Chicago Weather Watch

Humidity, dew points, fires and rain

The moon is almost the color of a grapefruit in the sky. Smoke from the wildfires in the West has spread clear across the country, all the way to the East coast, and making the midwestern skies hazy.

Hazy days of summer, the dog days are here, and more heat and humidity on the way. It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, people used to say.

Meteorologists prefer to use the term dew points as a more accurate way to measure the moisture content in the atmosphere.

What is the difference between dew point and humidity?

Here is how the National Weather Service defines it—Dew Point vs Humidity

In simpler terms, the dew point is a measure of humidity. The dew point is the temperature at which water vapor condenses into liquid. The higher the dew point, the higher level of moisture at a given temperature. The dew point of humid air will be higher than the dew point of dry air.

What is the warmest day Chicago has ever had?

Here is meteorologist Tom Skilling’s answer–What is the warmest day Chicago has ever had? | WGN-TV

Did you know that volcanoes and wildfires can make their own weather? You can read more about fire clouds here.

Fires and rain. And after the rain, mosquitoes!

Filed under:
climate change, nature, seasons, weather

Tags:
dew points, fire clouds