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ABC Action News Weather Calculators

Have you ever wondered how relative humidity affects how hot it really feels outside? Confused about what the dew point really is? You can learn all about these and other weather terms with our interactive weather calculators below.

Relative Humidity Calculator
(using Temperature and Dew Point)
Temperature:   ° F
Dew Point:   ° F
  %

Related weather definitions from ABC Action News:

 • temperature – the amount of heat or cold measured on a thermometer.
 • dew point – the temperature to which air must be cooled for saturation to occur; the temperature at which dew or frost will form.
 • relative humidity – a percentage of moisture in the air compared to what it can hold at that temperature.

What else can the Dew Point tell you?
Dew Point, along with Temperature, can tell you the estimated height of a cloud's base. How? When air rises in a convective current, it cools at the rate of 5.4° F/1,000 ft, and its dew point decreases 1° F/1,000 ft. Therefore, the temperature and dew point are converging at 4.4° F/1,000 ft. Since clouds form when the temperature/dew point spread is 0°, you can use that information to estimate the base of a cumulus cloud. Here's how it works: Subtract the surface dew point from the surface temperature to give you the temperature/dew point spread. Then divide that number by 4.4° F. Finally, multiply this result by 1,000 ft. This total will be your estimate of the cloud base's height above ground level (AGL). Try it using the Cloud Base Calculator below!

ABC Action News Weather Calculators:
 • Barometric Pressure Conversions
 • Cloud Base Calculator
 • Density Altitude Calculator
 • Dew Point Calculator
 • Fahrenheit / Celsius Conversion
 • Heat Index Calculator 1
 • Heat Index Calculator 2
 • Relative Humidity Calculator
 • Relative Humidity / Dew Point Calculator
 • Wind Chill Calculator
 • Wind Velocity

Learn more weather terminology here.



 

 

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Weather Photos
 

Weather Almanac

Place: Austin, TX
Year: 1937
Event: 9.7-inch snowfall -- maximum 24 hour-snowfall and maximum for one season. This was the only snow Austin had all season.

Place: Wisconsin/IL
Year: 1989
Event: Snow squalls with thunder and lightning at Milwaukee, where 9 inches fell. Eleven inches fell at Waukegan and 2.1 inches at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

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