Ever wonder why it feels hotter when it is more humid outside? Here is a mini science lesson as to why this is true.
First, you have to understand what humidity is. Basically, humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. When there is a lot of water vapor in the air, the cooling effect that sweating has for our bodies is decreased.
How does sweating help to cool us off you ask? Sweating has a cooling effect, because for water to change state from a liquid to a gas it needs to absorb energy or heat. Thus when you sweat, heat is absorbed from the skin cooling it. This causes it to change to a gas, and makes you feel cooler.
The next question is how does a high humidity decrease the cooling effect of sweating? When the humidity is higher, the sweat that our bodies produce doesn't evaporate as well, because there is already too much water vapor in the air.
Now you know.
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