COLUMBIA, S.C. — During the summer, more than just the heat can make you feel miserable outside; moisture plays a significant role in what you feel on those hottest days.
As temperatures soar heading toward the end of the week, you will hear the term dewpoint more often in the forecast. The dewpoint is the temperature at which our air is full of water. This can be used to measure moisture in the air or what we typically call humidity.
The dewpoint scale shows how this moisture can change how the air feels—ranging from extremely dry in the 40s to a noticeable wet feel in the mid to upper 70s.
The dewpoint will approach this range in the next five days as more moisture is fed into the Southeast. That sets the stage for some humid weather in the Midlands next week.
This is very important because, during the hottest days, our bodies cool off by sweating. The evaporation of this water cools us down. With higher moisture in the air, this process becomes much more difficult, making it harder to cool down.
These higher dewpoints that approach the lower to middle 70s going into the weekend contribute to the heat index or feels-like temperature.
With highs getting into the upper 90s by this weekend, the higher dewpoints will make it feel like it is in the 100s for the first time this year.
