If you think this summer has been more humid and more uncomfortable than any you can remember in Connecticut - you would be right. In fact it's been the most humid by a very large margin.
The numbers, courtesy of Iowa State, are shocking. The hourly dew point reading at Bradley International Airport has been at or above 70 degrees for 623 hours this year! This absolutely destroys the old record of about 400 hours. We're also not done yet!
We use the dew point to gauge how humid the weather is as dew point is an absolute measure of moisture in the atmosphere. Relative humidity doesn't work because it's relative - for example the relative humidity during a blizzard is generally 100 percent - but you would never describe it as "humid!"
With all the humidity it's not surprising this summer has been both warm and wet. So far, this summer is the eighth wettest on record and the seventh warmest on record. We're not alone. Across the country a large swath has experienced a top 10 warmest summer and the midwest and northeast have been unusually wet.
One reason why the humidity has been so relentless is the remarkably warm water to our south. New Haven Harbor has generally been near or above 80 degrees for the last month. The current water temperature is 83.3 degrees while the average (mean) temperature for this time of year is 75 degrees!
Is there relief in sight? A bit for Friday, Saturday and Sunday but it doesn't last long. Another surge of uncomfortably hot and humid weather approaches starting Labor Day. Stay cool!
