Section: Science

95) Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air at a given time. At warm temperatures, air can hold more moisture than it can at cold temperatures. Relative humidity is the amount of vapor the air is holding expressed as a percentage of the amount the air is capable of holding. For example, at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, air can hold a maximum of 30.4 grams of water per cubic meter. If the air at the same temperature is holding only 15.2 grams of water, the relative humidity is 50 percent. At the point at which the air becomes saturated (exceeds the level of water vapor it can hold), it releases water vapor in the form of dew or condensation.

If the air at 75 degrees’s holding the maximum amount of moisture that it can, and the temperature suddenly drops to
60 degrees, what is likely to be the result?

1. The humidity will remain unchanged.
2. The relative humidity will decrease.
3. Precipitation will be released in the form of rain.
4. Precipitation will be released in the form of hail.
5. Precipitation will be released in the form of snow.

According to the passage, warm air holds more moisture than cold air; therefore, when the temperature drops, the cold air cannot hold the amount of moisture that the warmer air held. At that temperature, the sturation point would be exceeded and the excess humidity would be released as rain.