What are humidity levels?

Humidity levels are how much moisture is in the air around us, like when you breathe out into a cold day and see your breath as little clouds.

Imagine you have a big jar full of air. If it's dry, it’s like the jar has very few drops of water in it, maybe just one or two. That means there isn’t much moisture in the air, so things don’t feel as wet or sticky. But if the jar is humid, it’s like you added a bunch more drops until the jar is almost full, that means the air has lots of moisture in it.

What humidity feels like

When it's dry, your skin might feel tight and scratchy, like when you forget to put on lotion. When it's humid, your skin might feel sticky or damp, kind of like when you come out of a bath and don’t dry off right away.

Humidity levels change all day, sometimes they’re high in the morning, low in the afternoon, and back up again at night. It’s like the air is breathing in and out, taking in moisture from things around it, like lakes, your skin, or even your cup of soup!

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Examples

  1. A room feels sticky on a hot summer day because the humidity levels are high.
  2. Your hair frizzes in the winter because the air is dry and humidity levels are low.
  3. A weather forecast mentions that humidity levels will drop, so it might rain later.

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Categories: Space · humidity· weather· climate