During the warmer months, the relative humidity is given together with the temperature displayed on television. When is the relative humidity used, and how is it calculated?
Relative humidity is always calculated at all times of the year but the humidex is usually given in the warmer months from May to September. Relative humidity can be calculated using various methods and instruments. It is a calculation to find out how many grams of water vapour can be held at a given temperature. Usually, the warmer the air the higher it’s capacity for holding water vapour. Each specific temperature has a holding limit for water and the actual amount of water held in the air at the time of measurement can be represented as a percentage. For example, if a parcel of air at 20 C has a limit or capacity of 16 grams of water vapour and 16 grams of water vapour is measured, the air’s holding capacity is at it’s maximum, the relative humidity (RH) of the air is said to be 100%. Take the same air with 8 grams of water vapour and your RH is 50%. Relative humidity is a percentage of water vapour per area at a specific temperature.
Relative humidity is calculated at all times of the year but the humidex is usually given in the warmer months from May to September. Relative humidity is a calculation to tell you how much water vapour is in the air relative to how much water vapour the air can hold at that temperature. The warmer the air, the more water vapour it can hold. Each specific temperature has a holding limit for water vapour and the actual amount of water vapour held in the air at the time of measurement can be represented as a percentage of this. This percentage is the relative humidity. For example, if a parcel of air at 20C C has a limit or capacity of 16 grams of water vapour and 16 grams of water vapour is measured, the air’s holding capacity is at it’s maximum and the relative humidity (RH) of the air is said to be 100%. Take the same air with 8 grams of water vapour and your RH is 50%.
