bbc weather f/x

[Colin Pook]

Browsing the new internet weather forecast for my area, I have noticed that on several occasions they give the HUMIDITY as high as 98%. I never knew that the humidity in this country could reach that level, and if it did, 100% humidity levels could be dangerous as the human body would not perspire to cool the skin. I thought those sort of levels only occured in tropical regions. Anyone comment on this for me?

Cheers,
Colin.

[Captain Kong]

This is on google Colin....................
.
. If the air is at 100-percent relative humidity, sweat will not evaporate into the air. As a result, we feel much hotter than the actual temperature when the relative humidity is high.

Karl Weatherly/Getty Images

Up NextHow Water Works
How Sweat Works
DiscoveryHealth.com: Humidity
*Humidity is somethi*ng we hear about daily in weather reports. Humidity is to blame for that muggy, steam-room feeling you experience on certain summer days.

Humidity can be measured in several ways, but relative humidity is the most common. In order to understand relative humidity, it is helpful to first understand absolute humidity.

Absolute humidity is the mass of water vapor divided by the mass of dry air in a volume of air at a given temperature. The hotter the air is, the more water it can contain.

*Relative humidity is the ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity (which depends on the current air temperature). A reading of 100 percent relative humidity means that the air is totally saturated with water vapor and cannot hold any more, creatin*g the possibility of rain. This doesn't mean that the relative humidity must be 100 percent in order for it to rain -- it must be 100 percent where the clouds are forming, but the relative humidity near the ground could be much less.

* Humans are very sensitive to humidity, as the skin relies on the air to get rid of moisture. The process of sweating is your body's attempt to keep cool and maintain its current temperature. If the air is at 100-percent relative humidity, sweat will not evaporate into the air. As a result, we feel much hotter than the actual temperature when the relative humidity is high. If the relative humidity is low, we can feel much cooler than the actual temperature because our sweat evaporates easily, cooling *us off. For example, if the air temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) and the relative humidity is zero percent, the air temperature feels like 69 degrees Fahrenheit (21 C) to our bodies. If the air temperature is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 C) and the relative humidity is 100 percent, we feel like it's 80 degrees (27 C) out.

People tend to feel most comfortable at a relative humidity of about 45 percent. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers help to keep indoor humidity at a comfortable level.

SO NOW WE KNOW,

[j.sabourn]

Brian, bet you had no trouble with your 2nd. Mates orals. Cheers John Sabourn

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi Brian and bet you had no trouble with your female orals as well

[j.sabourn]

In the days before satellites etc. a lot of ordinary merchant ships were employed on a voluntary basis to act as weather ships i.e. to send in reports every 6 hours to the British Meterology office. These were mostly ships on regular runs and must have been I would say dozens at any one time on the same routes. The info sent in was Barometric Pressure, Relative Humidity, Sea State on the Beaufort scale as well as wind direction etc. Air temperature and various other info. This was in addittion to the various weather ships stationed in various parts of the world. All this is now I assume is old fashioned stuff. The weather reporting by our now very sophisticated meteorologists with all the satellite pictures etc. seems to me to be no more accurate than when it was done the old way. Cheers John Sabourn.

[Captain Kong]

Hi John
we always did the weather reorting to Bracknel on the ESSO tankers world wide including sending in reports of various phenomenas, such as a swarm of locusts including posting a locust, for examination, that just fitted into a cig packet with the appropriate pos. and wind speed and direction etc. also the amount of phospheresence and other unusual items.
Helped to pass the time on watch on an 8 week passage round the Cape to the Gulf and 8 weeks back again.
Cheers
Brian

[Colin Pook]

Good afternoon, Capn. Very interesting. Once I've read it a few times I might just get to grips with it!!

So, just because the night-time humidity in the Red Sea, the Gulf, and that other god forsaken place Lake Maracaibo, is very high, it doesn't mean that it is actually raining, or even going to. I say this as I don't think I have ever seen rain in the Red Sea,or the Gulf. Apart from that, my 2 barometers at home hane never read anywhere near the degree that the BEEB stated on the net last night. Today, here in Milford, the out-door temp is 16deg. and the humidity is 74% and it.s drizzly rain. IT certainly didn't feel humid last night even though they gave 98% humidity.
Perhaps I, or you, could have a word with them!!
Much obliged for your explanation, and 'J', and Ivan for their comments!!
Cheers and regards to all,
Colin.

[Captain Kong]

Hi Colin , here is the present forecast in Salford , Manchester 12 miles away.................
.
Salford, Greater Manchester

14°C Current: Mostly Cloudy
Wind: W at 21 km/h
Humidity: 88%
.
it is cold and raining here.
Cheers
Brian

[j.sabourn]

Hi Colin very cold here in Peth down to 22 degrees. Winter is now with us again. Cheers John Sabourn

[Colin Pook]

Goo morning 'j' , Thanks for that. Did you mean PLUS 22, or MINUS 22. If Perth winter temp. is PLUS 22, then thats better than Milford Haven SUMMER temp.
Suppose you don't know a Steve Toomer do you? Emigrated from here about 15 years ago.
Right, I shll put my coat on and venture out to get my paper.

Outside temp.=15
barometer=1023 steady
viz-poor (fog)
wind calm
48 hour forecast-loadsa loadsa rain
and this is 1st. June!!
Best regards,
Colin.

if Capn. Kong is reading this---precipitation in large lumps on its way!!