Introduction
Air is made up of molecules that are constantly moving. As air warms up, there molecules
move faster and bump into each other, increasing the space between molecules. Because the
molecules occupy more space, the air expands and becomes less dense. When air molecules
expand in, air pressure decreases. As air cools, the molecules move more slowly and take up less
room. As this happens, air pressure increases. Water is present as a liquid and as a gas in the
atmosphere. When water is a gas, it is called water vapor. You can’t see water vapor in the air,
because water molecules are very small. When water is a liquid, you can see it in the form of
clouds. It can also fall from the sky as precipitation.
The amount of water vapor in the air is called humidity. The amount of water vapor the
air can hold depends on the temperature of the air. Warm air can hold more water vapor, while
cold air cannot hold as much. We describe how much water vapor is in the air by using the term
relative humidity. Relative humidity tells us how much water vapor is in the air, compared to how
much it could hold at that temperature. It is shown as a percent. For example, a relative humidity
of 50 percent means the air is holding one half of the water vapor it can hold. Again, this is all
dependent on the temperature. Relative humidity measured the percentage of water vapor
compared the capacity of the air. Because the molecules in warm air are more spread out, warm
air can hold more water vapor than cold air. If the amount of water vapor in the air stays the
same, but the temperature goes down, the relative humidity will increase. This is because the
colder air cannot hold as much water vapor. If the temperature gets cold enough, the air gets to
the point that it is holding the most water vapor it can hold. The relative humidity for this
temperature would be 100 percent. This is also known as the dew point temperature.
High pressure weather systems are usually associated with clear skies and sunny weather.
Low pressure weather systems are usually associated with cloudy skies and stormy weather.
Buxton, P. A., & Mellanby, K. (1934). The Measurement and Control of Humidity. Bulletin of
Entomological Research, 25(2), 171–175. [Link]