Why does humidity make temperature feel hot, but restaurants use misters to cool the patrons?

Question

I live in a town with a lot of humidity in summer. I perspire a lot, but restaurants around here have misters outdoors to “cool things down”. How does that work? How can adding more humidity make the heat more tolerable?

In: 340

Answer 1

Everything everywhere is always trying to reach the same temperature forever, even your body. You generate heat to combat this constantly. A thin layer of water wicks and transfers heat better than dry skin.

If there is a small layer of water on your skin in a cool environment, then it will transfer heat from your body to the cool air quickly.

If there is a small layer of water on your skin in a hot environment, then it will transfer heat from the air to your body quickly.