With highs touching the 80-degree-mark this weekend, it certainly was warm, but it did not feel at all oppressive. Why can 80° sometimes feel pleasant, while other times it can feel miserable? It all has to do with the humidity, and moreover the dewpoint. The dewpoint is the measure of moisture in the air. The higher the dewpoint, the higher the moisture content of the air, and the less efficient your body is in cooling itself off. A good rule of thumb is dewpoints during warm weather is: 50's typically feel relatively comfortable, 60's are borderline uncomfortable, while 70's are oppressive. Therefore, a temperature of 80° with a dewpoint of 50° feels much more comfortable than a temperature of 80° and a dewpoint of 75°.

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