Why does higher humidity make us feel warmer?

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i.e. at higher temperatures with low humidity, dry heat, feels more comfortable than with high humidity.

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4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Sweat works on the principal that when water evaporates (dries) it takes a little heat with it. That’s why we sweat, to provide extra surface water that will be dried by the air around us and take heat away. Humid air simply has less room to carry water vapor away because it is already filled with more water vapor. So sweat dries slower. Dry air readily picks up more water vapor. So sweat will dry faster, taking heat away. And even when you aren’t sweating, you are always covered in at least some body moisture. You are kinda always sweating just not noticably.

Anonymous 0 Comments

We feel cooler when the moisture on our skin evaporates. Our skin almost always has some moisture. This is why you feel cooler when you fan yourself, because the breeze is making the moisture evaporate. When the humidity is high, it’s harder for the moisture to evaporate.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Lower humidity allows sweat to evaporate. Evaporation cools your body. The more humid it is, the less evaporation is going on.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Humans cool themselves off by sweating and the sweat then evaporating. The more humid the air is the more saturated it is with water and the harder it is for sweat to evaporate. If sweat doesn’t evaporate you can’t cool off.