COLUMBIA, S.C. — It might be hard to get cooler weather this time of the year but we sure did wake up to much nicer weather on Tuesday. Thanks to a cold front we are much drier across the area, a change that could be explained two different ways. While you might hear the term humidity, it actually refers to the amount of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount it can hold. This number we get is very temperature dependent which means it isn’t great for describing moisture.
A 50% humidity on a day where it is warmer will have much more water content than a 40 degree day, which means it could still be humid.
This is where dewpoint comes into play. This value indicates where air would become saturated and is tied more directly to the actual moisture in the air.
Because of this, the dewpoint is what you feel!
When dewpoints are in the 70s this is air you can feel as you step out the door. Once we get values in the 50s and 60s like we will have this week, the humid feel in the air just goes away and things become quite comfortable. Values lower than that are quite dry and are typically reserved for the winter months here in the Midlands.
This break from the mugginess is a nice treat for us. 2022 ranks 3rd all time for the amount of time spent in the in dewpoints at or above 70 here in Columbia, some serious moisture.
