Abstract
When the occasional heat wave occurs during summer, people often bemoan the unbearable temperature and humidity conditions. Most of us have heard, and maybe even used, the statement " 90°F. temperature and 90% relative humidity." This exceptional weather condition, based on popular confusion of the temperature/relative humidity concept, generally seems to be perceived as possible by most people. In this research, a 30- year archive approaching one million data sets for seven New England cities was examined to determine the validity of such an expression. Hourly summer temperature, dew point, and relative humidity data were analyzed. From 1961 to 1990 such a heat/humidity combination was never attained in New England and, in fact, appears an extremely remote possibility.
Recommended Citation
Ojala, Carl F. and Babcock2, William
(1998)
"The Heat/Humidity Quandary: A Case Study of New England,"
The Geographical Bulletin: Vol. 40:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/thegeographicalbulletin/vol40/iss1/7