Doc Tales

June 20, 2018 — 

In honor of the first day of summer, I thought I would bestow a little knowledge on you (after all, that is the mission of AASV). Do you know why it's harder to keep your drink cold on a humid day? According to Dr. Dale Durran, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington, it's due to condensational heating. Consider an ice-cold can of your favorite summertime beverage. On a day when the temperature is 87 degrees Fahrenheit and the relative humidity 70%, the condensation that forms over five minutes will heat the can's contents by 10 degrees. So, drink up! And, remember, it's not the heat, it's the humidity.