What is the relationship between air temperature and relative humidity?
Relative humidity is a percentage that reflects how close the air is to saturation, where 100% relative humidity indicates fog or rain and single-digit relative humidity indicates extremely dry air. For a given amount of water vapor in the air, relative humidity will decrease as air temperature increases and increase as air temperature decreases. Typically, relative humidity at a location is highest around daybreak when temperatures are coolest and lowest during the heat of the afternoon. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule as the amount of water vapor in the air doesn’t remain constant throughout the day. In addition, temperatures not always lowest in the morning and highest in the afternoon. Learn more about humidity on this USA TODAY resource page.
