Does humidity make the temp feel hotter then it is?

Question

Leaving for Hawaii in less then 2 weeks and it's not as warm down there right now as I would have thought. In your personal experinence, does a 78% humidity make it FEEL hotter then it is? I am coming from a VERY dry climate (Canada). Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes. Sweat glands are one of your body's most important cooling mechanisms. When you sweat, the sweat is evaporated, and takes with it some of your excess heat energy. Air can only hold so much moisture as steam before it must condense, in which case, the moisture on your skin just stays there and doesn't transfer heat into the outside world.

But don't worry. Hawaii has air conditioning and beaches. And lots of bars to help cool yourself off. And if you're in Canada right now, your body will thank you for the diversion.

Answer 2

My guess is that in a higher humidity environment, the effectiveness of the body sweating is reduced. In an environment with high humidity, the concentration of water in the air is higher, which causes sweat to evaporate at a reduced rate. Since the sweat evaporates off your skin at a reduced rate, the body's ability to regulate it's internal temperature is hindered until it has time to adjust. That's why it feels hotter than it is.
I took a trip to the Dominican Republic last year from Northern California, and I experienced the same situation. Within a week, my body had adjusted and the hotter sensation was drastically reduced from shocking experience of getting off the airplane upon arrival.

Answer 3

Homeostasis is the physiological process that maintains all processes in the body, including temperature at an equilibrium. Some of the feed back mechanisms used by the body for this are: sense of hunger, thirst, and heat. As you rightly said heat flows from hotter to colder regions. But, how much will flow? In still air a surface loses about 10 Kcal/sq.mtr/hour./deg C temp difference between the surface and surroundings. An adult human has a body surface area of about two sq.mtr. This translates to a heat loss of 240 Kcals/hour if the person is bare, and standing. Since most of the body is (usually) covered, this heat loss is drastically reduced. An adult has to lose about 120 kcal/hour for the metabolic heat to be released to the surroundings to maintain the average body temperature. This is why in cold surroundings one puts on more clothes , cover the head and hands to minimize losses while in the tropics loose cotton clothes, sandals on the feet and such are used. Fans or wind increase the heat transfer coefficient. This is the origin of the wind chill factor.

Answer 4

The most important thing you need to look at when you want to know how humid it is is the dewpoint temperature. Relative Humidy is simple the percent of moisture to its capicity. Warm air could hold more moisutre than cold air. So lets say its 20 degrees out, and the dewpoint is 19,the relative humidy is 95%. Not that humid! Dewpiont on the other hand is the actaully amount of moisture in the air dewpoint temperature in the low 60s is a bit muggy, upper sixtys it starts to get uncomfortable, and when its in the 70, its oppresive.

Answer 5

Higher relative humidity also makes it feel hotter outside in the summer because it reduces the effectiveness of sweating to cool the body by preventing the evaporation of perspiration from the skin. This effect is calculated in a heat index table.

Effects on human body
The human body sheds heat by a combination of evaporation of perspiration, conduction to the surrounding air, and thermal radiation. Under conditions of high humidity, the evaporation of sweat from the skin is decreased and the body's efforts to maintain an acceptable body temperature may be significantly impaired. Also, if the atmosphere is as warm as or warmer than the skin during times of high humidity, blood brought to the body surface cannot shed heat by conduction to the air, and a condition called hyperpyrexia results. With so much blood going to the external surface of the body, relatively less goes to the active muscles, the brain, and other internal organs. Physical strength declines and fatigue occurs sooner than it would otherwise. Alertness and mental capacity also may be affected. This resulting condition is called heat stroke or hyperthermia.


[edit] Recommendations for comfort
Humans and animals control their body temperature by sweating. The US Environmental Protection Agency cites the ASHRAE Standard 55-1992 Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy, which recommends keeping relative humidity between 30% and 60%, with below 50% preferred to control dust mites. At high humidity sweating is less effective so we feel hotter. Dry air feels colder at room temperature leading to discomfort, lower productivity and demands for more heating. When relative humidity is ideal, temperatures in buildings can be lowered without causing discomfort to the people in them.

The excerpts above are from the source below:

Bon Voyage!

Answer 6

In Hawaii will energizes you the fresh, floral air energizes you. The warm, tranquil waters will refresh you and the breathtaking, natural beauty renews you so now is about the time to know this amazing place, starting from with hotelbye because look around! There’s no place on earth like Hawaii. In Hawaii, the six unique islands offer distinct experiences that will entice any traveller. In Hawaii you will discover your ideal travel experience. Waikiki is one of the Hawaii islands and is the Hawaii's biggest tourist attraction. A suburb of Honolulu, Waikiki is easy to reach and offers all the amenities and entertainment of a modern city. At the end of the crescent shaped beach is the extinct volcano known as Diamond Head Crater, adding a spectacular backdrop to the incredible sun drenched beach.

Answer 7

The reason humidity makes it feel hotter is because it makes it harder for your body to radiate heat. The body cools by sweating, which then evaporates into the air. The warmer molecules in those sweat droplets evaporate first, leaving the cooler ones behind and, in turn, make you feel cooler.

If there is more moisture in the air, it's harder for water to evaporate, so it's harder to cool off, thus making you feel hotter.

Answer 8

YES!!! Humidity makes it feel a lot hotter than it really is. It feels like when you take a hot shower only you are wearing your clothes. It doesn't have to be that hot for it to feel hot when it's humid outside.

Answer 9

it definatly does. The humidity in percent is not what really makes the air feel warmer than what it really is. Its the dew point. The dew point is what makes the difference between the elevation of the heat indices

Answer 10

Yea, it can make you feel like crap if you don't like hot whether.