Weather Tidbits: Temperature and Humidity’s Affect on Baseball

This edition of Weather Tidbits will be discussing how temperature and humidity can impact the distance a baseball travels in the air. Let’s say you throw the ball on a cold day. Cold air is denser than warm air. Thus, in comparison to a warm day, this makes it tougher for the ball to push the air molecules out of the way. It is probably not as easy to score a home run than on a warmer day. Humidity in the air can have an impact on the traveled distance of the ball as well. Humid air contains more water. While this is the case, these water molecules are actually lighter than air molecules. Therefore, creating less drag on the ball and making it easier to score a home run. A cold and dry winter day may require a bit more effort on behalf of the batter than a warmer and humid day.