High Temperature & High Humidity

When both the temperature and humidity are high, you are going to experience sultry weather. Sultry is synonymous with baking, scorching, roasting, muggy and stifling. In other words, head for an air-conditioned room.

Humidity Defined and Its Effects

• The amount of water vapor in the air is humidity. When both the temperature and the humidity levels are high, people become hot and sweaty. High humidity reduces the efficacy of sweating to cool you off because the perspiration from the skin evaporates. If it is 75 degrees Fahrenheit outside but the humidity is at 100 percent, it is going to feel like 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

100 Percent

• When there is 100 percent humidity in the air, this indicates that the air is completely flooded with water vapor and can't grip any more vapor. Thus, it rains.

Heat Index

• When the temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and there is absolute humidity, the effects are measured by the "Heat Index," which is also referred to as the "Apparent Temperature," as explained on the website Newton.dep.anl.gov. According to Medterms.com, heat index means the temperature that the body feels when humidity and heat are combined. High relative humidity slows down evaporation. Evaporation of sweat is needed to cool the body. When the heat gain is more than the body can get rid of a person's body temperature rises and he can suffer from heat stroke.

Effects of Humidity

• When the temperature is below 53 degrees Fahrenheit, high humidity makes it seem colder than it actually is. When the weather is above 53 degrees Fahrenheit, humidity makes the temperature feel warmer.