The valley's bittersweet friend: Humidity [07/13/2002]

By Caleb Boulter

The air of the Mount Washington Valley has changed in recent years. Tourists who flock to our region in order to escape from unhealthy air sometimes notice little improvement once they get here. It is not pollution that is in our sky, but the creepy-crawly giant known as humidity. This gaseous-like substance occurs more often then not during the summer months. Many answers concerning its cause and effect are available to battle against the valley's ghost-like opponent. Slightly over one week ago, the North Conway region witnessed one of the hottest heat waves in history. It was not the real-time temperature that made the heat wave so rare, but the humidity that accompanied it. For the first four days of July, the mercury rose to nearly 100 degrees. However, with a very high humidity reading, the feeling of the air rose to nearly 115 degrees. You may be surprised to know that our atmosphere consists of a lot of water. Humidity is the amount of water in the air. For instance, a 25 percent humidity reading means the air is holding one quarter the amount of water possible. When the percentage is lower, the air is dry with few clouds. If the percentage is higher, the air is wet with many clouds. Humidity is not a negative aspect to the atmosphere because it aids in increasing cloud cover and precipitation, which is necessary for our survival. One common mistake is that many believe humidity increases the temperature, when in reality it increases the feeling of the temperature. When the mercury was 99 degrees during Independence Week, a humidity reading of approximately 50 percent accompanied it. Therefore the amount of water in the air was half full. This combination of the high humidity and the extremely warm temperatures produced the feeling that the air was much warmer because of the moisture on ourselves. The high humidity makes heat dangerous because it slows the evaporation of perspiration, which is your body's natural cooler. Just how hot is 115 degrees? This question opens the door to one of the largest controversies in the meteorological community. During the beginning stages of the National Weather Service, the Heat Index Chart was developed. The formula for the heat index was the combination of relative humidity with the apparent air temperature. Scientists now believe that the formula creates a heat index that is too high. No matter what the outcome is for the Heat Index Chart, one aspect that will never change is the effect that humidity has on our bodies. We all had a significant fight with our bittersweet opponent during Independence Week. Humidity is here not to harm our lifestyle, but to enhance it. However, when humidity arrives with heat, the results can be deadly. Keeping hydrated and cool can provide residents with the upper hand in protecting themselves from heat. Week in review After several days of extreme warmth, the second week of July produce dry conditions with partly cloudy skies. Friday, July 5, was slightly cooler then average as the temperature reached into the upper 70s. Being 20 degrees cooler then the previous day, the dry air was a welcomed sight for many. Saturday and Sunday were copycat days as the temperature reached around 80 degrees. The morning low temperatures during these days dropped into the low 50s. After many washout weekends, Saturday and Sunday marked the second of its kind in a two-month period. The heat returned on Monday, July 8, as the afternoon temperature reached 91 degrees. Clouds moved through the area during the evening hours and produced a strong thunderstorm. Almost 0.25 inch of rain accumulated during the event. The muggy conditions continued into Tuesday, but due to clouds, the temperature capped at 86 degrees. Reminiscent of a classic early autumns day, Wednesday, July 10, became a premier day where the valley was blessed with deep, blue skies and cool conditions. By the morning of Thursday, July 11, the morning low temperature dipped downward to 43 degrees, which broke the previous record low temperature of 45 degrees. Caleb Boulter, 17, is developer of North Conway Weather (http://www.northconwayweather..com), a web site featuring current conditions from his weather station and sky cam. The site also highlights hours of information with over 200 photographs. Caleb Boulter currently interns at the Mount Washington Observatory and reports daily as a cooperative weather observer to media and governmental outlets. For comments and questions on this article, contact nhweatherman@adelphia.net.