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The Weather Page

February 18, 2007|By FRANK ROYLANCE , Sun Reporter -- Weather Blogger

Dennis Ferguson of Easton asks about the term "relative humidity. ... To what is it `relative?'" It's the percentage of water vapor in the atmosphere relative to the maximum the air could hold at a given temperature - 100 percent. Warmer air can hold more moisture. Take outdoor air at 40 degrees and 80 percent relative humidity, heat it to 70 degrees, and the relative humidity (the moisture content compared to what it could hold at 70) drops to 10 percent. That's why indoor air feels so darned dry in winter.

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