If steam is formed at 100°C, what is being produced at 80-90°C?

Question

Steam is formed at 100°C but I see “steam” being produced at less than that temperature. What is that and why isn’t it steam?

In: 33

Answer 1

There are 2 ways water turns into steam: evaporation and boiling.

Water boils at 100ºC, as you know, and steam is formed by boiling.

Evaporation, instead, can happen at any temperature. For example, when you mop the floor, you don’t have to dry it because it dries by itself. It dries because water evaporates, and steam is being produced at like 30ºC.