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Note: Heat Index is equal to the air temperature at or below 0° F (-18° C).
Temperature/Humidity/Sun/Wind (THSW) Index
The THSW Index uses humidity and temperature like for the Heat Index, but also
includes the heating effects of sunshine and the cooling effects of wind (like wind chill)
to calculate an apparent temperature of what it “feels” like out in the sun. The THSW
Index requires a solar radiation sensor.
Humidity
Humidity itself simply refers to the amount of water vapor in the air. However, the total
amount of water vapor that the air can contain varies with air temperature and pressure.
Relative humidity takes into account these factors and offers a humidity reading which
reflects the amount of water vapor in the air as a percentage of the amount the air is
capable of holding. Relative humidity, therefore, is not actually a measure of the
amount of water vapor in the air, but a ratio of the air’s water vapor content to its capac-
ity. When we use the term humidity in the manual and on the screen, we mean relative
humidity.
It is important to realize that relative humidity changes with temperature, pressure, and
water vapor content. A parcel of air with a capacity for 10 g of water vapor which con-
tains 4 g of water vapor, the relative humidity would be 40%. Adding 2 g more water
vapor (for a total of 6 g) would change the humidity to 60%. If that same parcel of air is
then warmed so that it has a capacity for 20 g of water vapor, the relative humidity
drops to 30% even though water vapor content does not change.
Relative humidity is an important factor in determining the amount of evaporation from
plants and wet surfaces since warm air with low humidity has a large capacity to absorb
extra water vapor.
Dew Point
Dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled for saturation (100% relative
humidity) to occur, providing there is no change in water vapor content. The dew point
is an important measurement used to predict the formation of dew, frost, and fog. If
dew point and temperature are close together in the late afternoon when the air begins
to turn colder, fog is likely during the night. Dew point is also a good indicator of the
air’s actual water vapor content, unlike relative humidity, which takes the air’s temper-
ature into account. High dew point indicates high water vapor content; low dew point
indicates low water vapor content. In addition a high dew point indicates a better
chance of rain, severe thunderstorms, and tornados.
You can also use dew point to predict the minimum overnight temperature. Provided no
new fronts are expected overnight and the afternoon relative humidity is greater than or
equal to 50%, the afternoon’s dew point gives you an idea of what minimum tempera-
ture to expect overnight, since the air can never get colder than the dew point. Dew
point is equal to air temperature when humidity = 100%.
Rain
Vantage Pro2 incorporates a tipping-bucket rain collector in the ISS that measures
0.01'' for each tip of the bucket. A metric adapter can be installed to measure 0.2 mm
for each tip of the bucket.Your station logs rain data in the same units it is measured in
and converts the logged totals into the selected display units (inches or millimeters) at