Weather Tidbits: Dew Point vs Relative Humidity

We’ll be discussing the difference between dew point and relative humidity in this edition of Weather Tidbits. Both of these weather parameters describe moisture in the air, but represent very different values. The dew point is the temperature that the air must reach to be fully saturated. A higher dew point means that there is more moisture in the air. The relative humidity measures the amount of water vapor relative to the air temperature represented as a percentage. Warmer temperatures hold more moisture. Dew point is a more accurate measurement to use when describing overall mugginess in the air. For example, a temperature and dewpoint of 55 gives a 100% relative humidity, while a temperature of 85 and dew point of 70 gives a 61% relative humidity. The latter will feel more humid and uncomfortable than the former.