vapor in the air, but not to liquid droplets in fog, clouds, or rain. Deserts usually have low humidity, and tropical regions have high humidity.

The word "humid" often means that the humidity is high, which gives the feeling of being very damp (wet air), stuffy, or even sweltering when the temperature is also high. When the humidity is low, the air can be said to be "not humid".

The term "relative humidity" is used to note the amount of humidity as a percent, from 0-100%. Meteorologists have special devices to measure the humidity, such as hygrometers.

Humidity affects the rate of evaporation. With a higher humidity, the rate of evaporation is less.

Other pages

• Dew point